John Eustace’s long wait for a first win as Blackburn boss continues after his side ground out a goalless draw at Middlesbrough.
It was a sixth draw in eight games for Rovers since Eustace replaced Jon Dahl Tomasson in the dugout and their third on the bounce – with Blackburn still three points above the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.
Middlesbrough are now unbeaten in four league games and have kept three clean sheets on the bounce, but their hopes of a top-six finish are hanging by a thread. Norwich’s win at Stoke means Michael Carrick’s side are now seven points adrift of the play-off places with eight games to play.
Both teams had their moments at the Riverside but lacked the clinical touch needed in front of goal.
Middlesbrough almost made the perfect start when Emmanuel Latte Lath was denied by the feet of Aynsley Pears inside two minutes. And the home side should have taken the lead when a corner from the right was glanced on by Luke Ayling into the path of Marcus Forss, who looked certain to score from just two yards out but somehow missed the target.
Blackburn threatened early on as well, with the Championship’s top scorer Sammie Szmodics unsurprisingly looking the away side’s best route to goal. He saw one low drive well saved by Seny Dieng and had another opening soon after but was denied by a fine slide tackle from Paddy McNair.
Boro were dealt a blow when Forss went off injured and lost their way a bit afterwards, but they almost forced a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time when Ayling’s header was blocked on the line by Dominic Hyam.
Sensing an opportunity, Blackburn started to grow in confidence and Sam Gallagher stung the hands of Dieng with a fierce strike from the edge of the area.
Riley McGree scored a stunning winner for Boro at Birmingham on Tuesday night and looked to repeat it here but his shot from distance flashed wide. Defender Matt Clarke then headed wide from a Jonny Howson free-kick.
A Blackburn corner caused Boro problems and, after Scott Wharton’s header was blocked, substitute Tyrhys Dolan looked to turn in the rebound but was crowded out before the hosts managed to scramble clear.
Boro almost snatched a dramatic last-minute winner through Isaiah Jones when his shot was deflected onto the bar and substitute Sammy Silvera miskicked the rebound.
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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