Saudi Arabia had a stoppage-time goal ruled out as Herve Renard's first game since returning as Saudi Arabia head coach ended in a 0-0 draw against Australia in World Cup qualifying.
Sultan Al-Ghannam fired through a sea of bodies in the 94th minute of Thursday's Group C contest at AAMI Park, but the celebrations were cut short due to an offside infringement.
Referee Ali Saeed Al Naqbi had earlier irked the home side by awarding a 12th-minute penalty for an Ahmed Al-Kassar challenge on Mitch Duke, which was then overturned.
Replays showed the incident happened just outside the box, but Australia felt the Saudi keeper should have been sent off and not issued just a yellow card.
Joe Gauci pulled off a fine double save later in the first half, albeit the offside flag later went up, but it was Australia who did more to win the game prior to the late drama.
Brandon Borrello was played clean through on goal and opted to square to Riley McGree, who was unable to help the ball past covering defender Saud Abdulhamid in front of goal.
Data Debrief: Another blank for both sides
Australia entered this game without a goal against Saudi Arabia in 2,716 days - a run that will extend for a little while longer after this latest blank.
The Socceroos have failed to score in three of their five third-round qualifying games, while Saudi Arabia have gone three in a row without netting.
Tony Popovic's side will justifiably argue they did more to win the game, though, finishing with an expected goals value (xG) of 1.31 to Saudi Arabia's 0.05, but the teams remain locked on points in Group C.
Ollie Sleightholme described England's review of their late defeat to Australia as "brutal", but insisted it was exactly what the squad needed.
England had led by 12 points and then trailed by 10 in an end-to-end encounter, but Maro Itoje's 78th-minute try seemed to have settled matters by moving the hosts 37-35 ahead.
However, in the final play of the match, Len Ikitau found space and fed replacement wing Max Jorgensen, who settled the contest.
The result saw the Wallabies defeat England at the Allianz Stadium for the first time since the pool stages of the 2015 Rugby World Cup when they won 33-13, with their tally of 42 points the most they had scored away to the Red Roses.
The result was their second narrow defeat in the Autumn Nations Series after the two-point loss to New Zealand, and their fourth defeat in a row.
Sleightholme came on as a replacement and scored twice in the second half to register his first two international tries, but provided insight into what followed after the loss.
"It has been really good to chew the fat on what happened and really get a grasp of what we need to do and what needs to change," Sleightholme told BBC Sport.
"It was a brutal view and it needs to be. It was a case of getting it all out there and not shying away from any of it.
"At the end of the day we didn't get it done. It is a frustrating review and a frustrating game to look back on.
"We left some opportunities out there and we didn't nullify some of their attacks. There are a few things [to work on] in all areas."
Saturday marked the first time England have lost four Test matches in a row since 2018, when they suffered five straight defeats under Eddie Jones.
It is the fourth game in five matches that Steve Borthwick's side have fallen on the wrong side of the result during the final play.
It followed two close Tests against the All Blacks in July and a 33-31 defeat by France in their final game of this year's Six Nations.
On Saturday, England will face world champions South Africa, who defeated Scotland in their opening match of the autumn series on Sunday.
"We're testing fans' patience, testing our patience," said England's Ben Earl. "It feels like we won the game twice against Australia and then managed to lose it. Frustrating.
"Not the same old problems, different problems, but the same overwhelming feeling of another game that we've let slip. So food for thought."
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls concluded their campaign at the 2024 Fast5 Netball World Series in New Zealand with a sixth-place finish. Despite a valiant effort from an inexperienced squad, the Sunshine Girls ended the tournament winless after tough matches on Sunday, the second day of competition, where they faced a formidable lineup of opponents.
In their opening Sunday game, Jamaica faced defending champions Australia and struggled to keep pace, eventually falling 39-56 to the three-time title holders. Later, they encountered Uganda, who managed a decisive 43-26 victory over the Sunshine Girls. Jamaica's final match of the day was a close showdown against England, where they were edged out 38-36, securing a sixth-place finish for Jamaica.
The fifth/sixth-place playoff against England was particularly intense, with both teams evenly matched in a low-scoring game. Heading into the fourth-quarter Power Play tied, England's Paige Reed scored a critical four-pointer, followed by more points from Jones. Jamaica kept pushing, with Amanda Pinkney attempting three six-pointers in the closing moments, any of which could have swung the game Jamaica’s way. However, the shots didn't connect, and England held on for a narrow win, securing fifth place with Kelly named Player of the Match.
Meanwhile, Australia capped off their campaign with a thrilling 34-30 victory over hosts New Zealand, rallying from 15 points down to claim their third consecutive Fast5 title.
South Africa finished third after defeating Uganda 46-42.
Pakistan's dominant bowling performance paved the way for a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Australia that clinched the ODI series in Perth.
The hosts were dismantled, being bowled out in just 31.5 overs over before Pakistan easily completed the chase to claim their first ODI series win in Australia in 22 years.
Shaheen Afridi (3-32) and Naseem Shah (3-54) did the damage as Australia struggled to build any momentum despite Matt Short's opening 22.
