Stefano Pioli won his first game in charge of Al-Nassr, with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Al-Ettifaq on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo netted the first goal of Pioli's reign as Al-Nassr picked up just their second win in the Saudi Pro League this season.
It was a fairly even first half until Abdullah Madu fouled Sultan Al Ghannam in the box, and Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards to put the visitors in front.
Angelo and Talisca were both denied by the goalkeeper before half-time, but Al-Nassr doubled their lead with the first shot of the second half, as Salem Al Najdi scored a delightful chip from a tight angle in the 56th minute.
Talisca did get his goal in the 70th minute, beating Marek Rodak for power with his low drive after being picked out by Sadio Mane.
Ronaldo almost got a second late on, but with just one minute remaining, he struck the woodwork with a long-range strike.
Data Debrief: Pioli inspires total dominance
Al-Ettifaq were unbeaten coming into this game, but they offered little in terms of fight, mustering just six shots, two of which were on target, and created just 0.44 expected goals.
Al-Nassr on the other hand, tested Rodak with half of their 14 shots on target (1.83 xG) - Talisca had the most (five) and was rewarded for it with his late goal.
It was Mane who pulled the strings though, creating four chances, and claiming two assists, while his 18 passes into the final third were the most of anyone on the pitch.
New England Revolution v Nashville SC: Porter holding out hope for playoff spot
Caleb Porter still believes New England Revolution have an outside chance of making the playoffs if they win all their games, starting with Nashville SC.
The Revs currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference on 28 points and are eight points behind Philadelphia Union in ninth.
They are winless in their last five matches though, alternating between losses and draws, and were heavily beaten 4-0 by Charlotte FC last weekend after Dylan Borrero's sending-off.
Porter remains hopeful, though even he admits it may be just out of the Revs' reach.
"I might be stupid, but I still believe that we can win all five [games] and get in [the MLS Cup Playoffs] somehow," he said, as quoted in The Blazing Musket substack.
"That is the approach that I'm going to take. But if we don't, we are building for the future and I expect, obviously, that we continue developing and keep building.
"We want to give the fans hope and something to look forward to and the right message that we are continuing to grow and that even though this season has been difficult, there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel."
Meanwhile, Nashville are five points and three places better off than their opponents, after an impressive week saw them win two and draw one of their games.
Head coach BJ Callaghan was left frustrated by some decisions in their 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati but expects his team to be stronger for it.
"We're a team and a locker room that talks about responding to adversity, training responses, not having emotional reactions to things, so that's part of the game," Callaghan said.
"Decisions are made, and it's our job to respond and move forward."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New England Revolution – Aljaz Ivacic
New England's 4-0 defeat to Charlotte on Saturday was the club's 13th loss by multiple goals in the 2024 regular season.
The Revs have kept just one clean sheet in their last 13 MLS outings (5-0 win over Montreal), and Aljaz Ivacic will be desperate to improve on that run.
Nashville SC – Sam Surridge
Sam Surridge scored both of Nashville's goals in the 2-2 draw with Cincinnati on Saturday.
Each of the last four multi-goal games by a Nashville player, including all three this season, have been by Surridge.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION WIN
Three of the four meetings between New England and Nashville in Foxborough have ended in draws, with the Revs winning the other meeting 1-0 in March 2023. There have been three total goals scored in the four matches, with two of those coming in the 1-1 draw in the Leagues Cup meeting on August 6.
New England are winless in four straight regular season home matches (D3 L1), though each of the last three home games have finished level. This is their longest regular-season winless run in Foxborough since a five-match drought in March-September 2020.
Meanwhile, Nashville are unbeaten in three straight matches (W2 D1) following an eight-match regular-season losing streak. Nashville won their last away match 2-0 at Atlanta United but have not won consecutive regular-season road games since May-June 2023.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New England Revolution – 44.2%
Draw – 26.8%
Nashville SC – 28.9%
Postecoglou impressed by Tottenham resilience after early red card
Ange Postecoglou was impressed by his side's resilience after they responded to an early red card by beating Qarabag 3-0 in their Europa League opener.
Spurs were dealt a blow as kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes due to travel disruptions in North London, and once the game started, Radu Dragusin was given his marching orders just seven minutes in for a last-ditch tackle, receiving Spurs' earliest-ever European red card.
However, goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke turned the tide, even as Qarabag missed a penalty and had a late goal disallowed.
Postecoglou was underwhelmed by Spurs' slow start to the game but could not fault their performance after going down to 10 men.
"[The red card was] not ideal," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "I wasn't happy as I felt we started really sloppy. We talked about starting with a high tempo, and it was almost like the delay got to us.
"We were passive in our passing and when that happens, someone switches off.
"The reaction after that was good, but I'm not happy with the start.
"Brennan's [goal] was great. With 10 men, we still pressed, which is what we wanted to do.
"[Johnson] has some confidence in him, which is great - we need him! We knew if we win [the ball], Brennan and Sonny [Son] would have the space."
Solanke scored for the second consecutive game for Spurs and was one of the key players as he had two shots, both of which were on target, accumulated 0.99 expected goals and had four touches in the opposition box, more than anyone else on the team.
Postecoglou was particularly pleased with how he led the line, especially as he continues to recover from an early-season injury.
"He has been great for us, Dom. He went through that long drought of two games without a goal!" Postecoglou added.
"He has been fantastic for us, not just goals, but his link-up plays. He is a typical striker.
"He is still working his way back to full fitness."
Solanke himself, though, was just pleased to kick off their European campaign and secure a third-straight win in all competitions.
"Very happy to get the win, the boys fought hard," he told TNT Sports.
"Going down to 10 men it could have been a difficult game, but we all stuck to the game plan, and it shows the spirit of the team."
Arsenal overturn first-leg deficit to reach Women's Champions League group stage
Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League group stage after overcoming a first-leg deficit to beat Hacken 4-0 at Meadow Park.
The first leg in Sweden threw up a shock 1-0 defeat, but Jonas Eidevall's side were up to the task, with Lia Walti and new signing Mariona Caldentey turning the scoreline on its head in the first half.
A brilliant strike from Beth Mead then ensured their progress, before substitute Frida Maanum added some more gloss to the scoreline late on.
The Gunners produced a much better performance in front of goal than in the reverse fixture. Arsenal may have had fewer shots on Thursday (14) and failed to convert any of their four big chances, but the emphatic scoreline is what matters most.
They join fellow Women's Super League side Manchester City in the draw, with Gareth Taylor's side cruising past Paris FC.
Their job was all but done after a crushing 5-0 win in the first leg, but Khadija Shaw's double, following Chloe Kelly's early opener, secured them an 8-0 aggregate win.
With another clean sheet under their belt in the competition, City have reached the group stage for the first time since 2020-21, when they fell to Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
There was more despair in the French capital as Paris Saint-Germain, last season's semi-finalists, suffered a shock defeat to Juventus.
PSG have reached at least the quarter-finalists in each of the last five seasons and were mainstays in the competition, but after suffering a 3-1 loss in Turin, their hopes of a comeback were soon squashed.
Sofia Cantore scored just two minutes in to set Juve on course for a 2-1 victory in the game, and a 5-2 aggregate scoreline, getting their name in the hat for the first time in two years.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid secured their place in the competition, as did Celtic, who will play in the Champions League group stage for the first time since it was introduced in 2020-21 after a 3-0 aggregate win over Vorskla Poltava.
And a special mention for Roma, who emphatically brushed aside Servette 7-2 in the second leg to secure a 10-3 aggregate victory.
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