New Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor admitted to being amazed how poorly his team played in their 1-1 draw with bottom-of-the-table Cheltenham Town at the Memorial Stadium.
Taylor had veteran full-back Jack Hunt to thank for sparing his blushes in his first home game in charge since succeeding Joey Barton as he cancelled out Will Goodwin’s opener.
“It was incredible to witness that first half because there were so many mistakes and so many moments where we weren’t in control of our own game,” Taylor said.
“We were slow and a bit stodgy and we were waiting for moments to appear and when that happens you get a lot going through your brain.
“And footballers can’t have too many thoughts going through their mind because they become indecisive.”
And the former Rotherham boss added: “We weren’t where we needed to be during that first half and I told the players it could only get better.
“We certainly couldn’t get any worse and I challenged them to start showing more of what we are made of.
“And then to see the difference in the second half was impressive – it really was night and day as we went from being a poor team to being a really effective team.
“We played quicker football with a brighter tempo and we looked like a different side.
“We could have gone on and won it but I’d have snapped your hand off at half-time for a point after how we played but I’ m learning so much in a short space of time.”
Striker Will Goodwin put the Robins in command on 28 minutes, coolly slotting in from 10 yards after a counter-attack led by George Lloyd to record his fifth goal this season.
Hunt, making his 500th senior appearance, equalised on 50 minutes, acrobatically poking a bouncing ball beyond Luke Southwood after good work by Luke Thomas.
Cheltenham’s ex-Rovers manager Darrell Clarke headed back up the M5 with mixed feelings.
“The most pleasing aspect is that the dressing room is disappointed that we haven’t won the game and that’s a good sign,” Clarke said.
“We scored a good goal and kept our shape nicely in the swirling wind but didn’t handle the first 15-20 minutes of the second half well when they came back into it.
“We knew they couldn’t play as badly in the second half as they did in the first so we were braced for them to come at us.
“We conceded a sloppy, scruffy goal but we didn’t chuck in the towel, they didn’t roll over and got more impetus as the game went on and that bodes well.
“So I’m sat here with mixed emotions but it was probably a fair result because we were better in the first half, they had the upper hand.”
While the Robins remain rooted to the bottom of the League One table, Clarke is upbeat about his side’s chances of beating the drop.
“We’ve now taken four points from three tough game and we keep going and we’re just trying to claw teams back,” Clarke said.
“I can’t ask for more from the players because they’re giving me everything in terms of effort, determination and grit but we’re playing for snookers because of our bad start to the season.”
Al-Ahli 1-2 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic double keeps Saudi champions perfect
Aleksandar Mitrovic proved to be the difference once again for Al-Hilal as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions beat Al-Ahli 2-1 on Saturday.
Al-Ahil went in front with 12 minutes played when Gabri Veiga was sent through on goal by Franck Kessie, with the Spaniard rounding Yassine Bounou to open the scoring at King Abdullah Sports City.
The hosts went close to doubling their advantage soon after, with Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney going close, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his effort cleared off the line at the other end.
But parity was restored early in the second half through Al-Hilal's master marksman, as Mitrovic nodded home a trademark header from Renan Lodi's delivery.
Al-Ahil were then awarded a penalty when Rayan Hamed fouled Malcom inside the box, only for Mitrovic to see his effort saved by Abdulrahman Al Sanbi.
However, the Serbian was given the chance to redeem himself after the VAR deemed encroachment had taken place, and he made no mistake at the second time of asking to net his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Data Debrief: Mitrovic the main man
Mitrovic has been in fine form since his move to Saudi Arabia, with his latest double taking his tally to 54 goals in as many appearances for Al-Hilal.
This time out, he contributed 1.16 expected goals (xG) tally to the visitors' 2.24 total, while also recording the most touches in the opposition box (six).
Malcom also impressed for Al-Hilal, creating more chances (three) than anyone on the pitch, with his 14 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Ruben Neves (18) and Salem Al Dawsari (15) among his team-mates.
Al-Nassr 3-0 Al-Orubah: Mane double helps hosts close in on leaders
Sadio Mane scored a goal in either half, helping Al-Nassr cruise to a 3-0 win over Al-Orubah and close in on the top two in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given the hosts the lead from the spot, setting them on their way to a dominant victory.
After a slow start, Jean Seri was penalised for a handball, and Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot. After a stuttering run-up, he coolly slotted his strike into the bottom-left corner.
Mane got his first on the stroke of half-time, latching onto Ronaldo's pull-back before firing his low shot into the far side of the net.
He could have had a hat-trick, having also hit the woodwork and squandered a first-time shot by slicing it wide, but he did get his second in the 71st minute, guiding Nawaf Bu Washi's cross past Gaetan Coucke.
Cristian Tello came closest to a consolation for the visitors, smashing a long-range effort off the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Mane's time to shine
Mane, so far this season, has been providing the spark as a playmaker after registering five assists in Al-Nassr's first five games in the Saudi Pro League.
Today, however, he regained his scoring touch, getting his first two goals of the campaign.
He had the most shots (five), and shots on target (three), as he accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), while his seven touches in the box was the most of any player on the field.
Napoli 3-1 Como: Lukaku and McTominay on target to extend hosts' Serie A lead
Romelu Lukaku continued his fine start to life at Napoli as the Belgian notched a goal and two assists in his side's 3-1 win over Como on Friday.
The hosts found themselves ahead with just 26 seconds on the clock when Scott McTominay was picked out by Lukaku, with the Scotland international firing home his first goal for Gli Azzurri off the post.
But Como would draw themselves level two minutes before the break when Gabriel Strefezza's strike from distance rifled into the bottom corner.
However, Antonio Conte's side needed just eight minutes after the interval to restore their advantage when Sergi Roberto brought down Mathias Olivera in the box, with Lukaku stepping up from 12 yards to net his fourth Serie A goal of the season.
Napoli continued to push for a third goal to secure the victory, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going closest but saw his effort saved by Emil Audero.
But the points were sealed in the 86th minute when Lukaku turned provider once again, holding off his marker before slipping through substitute David Neres who slotted home with a fine finish to extend Napoli's lead at the top of the standings to four points.
Data Debrief: Lukaku continues Conte love story
Lukaku has been a player reborn under Conte's stewardship. The Belgian is the player who has been involved in the most goals in his first five appearances for Napoli in Serie A since the Italian top-flight returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05) with three goals and four assists.
He has also managed to better his assist tally for the whole of last season, managing just three in 32 appearances for Roma last term.
McTominay's goal after 26 seconds is the third-fastest scored by Napoli since the start of a Serie A match in the three points for a win era, after Hirving Lozano's goal against Hellas Verona in 2021 (nine seconds) and Ezequiel Lavezzi's goal against Genoa in 2008 (25 seconds).
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