Mahdi Ali called his team's performance on Friday night in their 0-0 Gulf Cup of Natioans opener against Oman "very strong", and complimented both sides for their determination.
“We had more chances than Oman and the players delivered a good performance,” he said in Riyadh yesterday. “The Omani players tried their best to pressure us for the first 10 minutes but our players figured out a way to handle their approach.”
He also expressed his satisfaction with the performance of his most experienced player and squad captain Ismail Matar, who replaced Ali Mabkhout in attack in the second half.
“Ismail played very well on his comeback from injury,” Mahdi Ali said. “We felt he can be our winning card in the second half and we tried to utilise him as such.”
The coach was less impressed with the refereeing, which he said cost his team a penalty. He added that he would leave it up to the officials and fans to make up their minds.
Mahdi Ali also spoke up for star midfielder Omar Abdulrahman. He said the Al Ain playmaker played well despite not being fit as he returned from a month out with injury.
Gulf Cup of Nations results & fixtures (in UAE time)
Thursday
Saudi Arabia 1 Qatar 1
Bahrain 0 Yemen 0
Friday
UAE 0 Oman 0
Iraq 0 Kuwait 1
Sunday
Yemen v Qatar, 6.45pm
Saudi Arabia v Bahrain, 9.15pm
Monday
UAE v Kuwait, 6.45pm
Iraq v Oman, 9.15pm
Wednesday
Saudi Arabia v Yemen, 8.45pm
Bahrain v Qatar, 8.45pm
Thursday
UAE v Iraq, 8.45pm
Kuwait v Oman, 8.45pm
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Rating: 3/5
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“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
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Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
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Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
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C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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