ADELAIDE: You only get one chance to make a first impression, and for newly appointed UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni it is crucial the first impression he makes over the next two weeks is a strong and positive one.
After the departure of Mahdi Ali, there was wild speculation regarding who would fill the hot seat. In the end, Argentine Edgardo Bauza was a largely uninspired choice, and in his short spell in charge that is how it played out, with Bauza largely sticking with the same group of players, leaving everyone underwhelmed with the direction the team was headed.
With Bauza moving to Saudi Arabia after they let go of Bert Van Marwijk, the UAE had a chance to reset. It was a blessing in disguise. In golfing terms they were handed a mulligan.
So for them, just as much as Zaccheroni, they need the Italian’s first matches in charge to set the Emirates on a clear path forward, with the AFC Asian Cup on home soil looming on the horizon just 14 months away.
Make no mistake; this is a trophy he is expected to challenge for and even win. On home soil they have to perform well. No ifs, buts or maybes.
We will get an idea of the direction Zaccheroni, the former coach of Japan who guided the Samurai Blue to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup title, is headed when he names his first squad next week.
With star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman beset with injury, playing just one game this season back in September, and star strikers Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil also sidelined with knocks for the past few weeks, in terms of shaking things up his hand may be forced.
Does he opt for experience in the form of Al Wahda’s 34-year-old veteran Ismail Matar, someone who has been there and done that? Or does he really shake things up and put faith in someone like 22-year-old Al-Jazira star Khalfan Mubarak, who has scored twice for the defending champions in the opening six matches, picking up from where he left off last season when he was named the league’s best young player?
It is the type of move that would send a strong signal, not only to the rest of the team who had became far too comfortable under Mahdi Ali, but to the fans of the national team that, under Zaccheroni’s reign, things will be different.
And it is that kind of bravery the fans want to see. The golden generation, if you want to term it like that, has served UAE well and a number of them are still of a good age to contribute well into the future. But under Mahdi Ali they had become tired and staid. Towards the end of his tenure it was a team crying out for a hit of youth and excitement to regenerate the team.
The likes of Al-Jazira duo Mubarak (22) and Ahmed Al-Attas (22), Al-Wasl’s Ali Salmin (22) and Al-Wahda’s Mohamed Al-Akbari (21) have all had experience, albeit fleeting, with the national team over the past few years and have shown at domestic level they have the potential to take their game to the next level.
What they need now is a manager to trust and believe in them, and someone to give them their opportunity. Zaccheroni needs to be that man.
While it’s important for UAE to perform well in their upcoming friendlies, reportedly against Egypt and Uzbekistan, in reality results do not matter. So there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from Zaccheroni throwing caution to the wind and giving the next generation a chance.
While the UAE FA will no doubt have their eyes firmly fixed on success at the AFC Asian Cup in 2019, the long-term goal has to be to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, the first one to be staged in the Middle East.
With the UAE’s campaign to qualify for Russia 2018 ending in ignominy earlier this year, the process of building toward 2022 has to start now and we will get our first glimpse of what that looks like over the next two weeks.
First impressions count. Let us hope Zaccheroni makes a good one.
Why Zacch should attack from the start
Why Zacch should attack from the start
FIA President Ben Sulayem welcomes Trump to Miami Grand Prix
- The former US president witnessed maiden Formula 1 win for McLaren’s Lando Norris
MIAMI: Former US president Donald Trump was welcomed to the Miami Grand Prix by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, where he saw McLaren’s Lando Norris notch up his first Formula 1 victory.
Sunday’s race saw British driver Norris take the checkered flag from three-time world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing car. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came third.
Trump, along with a number of famous athletes and other celebrities, delighted the audience by engaging with fans and attendees. He was also invited behind the scenes to tour the McLaren pit garage accompanied by the team’s CEO, American Zak Brown.
A spokesman for the Miami Grand Prix said the race weekend had sold out, with more than 275,000 fans in attendance to witness the high-octane atmosphere and exciting result.
Sandhagen to face Nurmagomedov at UFC fight night in Abu Dhabi
- The event will take place at the Etihad Arena on Aug 3
ABU DHABI: UFC has announced that its return to Abu Dhabi will see No. 2 ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen face No. 9 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov on Saturday, Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena.
Tickets for the event, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi go on sale from on Tuesday, May 7
Sandhagen, with a record of 17-4 and fighting out of Aurora, Colorado, returns to the UAE capital to cement his status as top contender in the bantamweight division. The Colorado native boasts wins over Rob Font, Chito Vera, and soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar. He now hopes for a convincing win over rising star Nurmagomedov to make his case for a title shot.
Nurmagomedov, 17-0, fighting out of Chelyabinsk, Russia, looks to put the division on notice by taking out a top-ranked opponent and making his first Octagon appearance in Abu Dhabi. He made his mark in the division after delivering dominant performances over Raoni Barcelos, Brian Kelleher and Sergey Morozov.
Now, he sets his sights on securing the biggest win of his career by getting his hand raised against Sandhagen.
