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• Al-Ettifaq 0-3 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo scores as Pioli earns first win

  Stefano Pioli won his first game in charge of Al-Nassr, with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Al-Ettifaq on Friday.

  Cristiano Ronaldo netted the first goal of Pioli's reign as Al-Nassr picked up just their second win in the Saudi Pro League this season.

  It was a fairly even first half until Abdullah Madu fouled Sultan Al Ghannam in the box, and Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards to put the visitors in front.

  Angelo and Talisca were both denied by the goalkeeper before half-time, but Al-Nassr doubled their lead with the first shot of the second half, as Salem Al Najdi scored a delightful chip from a tight angle in the 56th minute.

  Talisca did get his goal in the 70th minute, beating Marek Rodak for power with his low drive after being picked out by Sadio Mane.

  Ronaldo almost got a second late on, but with just one minute remaining, he struck the woodwork with a long-range strike. 

  Data Debrief: Pioli inspires total dominance

  Al-Ettifaq were unbeaten coming into this game, but they offered little in terms of fight, mustering just six shots, two of which were on target, and created just 0.44 expected goals. 

  Al-Nassr on the other hand, tested Rodak with half of their 14 shots on target (1.83 xG) - Talisca had the most (five) and was rewarded for it with his late goal.

  It was Mane who pulled the strings though, creating four chances, and claiming two assists, while his 18 passes into the final third were the most of anyone on the pitch. 

• Ancelotti: Winning is more important than performances

  Carlo Ancelotti brushed aside criticism of Real Madrid's unattractive style, saying winning was more important than playing well.

  Madrid are unbeaten with five victories across seven games in all competitions this season (two draws), and they got off to a winning start in their Champions League defence on Tuesday, beating Stuttgart 3-1.

  In LaLiga, they have won their last two games 2-0 against Real Betis and Real Sociedad, but have still come under fire for their performances.

  Ancelotti, however, defended his team's style ahead of their clash at home to mid-table Espanyol.

  "Real Madrid fans prefer winning over playing well," he said.

  "Ideally you want both, winning while playing an attractive style of football, but our main objective is pleasing our fans who are very demanding, so we will keep our focus on winning as we know that our squad is still far away from ideal form.

  "We are not at our best and that is normal in the beginning of a demanding calendar. We will improve as the season starts to get into the important things to play for.

  "For the moment we are in, we are doing well." 

  The Italian added he was not worried about the poor form of forwards Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, who are still a work in progress despite playing better each week.

  Mbappe has scored five goals already this campaign, while Vinicius also netted in their last league game, and Ancelotti is confident they will be back to their best soon.

  "[The criticism] doesn't bother me because I see that the fans are delighted," Ancelotti said.

  "You can play better, but the fans are used to our 'rock and roll' football. Not a lot of touches. We try to make the Madrid fans happy. And our game is about intensity, pace... Without wasting too much time in reaching the opponent's goal.

  "These are our characteristics. We have players with a lot of strength and speed, especially on the ball, and we have to take advantage of that.

  "For me, I believe that beautiful football depends on the characteristics of the players I have. Attacking well, defending well ... playing well on the counter. There are many facets and everyone has their own opinion..."

  Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 15 points, four ahead of Atletico Madrid, Madrid and Villarreal.

• No love lost for Conte ahead of 'emotional' Juventus reunion

  Antonio Conte is relishing Napoli's upcoming clash that will see him return to Juventus, a club he both played for and managed. 

  Conte has started his career in Naples in fine form, leading Napoli to three wins from their first four league games and to second in the Serie A standings. 

  But this weekend sees him return to the club he made 419 appearances for as a player, winning 12 titles, which included the Champions League in 1995-96. 

  Having started his managerial journey at Arezzo in 2006, the Italian returned to Juventus in 2011, replacing Luigi Delneri as their new head coach. 

  Conte led Juventus to three consecutive Scudetto titles, winning 90 of his 133 games in charge (D30 L13) before becoming the Italy national team head coach. 

  The last time the 55-year-old travelled to Turin as the opposing team's manager was in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with his Inter side losing 3-2 having already won the title. 

  "My past is clear, 13 years at Juve as a player, I was captain for several years, winning practically everything," Conte said.  

  "I had the opportunity to coach for three years, starting a series of nine Scudetti.

  "I am part of Juve's history because of what I've done and given them. It's easier to stay at one club your entire career.

  "But as a coach it's impossible to decide your own career. I coached Juve for three years, my career took me to different places.

  "Today I have the true pleasure of coaching a team like Napoli. For me, being someone from the south, it is a proud and satisfying feeling.

  "There will be lots of emotions returning to that stadium, because last time I returned during COVID."

  Conte comes up against a man he knows well in Juventus head coach Thiago Motta, having managed him during his time with the Italian national team. 

  Motta has collected eight points from his four games in charge of his new club after leading Bologna to Champions League qualification last term. 

  The 42-year-old marked his first game as a head coach in the Champions League with a comfortable 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday. 

  Conte wished Motta well for the season, but not at the expense of his Napoli side. 

  "Thiago Motta takes on a heavy legacy... It's not a trivial thing to coach there, there is a demand for victory, like at Milan or Inter," Conte said.

  "He was a player of mine with the national team at the European Championships. He makes me smile, but it also saddens me a bit because I'm getting old.

  "He did very well in Bologna and so I wish him the best from a human point of view, but not in the games against us."