Crawley boss Scott Lindsey admitted Klaidi Lolos would be too good for the League Two play-off hopefuls if he added more goals to his game following his brilliant winner against Harrogate.
The 23-year-old Greek striker sealed a 2-1 comeback win when he slammed in a thunderbolt from the edge of the box after he had deftly lifted the ball from his right foot to left.
He had earlier teed up Harry Forster for a second-half equaliser to cancel out George Thomson’s 13th goal of the season for the hosts.
Lolos’ match-winning goal was only his sixth league effort of the campaign, however, and Lindsey said: “It was an unbelievable goal and a great bit of skill. He has terrific technique and, if he could add goals to his game, I don’t think he’d be with us in League Two.
“He could play a lot higher. There are a lot of occasions when he drives into the box and, then, wants an extra touch, but we’re coaching him to make the right decisions at the right moments, because he has so much ability and I don’t think there’s a ceiling for him.”
Victory kept Crawley within striking distance of the play-off positions and Lindsey is challenging his players to target a top-seven finish.
“Their goal rocked us a bit, but the message at half-time was that we are in a position and a point in the season where we need to win games,” he said. “Our season isn’t over and I keep banging that drum with the players.
“We’re still alive and kicking and right in there with a chance. I wanted their keeper to be busier than he had been and for us to be braver and more of an attacking threat and we certainly were in the second half.”
A run of six games without a win, meanwhile, has seen Harrogate’s own promotion aspirations doused with manager Simon Weaver lamenting the defensive efforts of his side, who have kept just one clean sheet in their last
19 home games.
He said: “I’m disappointed with the way we came out for the second half, because everything was there for us to go on and get a result after the first half. We’d scored a fantastic goal and were doing the gritty side of the game well.
“But we did not defend anywhere near well enough to cope with the pressure they put us under at the start of the second half. We had enough numbers back for their goals but there were individuals who were two yards off play.
“You have to get closer and make a tackle and we’ve got to find a way to fight ourselves out of this blip, because I don’t want us to limp over the line this season through malaise and a lack of adrenalin.
“We’ve got to show a consistent energy and desire to make a difference.”
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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