Grimsby boss Paul Hurst says the Mariners cannot keep relying on rockets from Abo Eisa after they drew 1-1 at Walsall.
Eisa unleashed a 25-yard thunderbolt to give Grimsby the lead against the run of play at the Bescot Stadium.
That was the striker’s third long-range goal in as many games and he also nearly added another soon after but was denied by the crossbar.
And after Walsall rescued a late, but deserved, point through Ryan Stirk’s close-range finish, Hurst warned his side they need to start scoring ugly goals as well as beautiful ones.
“It was another one to add to the ‘goal of the season’ contenders – he will have his own section at this rate,” Hurst admitted.
“We know what he’s capable of and he nearly had another one. He’s in a good place but we can’t rely on wonder strikes – we’ve got to start scoring tap-ins.
“With the best will in the world, he’s not going to keep doing that every single game.
“It took another fantastic strike to put us in front, and then there’s an element of fortune with their goal but if you don’t score more than one when you’re on top, that’s what can happen.
“A point away is always not to be sniffed at but having got in front and felt like we started to dominate the game, I’m disappointed.
“If we played at that tempo from the off we might have seen a different result.”
Walsall dominated the first half but Mariners goalkeeper Jake Eastwood twice denied both Ross Tierney and Tom Knowles.
However, Saddlers boss Mat Sadler was unhappy Eastwood did not concede a penalty when he crashed into Tierney as they challenged for a high ball early on.
“Is it a fair point? Yes,” said Sadler, whose side ended with 10 men after Chris Hussey received a second yellow card in stoppage time for a poor challenge on Toby Mullarkey.
“But I think we should be without question taking a spot-kick from 12 yards in the first 15 minutes and then it’s a completely different game.
“It is 100 per cent a penalty – Ross gets punched in the face and he’s got a black eye from it. These moments change games and it’s a stonewall spot-kick.
“In the way their thunderbolt strike changes the game in their favour, that might have changed the game for us.
“Their goal really knocked the stuffing out of us but my lads gave absolutely everything to make sure they didn’t concede again because we were under the cosh for a while.
“I was proud they dug in, stuck together, and we came out of it with what I believe we deserved.”
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory
Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.
Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.
Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.
Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.
Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.
Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Total dominance
Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.
Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.
Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10.
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