As the wickets toppled, Sean Abbott salvaged some pride with his knock of 30, but it was not enough to bolster Australia's score as they finished on 140.
It did not take Pakistan long to hit their target, with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique getting 42 and 37 respectively, before Lance Morris (2-24) dismissed them both in the 18th over.
Babar Azam (28) and Mohammad Rizwan (30) kept the rhythm going with a flurry of boundaries to reach 143-2 and round off an impressive 2-1 series win.
Data Debrief: A rare sight
Having lost the first match of the series, Pakistan have put in two almost-perfect performances since to completely turn things on their head.
Not since 2002 had Pakistan won an ODI series on Australian soil, but Pakistan were deserving winners after overwhelming the world champions.
Australia were facing the prospect of a humiliating 10-wicket loss on home soil after the impressive display from the tourists' bowlers, at least until Morris stopped them from making an unwanted mark in the history books.
Nathan McSweeney is set to open the batting on his Australia debut in their first Test against India in Perth.
He will open alongside experienced batter Usman Khawaja, while the uncapped Josh Inglis is also included in the 13-man squad.
Australia are seeking a consistent replacement for the retired David Warner, with the 25-year-old being preferred to previous openers Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft.
McSweeney opened for the first time in first-class cricket against India A, and overall, has six centuries.
The first of the five-match Test series against India starts on November 22, with India winning the past four Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia squad for first Test v India:
Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc.
England captain Jamie George labelled his side's performance as "unforgivable" after their 42-37 defeat to Australia on Saturday.
The Red Rose came flying out of the blocks with two early tries from Chandler Cunningham-South before Australia hit back through Tom Wright and Harry Wilson at Twickenham.
Noah Lolesio's penalty ensured the Wallabies snatched a 20-18 lead at the break, only for England replacement Ollie Sleightholme to drag his side ahead with a brilliant double.
Andrew Kellaway and Mario Itoje exchanged late scores for either side before Max Jorgensen’s last-gasp try secured victory for Australia.
George lamented his side's defensive showing after ending on the wrong side of a high-scoring thriller.
"I think the blueprint of how we wanted to play was in the first 20 minutes," George told TNT Sport. "We put Australia under a lot of pressure. Sometimes in a Test match like that you think the job is done.
"We took our foot off the gas. Credit to Australia they were very good but we cannot keep doing that, it will be a tough one to watch back.
"It is a fine balance between closing up shop and trying to see out the win rather than attacking. We talk about being brave and courageous and that [Itoje] try was exactly that. We will look at being better.
"The system and the principle all work. We know it works, but we didn't quite get what we wanted out if it.
"Leaking 42 points at home is unforgivable. They got front-foot ball and then have some pretty good runners outside."
Saturday marked the first time England have lost four Test matches in a row since 2018, when they suffered five straight defeats under Eddie Jones.
England head coach Steve Borthwick echoed George's sentiment after the Autumn Nations Series defeat.
"Gutting. We made such a number of errors, and it gave opportunities to the opposition to run in tries and they did," he told TNT Sport.
"In terms of our mindset, you are seeing a team wanting to move the ball and we want that, but we have to understand the consequences of it, and we saw that here.
"We didn't give our defence the chance to show what it can do, there was so much turnover and loose ball that the system couldn't set itself.
"There'll be no shortage of motivation for next week for South Africa."
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls faced a tough opening day at the Fast5 Netball World Series on Friday, as they lost all three of their opening encounters, but will be hoping for better fortunes on Saturday’s final day in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The young, relatively inexperienced Jamaican squad—fielding seven debutants—was visibly affected by the high-stakes atmosphere, showing early jitters and struggling to find their usual rhythm. Their opponents—New Zealand, England, and South Africa—capitalized on the team's early nerves and shaky play to clinch solid 39-19, 35-15, and 33-25 wins.
In their first game against the host nation, New Zealand, Jamaica faltered under the pressure and succumbed to a 20-goal blowout. The Sunshine Girls’ normally steady ball movement and confident shooting were absent as they grappled to find cohesion on the court before Amanda Pinkney eventually scored 13 goals and Simone Gordon, six.
New Zealand, buoyed by their home crowd, put Jamaica on the defensive from start to finish, with Martina Salmon scoring 17 goals, while Maia Wilson and Saviour Tui had 11 goals each.
Jamaica’s next matchup, against England, unfolded similarly as the shooting struggles persisted, and unforced errors cost them valuable scoring opportunities and inevitably resulted in another 20-goal defeat. Pinkney again led the way for the Jamaicans with nine goals, while Shadine Bartley had the other six.
England’s disciplined defence and polished offensive execution widened the gap, as Harriet Jones hit a solid 13 goals from as many attempts, with support from Sophie Egbaran (8 goals), Paige Reed (8 goals), and Sophie Kelly (6 goals).
However, the Jamaicans returned for their final game against South Africa determined and refocused, and it was evident in what was their best showing of the day.
The Sunshine Girls appeared more positive and organized across the court, as they found moments of fluidity in their movement and delivered some confident shots, giving fans a glimpse of the team's potential.