As Leicester’s players, some euphoric, some seemingly stunned by their success, were trying to digest their achievement, the draw for the Uefa Champions League quarter-finals was taking shape. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund were already there. They were joined by Juventus, completing a quintet with the small matter of 24 European Cups between them.
Oh, and Leicester City, three-time League Cup winners, seven-time champions of England’s second flight and once of its third, triumphant in one Community Shield they did not actually qualify for and victors of the 1941 Football League War Cup.
Plus, of course, the 2016 Premier League title.
If it was incongruous to see Leicester in the Champions League to begin with, it is still odder to find them in the last eight.
“I can’t quite believe it,” said captain and goalscorer Wes Morgan. “I’m lost for words,” said Marc Albrighton, the other to find the net in the 2-0 win over Sevilla. “An unbelievable achievement,” said goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who saved a penalty in each leg against the triple Europa League winners.
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Read more
■ Leicester City: Ready for 'real serious business' of quarter-finals
■ Monaco v Manchester City: Attack the best form of defence
■ Atletico v Leverkusen: Yannick Ferreira Carrasco growing in stature
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Leicester find themselves rubbing shoulders with the superpowers, and the superpowers are recoiling from their touch.
“Who do I prefer not to play? Leicester,” said Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper showing he was worried about the upstarts from the East Midlands. “They are a dangerous and passionate team who can cause trouble for opponents who take the initiative. We would have everything to lose.”
It was a sign Leicester’s fear factor has returned. Their propensity to upset the established order propelled them to glory. Then the hunters became the hunted. Leicester were stalked by the Premier League’s lesser lights, subjected to chastening defeats. Workhorses were criticised for a lack of effort, a band of brothers scarcely seemed united and the inspiration for their title win seemed incapable of motivating his players.
It is clear that Claudio Ranieri’s sacking has had a transformative effect, and if it sticks in the craw the way many at Leicester seem to infer, the Italian was incidental to the most extraordinary title win in English football history.
A subsequent hat-trick of spirited victories under his interim successor Craig Shakespeare have brought echoes of last season. The formula of counter-attacking at speed and defending with resolve has been restored. Ten of the title-winners have been reunited and while Wilfried Ndidi is no replica of N’Golo Kante, his aerial ability at the base of the midfield has added solidity.
If this year seemed the unwelcome reality check, now a surreal element has been restored to Leicester’s story. The 15th best team in England, according to the standings, are now in the last eight in Europe.
The sheer improbability of it may mean some gloss over the skulduggery of Jamie Vardy, even if Samir Nasri’s dismissal was the product of his own idiocy, but Leicester’s rough edges always remained. Their rawness was part of their rise.
Wednesday marked the three-year anniversary of a 3-1 win over Blackpool in the Championship. Morgan scored that day, too. Schmeichel, Vardy, Danny Drinkwater and Riyad Mahrez also started both games. Tuesday’s elimination of Sevilla came eight years to the day after a 1-0 victory over Millwall in the third tier. Andy King, who was on the bench against Sevilla, played then.
Advance to the present and Leicester's unlikely lads have resumed their assault on football's usual suspects. Even after beating Sevilla, the statistical website FiveThirtyEight said they still have less than a 1 per cent chance of winning the Champions League.
But then they were the improbable outsiders who conquered the Premier League. Once again, the sense is that nothing is impossible.
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Company%20profile
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Results
2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)
3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar
5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Upcoming games
SUNDAY
Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton (5.30pm)
Leicester City v Everton (8pm)
MONDAY
Burnley v Newcastle United (midnight)
What's%20in%20my%20pazhamkootan%3F
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RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
Paris%20Agreement
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded