City, Real into Champions League quarters
Rampant Manchester side strolls past Moenchengladbach • Madrid makes light work of Atalanta
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Manchester City marched into the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the fourth straight season after a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach late Tuesday to complete a 4-0 aggregate victory.
First-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan secured a comfortable victory in another impressive display from Pep Guardiola’s side in the home leg, played in the Hungarian capital due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
De Bruyne blasted City ahead in the 13th minute with an unstoppable left-footed drive into the top corner after being set up by Riyad Mahrez – the team’s 100th goal in all competitions so far this season.
The in-form Gundogan put the tie beyond any doubt five minutes later with a confident finish after Phil Foden had broken from midfield at pace and then found the German with a perfectly weighted pass.
City, which has not conceded a goal since the opening game of the group stage in October, more than 11 hours of soccer, was in total command at the Puskas Arena and playing at its fluent best.
De Bruyne was a constant threat, Foden a livewire and Bernardo Silva effective, often in the “false nine” role with Guardiola leaving Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling on the bench.
The German side, which began its Champions League campaign with such promise, has hit an awful run of form since coach Marco Rose announced he would leave the club to join Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season and this was the club’s seventh straight loss in all competitions.
City should have made the result even more emphatic after the break with
Mahrez missing several chances but the Premier League leaders were able to ease off and make changes with the outcome long determined.
“It was a good performance, in control for the 90 minutes. We moved the ball quick, played really well again. A lot of players with quality who don’t lose the ball. I am delighted to be in the next stage,” said Guardiola.
City, which has won 24 of its last 25 matches on all fronts, has fallen at the last-eight in each of its three appearances at that stage under the Spanish coach.
The club have reached the last-four only once, in 2015/16 under Chilean Manuel Pellegrini.
Guardiola heaped praise on center-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones after the victory and said their solid partnership was a key factor in the club’s stellar campaign.
“We just conceded one goal against Porto and that is quite impressive,” Guardiola
said. “You can’t deny that Ruben and John made an incredible step forward for the team this season.
“We defend with the ball. That is the most important thing – that when the opponent arrives we are solid enough.”
City has been knocked out by Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Lyon in its last three appearances in the quarters under the Spanish coach and Guardiola said there was pressure on him to deliver the elusive trophy.
“Since the first year I arrived they told me that you have to win the Champions League,” Guardiola said. “It is always on our shoulders but I’m not concerned about that.
“If you deserve it in football, you go through. I’m not thinking about getting to the semifinals. I’m thinking about playing a good first leg in the quarterfinals and then a good second leg.”
The draw for the rest of the competition will be held on Friday.
In Tuesday’s other match, Real Madrid easily overcame Atalanta 3-1 at home to coast into the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate.
Atalanta had pulled off away wins over European giants Liverpool and Ajax in the group stage and nearly got off to an ideal start when Robin Gosens met a Muriel cross in the third minute but was thwarted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The Serie A side continued to harass Real with its high pressing, but the hosts slowly managed to pass their way out of trouble thanks to the experienced heads of midfield duo Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Karim Benzema scored a sixth goal in five games to put the 13-time European champion in charge after 34 minutes following a poor kick out by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello which was intercepted by Modric.
Captain Sergio Ramos put Real further at ease when he converted a penalty on the hour, although the Italian side managed to get one goal back thanks to a free kick from Luis Muriel in the 83rd.
But any hope Atalanta had of making a recovery was quickly dashed a minute later by a low strike from Real substitute Marco Asensio.
Real, which was knocked out in the last-16 by Manchester City last term and Ajax Amsterdam the season before, reached the last-eight for the first time since 2018.
Zinedine Zidane’s side will be the only Spanish team left in Europe’s elite club competition unless city rival Atletico Madrid managed to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Chelsea on Wednesday.
“The most important thing was to get through as we hadn’t done that the last two years,” said Modric. “This was a very demanding game. Atalanta is a very physical team and presses you all over the pitch without stopping. I think we played well from the start and we’re very happy to make it to the quarterfinals.
“We have to take each game as it comes and see how far we get but tonight we showed that there’s a lot of hunger still in this team and I hope we can go very far.”
Champions League last-16 second-leg results: Tuesday: Manchester City 2, Borussia Moenchengladbach 0 (Man City wins 4-0 on aggregate); Real Madrid 3, Atalanta 1 (Real wins 4-1 on aggregate). Wednesday: Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid (Chelsea led 1-0 from 1st leg) (late); Bayern Munich vs Lazio (Bayern led 4-1 from 1st leg) (late).
Iwas a huge supporter of Benny Gantz. I had seen him in times of critical decision, I had seen him stand up to the world media, and I had seen him stand in front of the graves of the fallen IDF brothers in arms.
I was aware of his calm demeanor, sometimes attributed to an aloof attitude, but I believed in him. I voted for him three times, and I convinced my friends that this is the guy we can count on for a change in attitude, change in the Israeli public discourse and a better, more sane state of national and international affairs.
I was wrong. When my former commander joined Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, I was deeply disappointed, despite understanding the rationale behind it. I felt cheated. For me it was another example of the populist “prophet politicians” that talk the talk, but blunder and fall clumsily on the walk. It was Gantz’s actions that sent me on a personal soul searching process to find my ideology, one that mutes the populists, and finds an ideology and vision for a better Israel, a more just Israel. My search led me to Avoda. The ideology of Avoda finally brought me in November 2020 to join and become a member of the party.
Avoda, Israel’s Labor Party, is the Party that established the State of Israel. Labor Zionism embodies a distinct vision of Jewish destiny as a free nation, building a just society and safeguarding it.
Throughout my adult life, as an officer in the IDF, I have been prevented from political activism. My personal political views were expected – by military order – to be exactly that, personal. During my 25 years of service, I cast my ballot every few years, celebrated Israel’s democracy, and then went back to my operational routine.
As a spokesperson of the IDF, it was even more important for me to be apolitical. I had to represent the military activities, sometimes in the hardest of circumstances, and put my politics
in the back drawer. Throughout my career, I didn’t find myself in a state of internal conflict. Israel has the right and obligation to protect itself. The IDF is a responsible, professional, and decent tool of the government to fulfill this mission. The mission to safeguard the State of Israel, our Jewish homeland.
When I joined Labor in November, people thought I was mad. The polls at that time pointed to the extinction of the party that had built the country and led it for almost half of its existence. People kept telling me that Avoda had completed it’s historic mission. But I felt different.
IF THE last year and COVID19 has taught us anything, its that the social safety net established by Avoda, was the safety net that helped Israel overcome much of the challenges of the last year. The kuppot cholim community health providers, the medical establishment, the social services, and the National Insurance Institute are all fruits of Labor Zionism.
To come out of the crisis, and to be prepared for future challenges we need to ensure our citizens have the infrastructure they can count on. These are exactly the times when it’s all right to ask, what the country can do for us. This is specifically the agenda of Avoda.
As elections were announced, Labor began its internal process of leadership primaries. It was a battle of the old guard versus new powers, and Merav Michaeli won the leadership. She gathered the support and legitimacy of the party members, because of her outspoken positions on feminism, social affairs and public services, security, and also because she refused to join the Netanyahu-Gantz government on principle.
Since Michaeli’s victory and the internal processes of bringing in new blood, the party is vibrant and kicking and once more a relevant political player. The list is a reflection of Israeli society, with a common denominator of putting social issues at the heart of the decision making process.
To help heal Israeli society from the sickness of neo-liberalism that threatens to deepen inequalities and exasperate the omnipresent tensions of our society. People serve the economy instead of the economy serving the people. It is time for a new social contract, a contract that puts people at the heart of decision-making. This is the essence of Labor Zionism.
Avoda has risen from the dead and is placing equality, education, social services, and much more on the table. The party believes that, like when we established the state, the Jewish State of Israel requires territorial compromises. Without those compromises, Jews in the Jewish homeland will ultimately become a minority.
To fulfill Labor Zionism, we must harmonize our international and social contracts. The rights of our own, and the rights of others. We must end permanent control over Palestinians that are alien to our pursuit of Jewish destiny and our loyalties to ensure the future Jewish homeland.
The roles of defense, national security, and civic security are a triarchy that needs to be recalibrated and better balanced to make Israeli society fairer, stronger, and sustainable. This is Labor Zionism.
So, while I know that Avoda isn’t going to form the next government, I am optimistic that more people see the need for a change – a change in priorities, agenda, and attitude to our fellow countrymen and women. When I joined Labor, the polls projected it wouldn’t cross the threshold. Now it is predicted to win six or seven seats. For me, this would be a great beginning of the renewed Israeli Labor Party.
The letters EMET – which appear on the ballot paper for Labor – mean truth in Hebrew. Truth is both the letters and the essence of my next vote for Israel’s democracy.
The writer, a lieutenant-colonel (res.), is the director-general of international relations of the Histadrut, the General Federation of Labour in Israel, and a former IDF spokesperson.
March 19 has been designated as World Sleep Day. Sleep is a universal human need which connects us all. Yet, modern society has a complicated relationship with sleep health. While the idea of a “World Sleep Day” may conjure images of sleeping-in and siestas, if we may paraphrase Mark Antony’s famous eulogy in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar: “We come to rock the public, not rock it to sleep.”
Healthy sleep is recognized as one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle. But what is healthy sleep health? Decades of research show that this means sleep of sufficient duration, adequate quality, and appropriate timing and regularity. It also means that sleep should feel restful enough to support alertness and performance the next day.
How much sleep should we get? The National Sleep Foundation in the US recommends 14-17 hours per day for infants 3 months and younger, 12-15 hours for infants over 3 months, 11-14 hours for toddlers, 10-13 hours for preschoolers, and 9-11 hours for school-age children. Adolescents should get 8-10 hours, adults should aim for 7-9 hours, and older adults should aim for 7-8 hours. Sometimes these goals are difficult to attain.
The key message of this year’s World Sleep Day is the importance of a regular and consistent healthy sleep schedule – not just not on Shabbat or holidays, but every day. This means getting up at a regular time, preferably followed by bright light exposure and some physical activity. It also means budgeting enough time at night to wind down from the day’s stress and activities to allow easy transition into sleep and knowing how to handle nighttime
disturbances if you awaken in the middle of the night.
How does Israel fare when it comes to its citizens’ sleep behaviors?
In an Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS) 2017 survey of 7,500 Israelis aged 20 and above, nearly half reported sleeping less than the recommended seven hours per 24 hour period. The difference between Jews and Arabs was striking: whereas more than 50% of Jews reported sleeping less than seven hours, only about 30% of the Arabs had such limited sleep.
While insufficient sleep is a worldwide phenomenon, Israel has
one of the most egregious records, in the company of other sleep-deprived countries such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan (Fleming S. 2019).
Does Israeli society pay a price in terms of the health, safety, and performance of its citizens? The aforementioned ICBS survey paints a troubling picture: Those sleeping less than seven hours were about 30% more likely to report poor health; this difference reached nearly 50% among those reporting less than six hours of sleep.
In addition, those reporting less than eight hours of sleep were more likely to report functional consequences,
and risk increased as sleep decreased. For example, Israelis getting five or fewer hours of sleep were 277% more likely to experience drowsy driving, 116% more likely to experience problems functioning, and 267% more likely to experience daytime sleepiness. As other studies (Gottlieb DJ et al. 2018) document the risk of motor vehicle crashes attributable to insufficient sleep, it is clear from national data that suboptimal sleep in Israel is risking lives and increasing the burden of injury.
In economic terms, when the ICBS data is incorporated into the framework proposed in a recent
RAND EUROPE report (Hafner M et al. 2016), this reveals a cost burden of more than NIS 4 billion, or roughly 1.2% of Israel’s GDP as a result of insufficient sleep.
To add additional perspective, sleep deprivation has a negative effect on the immune system. This includes reduced immune response to vaccination. As the world seeks herd immunity against COVID-19 through vaccination, the immunologic implications of Israel’s current sleep state raise concerns.
Given all of the above, what should Israel do to achieve good sleep health?
On an individual level, we recommend the adoption of the following principles:
• Avoid sleep insufficiency (“sleep debt”) by planning for a bedtime that considers age-appropriate sleep needs (and ensure adequate nap time for children). In this respect, planning one’s day beginning with the preceding night follows both Jewish and Islamic tradition of each new day beginning with the previous night;
• Promote regularity by keeping a consistent schedule both on weekdays and on Shabbat/holidays;
• Start your day out with a bit of sun exposure to reset your internal (circadian) clock;
• Exercise regularly! It helps deepen your sleep.
Employers should create sleep-supportive culture at work:
• Avoid work intrusions such as meetings, emails, and calls before or after reasonable hours;
• Provide sleep health screening and training for all personnel;
• Invest in sleep-enhancing lifestyle interventions such as flexible time, physical activity facilities and rest/meditation areas, and provide protected time to use them;
• Consider providing incentives for employees engaging in recommended sleep practices.
On a national level, the government should provide funding for periodic national sleep surveys, develop and encourage national sleep health guidelines, adopt effective legislation to maintain work-life balance, and support evidence-based interventions to facilitate sleep behavior change.
We hope this World Sleep Day information provides a wake-up call for the Start-Up Nation! a