Stockport manager Dave Challinor has urged his players to take “one more big step” towards promotion after his side beat Salford on penalties to book a place at Wembley in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final.
County triumphed 2-1 in a dramatic tie that went to extra time to make it 2-2 on aggregate, before goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe saved two spot-kicks as the hosts won 3-1 in the shootout.
A Stockport win against Bradford or Carlisle would seal back-to-back promotions, with Challinor saying: “That game had everything, but nothing surprises me in football.
“It was an occasion full of emotion, and I’m so delighted for the players that we’ve made it to Wembley.
“It’s a great way to win and a horrible way to lose, but we’ve made it and I want the players and everyone involved with the club to go and enjoy next weekend.
“It’s going to be a great occasion – Wembley really is a special place to play football.
“Only a small proportion of footballers get the chance to play there, so this means everything.
“We’ve taken a big, big step today, but we’ve got one more big step to take if we are to achieve our ambition.
“I thought the players kept their nerve really well today.
“It’s not been easy as Salford are a great team, but this is a brilliant achievement for the whole club so it’s about preparing properly for next weekend now.”
It proved to be a rather tense opening 45 minutes at a packed Edgeley Park.
The hosts went closest seconds before the break when captain Paddy Madden thumped a header against the crossbar.
Stockport finally struck a leveller after 68 minutes when Isaac Olaofe headed home Ryan Rydel’s precise cross.
When Stevie Mallin cracked home via a deflection with eight minutes of extra time to go, Salford looked to have won it.
However, Stockport substitute Jack Stretton then sent the tie to penalties and, with the Ammies missing three of their four attempts, boss Neil Wood was understandably devastated.
He said: “It was a really tough game, but credit to Stockport, they put a lot of pressure on us.
“It was relentless at times, and it is difficult to defend against.
“We created enough chances I thought, but maybe we needed a bit more composure in certain situations.
“It’s hugely disappointing of course, but at the end of the day it just wasn’t to be.
“I can’t fault any of the players.
“Every single one of the lads gave it absolutely everything, right up until the dying seconds.
“We’ve practised penalties this last fortnight, but you just can’t prepare for the crowd and the hostile atmosphere that the lads taking the penalties were up against.
“It’s hard to take, but I think as a club we’ve made massive progress again this season.
“This club is still growing so we’ve just got to go again next season.”
Maresca: Chelsea 'deserved something more' from Liverpool loss
Enzo Maresca felt Chelsea "deserved something more" from their 2-1 defeat against Liverpool.
The Blues suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the season, as Curtis Jones' strike settled the contest at Anfield.
Nicolas Jackson had struck within minutes of the restart to cancel out Mohamed Salah's first-half penalty, but Chelsea missed the opportunity to climb to third place in the table.
Nevertheless, Maresca believes his players can leave Anfield with their heads held high.
"We don't like to lose or drop points, but I really liked the performance," he told Sky Sports. "We deserved something more, but the performance was good.
"We controlled most of the game. We had chances, we had possession. We don't like to lose, but if we have to choose, this is the way. The team was brave on and off the ball.
"I don't think this game defines where we are. We prepared in the best way, it worked quite well. You have to take chances, but overall I am very happy with the players."
Meanwhile, Reece James felt Chelsea's performance epitomised the impressive strides they have made in a short space of time.
The right-back made his first Premier League start for the club since December 2023, managing 53 minutes on his return to action.
"Coming here is always tough," the Blues skipper said. "I think we controlled most of the game. They had chances; we had a few chances as well but didn't take them.
"We are definitely moving in the right direction. The scoreline doesn't reflect the game.
"If we step back and look at performances and what we are trying to do, we have come a long way. It is still early days, we haven't been with the manager long."
Cabal pleased to repay Motta's faith after victorious Juventus return
Juventus left-back Juan Cabal was pleased to repay the faith of coach Thiago Motta after returning from injury to star in their 1-0 win over Lazio.
Cabal joined from Verona in July for €11million but has battled a niggling hamstring issue at the start of his Bianconeri career, missing the last six weeks.
He returned to face Lazio on Saturday, with his cross forcing an own goal from Mario Gila as Juventus avoided a fifth draw in the space of six games.
After the match, the Colombia international revealed Lazio had shown an interest in him previously, but said he only ever had eyes for Juve.
"Lazio looked for me before, but I was only thinking about Juve. I wanted to play for Juve since I was a kid and now I am here," Cabal told reporters.
"We all know Juve's history. We have to give our lives for Juve.
"The coach saw something different and put me out, but he has faith in me. He put me on the pitch at the right time.
"It is difficult not to play for so long. But we must always be ready. I work all week to play even one minute,"
Saturday's win took unbeaten Juventus to 16 points from eight matches, level on points with leaders Napoli, who possess a game in hand.
"The important thing is to try to win every game. We want to be champions, but I can't tell you now that we will win the championship," Cabal said.
Al-Ittihad 3-1 Al-Qadsiah: Diaby and Benzema inspire hosts
Al-Ittihad cut the gap on Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal back to three points after Saturday's 3-1 victory over Al-Qadsiah.
Karim Benzema needed just seven minutes to open the scoring, though Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang soon restored parity with a 20th-minute finish of his own.
Moussa Diaby created Benzema's opener and found the net himself just past the hour, edging the hosts back into the lead after linking up with Houssem Aouar.
Substitute Mario Mitaj made sure of the victory nine minutes from time, helping Al-Ittihad to their sixth win in seven league games to start their campaign.
Data Debrief: Dazzling Diaby
Diaby has provided assists in his last five league matches (eight in total), matching the competition-leading streaks by Mishari Al-Thamali, with Al-Faisaly in 2014, and Carlos Villanueva for Al-Ittihad in 2017.
The former Aston Villa winger's eight assists are also the most in the first seven rounds of a season in Saudi Arabia's top-flight, marking history for Diaby.
His efforts helped Al-Ittihad to their fourth home win in seven league games to start a season, only managing to achieve this feat in the 2014-15 campaign, when they ended the term second.
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