TELL ME MORE
Al-Nassr's battle to finish third in the Saudi Pro League this season to secure AFC Champions League football has continued, with Al Qadsiyah and Al-Ahli within two points. After suffering defeat to Al-Ittihad, Faris Najd knew that they were in for any easy outing on Monday evening as they went up against 17th-placed Al-Akhdoud. Stefano Pioli decided to leave five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo out of his squad, and Al-Nassr cruised to an easy victory against the relegation battlers.
Pioli's side had a comfortable start to the game as they rotated possession against the deep defensive line of Al-Akhdoud, however, the first quarter of the hour did not see them challenge Paulo Vitor's goal. When Ayman Yahya opened the scoring in the 16th minute for Al-Nassr, he opened the floodgates for the night as Jhon Duran and Marcelo Brozovic tripled their lead in just over 10 minutes. Mane then scored the fourth of the night from the penalty spot for Pioli's side after Nawaf Boushal was brought down inside the box just before the half-time whistle.
Al-Akhdoud's trouble then increased tenfold just minutes into the second half as Vitor was questionably sent off for a last-man challenge on Otavio as he charged through on a loose ball. Duran was ready to show that he can play centrally in the absence of Ronaldo, as he exhibited a perfect striker's finish to score his second goal of the night and Al-Nassr's fifth. As was the case in the first half, one goal brings two more as Mane completed his hat-trick with two goals in six minutes, to get Faris Najd's tally up to seven. The Senegalese then got his fourth of the night to give Pioli's side a massive 8-0 lead, before Mohammed Maran scored a penalty in injury time. The result marks Nassr's biggest win in their history.
THE MVP
Mane turned back the years on Monday evening as he grabbed his first Saudi Pro League hat-trick, and finished the game with four goals to his name. The Senegalese has always been more of an afterthought at Al-Nassr since his move, as Ronaldo took the spotlight but he showed that he can spearhead the attack on his own when needed. The Liverpool legend brought his SPL goal tally up to 13 with his quadruple.
THE BIG LOSER
Ronaldo did not feature at all during Al-Nassr's massive win, and one must wonder what is going on inside the mind of the Portugal captain. Firstly, he missed out on a rout that could have helped him gain ground on his dream of scoring 1000 goals. Secondly, he may now be giving some thought to the idea that Nassr can perform capably without him, especially given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his contract situation.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder believes this is the year his side can “make history” by finally ending their play-off hoodoo at the 10th attempt.The Blades booked their place in the Championship final with a record-breaking semi-final demolition of Bristol City, with the 6-0 aggregate victory the biggest winning margin in play-off history.Goals from Kieffer Moore, Gus Hamer and Cal...
Sheffield United are one win away from ending their play-off hoodoo after booking their place in the Sky Bet Championship final with a record-breaking semi-final demolition of Bristol City.The Blades will meet Sunderland or Coventry at Wembley after a 6-0 aggregate victory over the Robins – the biggest winning margin in Championship play-off semi-final history.After doing the heavy lifting i...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Barca bounced back to produce an epic blow of their own to Madrid Which team will go to UCL next year? We still have the Emirates Cup Arteta and his 2nd place situation Hansi Flick VS Carlo Ancelotti Chelsea fans have really given up. OFFICIAL: CARLO ANCELOTTI WILL TAKE OVER AS BRAZIL NATIONAL TEAM COACH AT THE END OF MAY Please stay tuned on Daily L...
It's the business end for Chelsea, as although the title race and relegation spots have been settled early, some huge games remain in the fight for Europe.All eyes will be on the battle for a Champions League place over the final two weekends of the season, as it currently looks like five teams will be battling it out for the three spots behind Liverpool and Arsenal.Chelsea are one of these sides ...
Harry Kane has brushed off the criticism he has received from rival fans during his long wait for the first trophy of his career, saying "we'll see what people talk about now."Kane, 32, won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich on May 4 and lifted the Meisterschale on Saturday at the Allianz Arena following his team's win over Borussia Monchengladbach.The England captain's interminable wait for the fi...
Inter close in on bargain €6m transfer from Serie A rivalsInter Milan are closing in on the permanent acquisition of Nicola Zalewski from Roma following a successful loan spell at the San Siro.The 23-year-old has reportedly agreed to stay at Inter permanently, and the club is now working to seal a deal. The Champions League finalists signed the Polish defender on loan from Roma in the Januar...
Both Wycombe head coach Mike Dodds and Charlton manager Nathan Jones were complimentary of each other’s side following a goalless draw in the first leg of their League One play-off semi-final.In a game of few chances at Adams Park, Dan Udoh went the closest for the Chairboys after just five minutes, when his low fizzing shot was awkwardly saved by Will Mannion.For the visitors, Matty Godden ...
Wycombe and Charlton could not be separated as they played out a goalless draw in the first leg of their League One play-off semi-final at Adams Park.Despite Mike Dodds’ Chairboys being the out-of-form side out of all of the teams involved in the play-offs, they were superb in the opening 45 minutes.Jack Grimmer and Fred Onyedinma worked brilliantly down the right-hand side to cause the Addi...
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his anger after his side were forced to battle back from 2-0 down to claim a draw at Liverpool on Sunday.The Gunners paid the price for a lacklustre start as they conceded twice in quick succession early on to the newly-crowned Premier League champions at Anfield.They battled back to draw 2-2 with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino – who was...
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has no concerns about continuing to pick Trent Alexander-Arnold despite the defender being booed by his own fans in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.The right-back was targeted by a significant section of the Anfield crowd when he came on as a substitute after confirming on Monday he will not be extending his current deal with the newly-crowned Premier League champions when...
- 1 Albanian Laura Woods goes braless in pink top
- 2 Man Utd are losing the feeling of being a massive club – Ruben Amorim
- 3 Eddie Howe tells Newcastle to ‘drive forward’ and seal Champions League spot
- 4 Daily Laugh - Bye Arsenal, PSG to UCL Final
- 5 Ruben Amorim believes fighting spirit carried Man Utd to Europa League final
- 6 Rangers thump Aberdeen to end five-match winless streak at Ibrox
- 7 Onana ready to fight for his place
- 8 Chris Wilder thinks this could be the year Blades cut it in the play-offs
- 9 Liverpool want Julian Alvarez to replace Nunez
- 10 Real Madrid will try to sign Alexander-Arnold