Julian Alvarez struck twice to earn Atletico Madrid an emphatic 5-2 derby victory over La Liga leaders Real Madrid on Saturday, ending their perfect start to the season.
Xabi Alonso's side had won all six of their games but Diego Simeone's Atletico overran them at the Metropolitano stadium.
The hosts came flying out of the blocks and took the lead through Robin Le Normand. Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler netted to put Real Madrid in front but Alexander Sorloth levelled for Atletico at the end of a thrilling first half.
Alvarez fired in from the penalty spot and then bent home a free-kick as he made the difference after the break. Antoine Griezmann grabbed the fifth late on to seal an important win after a shaky start to the campaign.
“It was a bad game from us,” said Alonso, after his side conceded five goals against their rivals for the first time since 1950. “We didn't start well and we didn't play well collectively, we didn't perform at the required level with or without the ball. We're still building and this is our first defeat. It's not over yet. We need to learn from this for the future. We're hurting because it was a deserved defeat. We missed a gear and the defeat hurts.”
Atletico's joy was evident, with Simeone visibly emotional on the sideline as his team racked up the scoreline. “There's a lot of emotions … we've had a troubled start to the season,” he said. “From the start of the game we knew where we could hurt them … today was a very, very good performance.”
Led by a flying Mbappe, Real came into Alonso's first derby at the helm as the only side in the league with a 100 per cent record.
Although the French superstar scored again to reach eight league goals for the season, Atletico attacked relentlessly and deserved their victory.
Real Madrid started Jude Bellingham for the first time since his shoulder surgery in the summer, but the England international struggled to make an impact.
Giuliano Simeone, coach Diego Simeone's son, took advantage of slack Madrid defending to whip in a cross which Le Normand headed home after 14 minutes to open the scoring.
The visitors reacted well. Mbappe levelled with a crisp finish after breaking in down the right. Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior created Madrid's second goal, turning brilliantly in the box to break away from Marcos Llorente and Le Normand, before crossing for Guler to strike.
Alvarez, who netted a hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano in midweek, curled a shot around Thibaut Courtois but against the post as Atletico continued pushing.
Atletico defender Clement Lenglet put the ball in the net but the Frenchman used his forearm to deflect it home.
In first-half stoppage time, Atletico pulled level. Sorloth, lurking behind Dean Huijsen, planted a header beyond Courtois.
The Norwegian striker celebrated with Atletico fans, who embraced him – a risky move when already on a yellow card, but he was not dismissed.
Atletico moved in front for the second time when Guler gave away a penalty for a high boot, catching Nico Gonzalez's head.
Alvarez, who had a penalty controversially disallowed in a Champions League shoot-out the last time the sides met, beat Courtois from the spot, even though the Belgian went the right way.
“Each penalty is a new penalty, a new game, a new chance,” said Alvarez.
Courtois saved from Sorloth but despite getting a hand to Alvarez's free-kick, he could not keep it out as Atletico pushed two goals clear.
On as a substitute, Atletico talisman Griezmann wrapped up a superb victory, rolling the ball past Courtois as the home fans rocked in delight.
The players did a lap of honour, after only their third league win of the season, but it was a vital one.
“It's a very special day, we knew how important this game was, being a derby of course but also because we needed the three points,” Alvarez told DAZN.
Villarreal, third, beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 to move within two points of Real Madrid.
Substitute Alberto Moleiro drilled home the winner after 77 minutes against an Athletic side who have scored just one goal in their last six matches across all competitions.
While you're here
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
While you're here
On Women's Day
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
On Women's Day
While you're here
While you're here
On Women's Day
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
While you're here
While you're here
India cancels school-leaving examinations
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDirect%20Debit%20System%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sept%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20with%20a%20subsidiary%20in%20the%20UK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elaine%20Jones%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
RACE CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
8.15pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
9.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
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Profile of Tarabut Gateway
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