Sean McGinty nets winner as Ayr beat Airdrie

By Sports Desk March 29, 2024

Sean McGinty headed the winner as Ayr struck twice in three second-half minutes to beat Airdrie 2-1 at Somerset Park.

Irish defender McGinty anticipated a flick-on from a free-kick out wide and nodded home what proved to be the decisive goal five minutes after the interval.

Josh O’Connor had given Airdrie a half-time lead after racing clear of Ayr’s defence to smash an emphatic finish beyond goalkeeper Josh Clarke.

Ayr equalised two minutes after the restart when Anton Dowds darted on to Craig Watson’s weak headed back-pass to finish in style before McGinty headed in the home side’s second.

Airdrie’s Dean McMaster saw a spectacular volley brilliantly saved by Clarke in the first period, while Ayr’s appeals for a second-half penalty after Jamie Murphy went down in the box were waved away.

Related items

  • Eintracht Frankfurt 3-3 Bayern Munich: In-form Marmoush seals last-gasp draw Eintracht Frankfurt 3-3 Bayern Munich: In-form Marmoush seals last-gasp draw

    Eintracht Frankfurt twice came from behind as Omar Marmoush's stoppage-time goal snatched a 3-3 draw against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.

    Marmoush, who had brought the sides level at 1-1 after Kim Min-jae's opener, salvaged a point when he raced onto Junior Dina Ebimbe's header and slotted in beyond Manuel Neuer in the 94th minute.

    It marked a third game on the spin without a win for Bayern in all competitions, albeit they still top the standings ahead of RB Leipzig on goal difference, with Eintracht in third.

    Bayern, desperate to bounce back from their midweek Champions League loss at Aston Villa and last week's Bundesliga draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen, went ahead when Kim slotted in after a quarter of an hour.

    Their joy was short lived though, with Marmoush completing a lightning-quick break with a fine low shot to level seven minutes later.

    The Egypt forward then delivered a perfectly timed 35th-minute assist for Hugo Ekitike to complete the turnaround.

    Bayern launched their own comeback three minutes later and levelled through Dayot Upamecano's close-range finish following a goalmouth scramble.

    Michael Olise's superb strike looked set to be enough to hand Bayern all three points, but Marmoush had the final say.

    Data Debrief: Marmoush magic

    Marmoush is the Bundesliga's leading scorer this term, with eight goals in his seven appearances. Indeed, he has now scored in five straight league matches for the first time, while after he had a hand in four goals last week, he recorded successive games with multiple goal contributions.

    Before Sunday's game, he had only recorded three goal contributions in a single match three times before in the Bundesliga, the first of which was in the 5-1 win over Bayern in their last meeting in Frankfurt in December last year.

  • Brighton 3-2 Tottenham: Rutter inspires remarkable Seagulls comeback Brighton 3-2 Tottenham: Rutter inspires remarkable Seagulls comeback

    Brighton managed a remarkable second-half comeback as Georginio Rutter scored one and played a key role for another in a thrilling 3-2 home victory over Tottenham.

    Ange Postecoglou's visitors had won their last five games, including their EFL Cup and Europa League exploits, and started well on Sunday as in-form Brennan Johnson scored for a sixth straight outing.

    James Maddison doubled the away side's lead before the interval, aided by Bart Verbruggen's handling blunder, but Yankuba Minteh halved that deficit after the restart with a thumping finish.

    Destiny Udogie was somewhat at fault for Minteh's finish, and the Spurs defence again struggled as Rutter restored parity before the hour mark after dancing around a couple of defenders.

    Former Leeds United star Rutter then edged past numerous Tottenham charges once more, with his cross deflecting up for Danny Welbeck to head in the 66th-minute winner and seal a memorable turnaround.

    Verbruggen was still required to deny Udogie late on, however, as Fabian Hurzeler's side held on for a victory that lifted them to sixth and ended Spurs' impressive winning run.

    Data Debrief: Johnson's heroics in vain

    Johnson has now scored in each of his last six appearances in all competitions, becoming the first Spurs player to do so since departed talisman Harry Kane between December 2018 and January 2019.

    The winger's six goals across 10 appearances this season are also more than he managed in 34 outings for Spurs last campaign, though Johnson's efforts proved ultimately in vain.

    Sunday marked the 10th time that Tottenham have lost a Premier League game in which they led by two or more goals – they are the first club to hit double figures for this, and have done so three more times than any other club in the competition's history.

    Indeed, this memorable turnaround saw Brighton win a league game after trailing by two or more goals at half-time for the first time since a 3-2 victory against Charlton in the Championship in December 2015.

  • Al-Ahli 1-2 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic double keeps Saudi champions perfect 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. 

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.