Al-Itttihad fined $37,000 for King’s Cup misconduct
- The reigning Saudi Pro League champions lost 2-1 to Al-Hilal last week in the semifinals of the Kingdom’s renowned competition
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad Football Club have been fined $37,000 (SR140,000) for misconduct by players and fans in its recent 2-1 defeat by Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the King’s Cup.
A statement issued by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s disciplinary and ethics committee said Abderrazak Hamdallah and Saad Al-Mousa were each fined around $5,300 for not fulfilling their post-match media duties.
The committee also imposed a fine of $27,000 on the Jeddah club after fans threw bottles at opposition players from the stands. Nobody was harmed as a result of the incidents.
The authorities stressed that the three decisions are not subject to appeal.
Mitchell rallies Cavs for series-clinching Game 7 win over Magic
- Cavs move on to second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks
- The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday
LOS ANGELES: Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers silenced the young guns of Orlando, beating the Magic 106-94 in Game 7 of their NBA playoffs first-round series Sunday to book a meeting with Eastern Conference top seeds Boston.
It was another magisterial performance from Mitchell, who scored 39 points two days after pouring in 50 in the Cavs’ Game 6 defeat.
This time he had plenty of scoring support from teammates as the Cavs erased an 18-point second-quarter deficit to clinch a series in which the home team won every game.
Caris LeVert scored 15 points off the bench and Max Strus scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter, when the Cavs outscored the Magic 33-15 to take charge.
Evan Mobley scored 11 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots and Darius Garland chipped in 12 points to help Cleveland withstand a 38-point performance from Paolo Banchero.
The Cavs, with starting center Jarrett Allen sidelined a third straight game with bruised ribs, moved on to the second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks.
“I didn’t want to go home,” Mitchell said of the mindset that saw him score 17 points in the third quarter as he virtually willed Cleveland to the lead.
The Magic delivered a strong first punch, Banchero scoring 10 points in the first period as Orlando grabbed a 24-18.
In the face of Orlando’s suffocating defense the Cavs connected on just six of 22 shots in the first quarter and didn’t make a three-pointer until Sam Merrill drilled one midway through the second quarter.
The Magic pushed their lead to as many as 18 points in the second quarter before the Cavs clawed back to cut the lead to single digits.
Banchero’s layup in the closing seconds of the first half saw Orlando take a 10-point lead into the break, but momentum was on Cleveland’s side and they overwhelmed the Magic in the third.
“I didn’t feel our confidence waver much, even when we had 18 points in the first quarter,” Mitchell said.
“They came out and jumped on us,” he added, saying the key was for the Cavs “to respond the way we did, keep plugging, just keep chipping away.”
Mitchell, again relentless in the paint, tied it at 64-64 with a floater and LeVert drained a pair of free throws to give the Cavs their first lead since the first quarter.
Strus hit back-to-back three-pointers as Cleveland built a 76-68 lead going into the final period.
The Cavs pushed their advantage to 14 points in the final frame, fans chanting “We want Boston” as the final minutes ticked off.
The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, and Mitchell vowed the Cavaliers will be ready for the team that posted the best record in the regular season.
“We didn’t make the group we made just to win the first round,” he said. “We accomplished one goal. Now we have to do it again.”
It was a crushing end to a strong season for the Magic, collectively the second-youngest team in the playoffs behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 13 points and Jalen Suggs added 10 for the Magic, but Franz Wagner was held to just six as Orlando remained in search of a first playoff series victory since 2010.
Mitchell heaped praise 21-year-old Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft.
Banchero himself said the Magic’s fight back from 0-2 down in the series to force game seven “just shows where we’re headed.”
Sporting Lisbon win Portuguese league after Benfica stumble
- Last season’s victors stumbled 2-0 at Famalicao to complete Sporting’s triumph after Ruben Amorim’s triumphant side thrashed Portimonense 3-0 on Saturday
- Sporting will face Porto in the Portuguese Cup final on May 26, aiming to secure a double
LISBON: Sporting Lisbon were crowned champions of Portugal for only the second time in 21 years on Sunday after second-placed Benfica lost.
Last season’s victors stumbled 2-0 at Famalicao to complete Sporting’s triumph after Ruben Amorim’s triumphant side thrashed Portimonense 3-0 on Saturday.
Sporting, the division’s top scorers by far with 92 goals in 32 matches, are eight points clear of Benfica with just two games remaining.
Amorim’s side have lost just two times this season on the way to securing the club’s 20th league title, trailing Porto on 30 and record winners Benfica on 38.
Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres’ goals have powered Sporting’s title success and he netted his 27th of the campaign on Saturday to wrap up their victory.
The striker signed from Coventry City last summer for a club record fee of 20 million euros ($21.5 million) plus add-ons.
It is the second league trophy brought to the club by former Benfica player Amorim, who led Sporting to glory in the 2020/21 season.
Sporting will face Porto in the Portuguese Cup final on May 26, aiming to secure a double.
