Stevenage boss Steve Evans admitted he “didn’t recognise” his misfiring team for an hour of their frustrating 2-2 draw with basement side Carlisle.
Daniel Butterworth’s fine brace put strugglers Carlisle on course for what would have been their first home win for nearly three months and only a sixth victory of the season.
But Alex McDonald’s 82nd-minute penalty – having been fouled by Dylan McGeouch – and Terence Vancooten’s injury-time equaliser stunned the hosts at Brunton Park.
“Over the 90 minutes, we’re probably the fortunate team to come away with a point,” admitted Evans.
“I didn’t recognise our team for 60 minutes. Carlisle are much better than where they are, so I knew it would be tough.
“But then I think the players realised we might not get anything here and reacted. When we got the penalty I thought we might win it.
“I’ve always said our ethos is built on spirit, what we lack we make up for in desire and fight.
“Even with one arm we fight, so it’s credit to the players as much as I’m disappointed we’ve taken a point.
“But here we are, we’ve got seven games to go and we’re a point outside the play-offs and in amongst giants of clubs.
“And you know what, we deserve to be there with what we’ve contributed all season.
“We’re missing big players at the moment, but getting a point makes the journey more palatable.”
Carlisle manager Paul Simpson could not fathom how his side squandered a healthy two-goal advantage.
“I’m massively disappointed,” said Simpson.
“I thought we showed some good stuff for the majority of the game, but I just don’t think we showed the composure to see the game through in the end.
“We knew what to expect against Stevenage, we knew they were going to load the ball on top of us.
“For the majority of the game we actually dealt with it really well. We defended the box well, cleared our lines and we’ve had opportunities to put the game to bed which we’ve not been able to take.
“If you don’t do it in both 18-yard boxes then you’re going to struggle. That’s been the absolute story of our season.
“I’m hugely disappointed for everybody involved today that we’ve not been able to get a victory.
“But you’ve got to do it [perform] for 95-100 minutes – and they scored their equaliser in the 96th minute, so I’m massively disappointed.
“However, that’s not the first time this season that has happened.”
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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