Carlo Ancelotti conceded Real Madrid were far from their best against Valencia, though that did not stop Los Blancos from reaching the Supercopa de Espana final.
Karim Benzema's first-half penalty seemingly had Los Blancos on course for victory after a dominant opening 45 minutes, but Samuel Lino equalised immediately after the interval for a resurgent Valencia.
Giorgi Mamardashvili kept Gennaro Gattuso's side in the semi-final clash in Riyadh with a series of extra-time stops, though Madrid prevailed on penalties after Eray Comert and Jose Gaya failed to convert.
Ancelotti acknowledged Madrid's shortcomings after the 4-3 shoot-out victory following an underwhelming 1-1 draw, suggesting the World Cup break may have played its part in a lack of sharpness.
The Madrid head coach told reporters: "It hasn't been a physical problem because in extra time we've done better than them. We're not at the top but it's normal.
"There are players who started a little while after the World Cup. We've put players who were on the limit like [Ferland] Mendy and [Dani] Carvajal.
"We wanted to reach the final and that's what we've done. It's a different moment from last year but I think we're going to fight hard to win the Super Cup."
Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos all converted their spot-kicks, with Ancelotti preferring to go with experience for his first three takers before Marco Asensio found the net with Madrid's fourth penalty.
"I put the three players with the most experience, the best," he added. "The last one was Vinicius [Junior] and it is better that he did not shoot."
The victory did seemingly come at a cost, though, as Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez all sustained injuries.
"Camavinga has had a blow to the knee, Militao is dizzy and is fine," Ancelotti continued. "Lucas has a sprain, that is the most serious. I don't know if he will be in Sunday's game."
LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who Madrid trail by three points, or Real Betis await in Sunday's final after the second semi-final in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Everton to 'assess all options' as 777 Partners takeover falls through
Everton will "assess all options" regarding the club's ownership after a proposed takeover by 777 Partners fell through on Saturday.
Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri agreed to sell his 94 per cent stake in the club to the US-based consortium last September, but the Premier League refused to sign off on the takeover.
The deal was repeatedly delayed as 777 failed to meet the Premier League's required conditions of ownership, though the consortium provided financial support to the club for several months.
Everton lost eight points to two deductions in 2023-24 for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, but still finished 14 points clear of the relegation zone.
Moshiri is now looking for alternative buyers to come forward, with Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor having expressed an interest in investing last month.
The club said in a statement: "The agreement between 777 Partners and Blue Heaven Holdings Limited for the sale and purchase of the majority shareholding in the club expired today.
"The board of directors recognises the considerable level of financial support 777 Partners has provided the club over recent months and would like to take this opportunity to thank them for this.
"The club will continue to operate as usual while it works with Blue Heaven Holdings to assess all options for the club's future ownership.
"The board of directors would like to thank everyone connected to Everton for their patience over recent months and reiterate its commitment to providing further updates when it is appropriate to do so through the club's official communication channels."
Nashville SC v New England Revolution: Porter still seeking improvements in Rev's final third
Caleb Porter has praised New England Revolution's performances in recent weeks but admitted they are still working hard to improve their finishing, as they prepare to travel to Nashville SC.
New England sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with seven points having won just two of their 13 games so far this season.
More worryingly, the Revolution have scored just nine goals this campaign, and have failed to score in either of their last two defeats.
Porter said he is pleased with the progress his team are showing in their performances, but it would not matter if they could not hit the back of the net.
"It's easier when you can show them the film and there are a lot of positives, but it's tough when you're not getting results because the confidence isn't sky high," the Revs head coach said.
"These guys have had a great mentality and great attitude. They've come every day to training to work and improve, and we've focused a lot this week on the final third. I really feel that's the missing piece right now.
"The players know we're playing well from box-to-box, but to win games, you have to actually score a goal."
Nashville, meanwhile, sit in ninth, occupying one of the playoff spots after a four-game unbeaten run.
Interim head coach Rumbani Munthali earned his first win in charge with a 2-0 victory over FC Cincinnati in midweek.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nashville – Hany Mukhtar
The Revolution are one of just five teams Hany Mukhtar has faced but never scored against in MLS.
He has only played more games against Cincinnati (six) and Philadelphia (five) without scoring against them than he has against New England (four).
New England – Carles Gil
New England's goal difference dropped to -17 following their defeat to New York City FC last Saturday.
The Revs have scored just nine goals all season, split among four players, with Gil their top scorer on four.
MATCH PREDICTION: NASHVILLE SC WIN
Nashville defeated New England 3-2 in the last meeting between the sides in October 2023. The first five encounters featured five total goals - also split 3-2 - in favour of the Boys in Gold.
Nashville are unbeaten in four straight MLS matches (won two, drawn two) following a 2-0 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday.
It has been nearly a year since the Coyotes have won consecutive league matches, last doing so during a four-match winning run between May and June last season.
The Revolution are the fifth team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to lose 10 of their first 13 matches of a season, and the first since Montreal in 2018.
No team in the post-shootout era has recorded 11 defeats in their first 14 matches of a season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nashville – 51.2%
Draw – 24.8%
New England – 24%
Vancouver Whitecaps v Colorado Rapids: Sartini relishing preparing for Rapids after morale-boosting win
Vanni Sartini enjoys being able to take a different approach to their match against Colorado Rapids, as he does so following a win.
The Whitecaps snapped a six-match winless run in MLS last time out, seeing out a 2-1 victory against Sporting Kansas City in midweek.
It moves them up to sixth in the Western Conference, where they will have the chance to keep their name in the mix at the top with another win.
Sartini was upbeat following their victory, but was quick to point out they would not be thinking about that result for too long.
"The good vibes [after the win] ended on Friday morning. Then we start thinking about Colorado, but we think about it in a completely different way after a win," Sartini said.
"If we beat them, we get away from them [in the table] and it would put us in a good position going into the [international] break. It's a completely different feeling, but we're very happy to approach the game in this way."
Colorado are also on 26 points, only behind Vancouver due to their inferior goal difference.
The Rapids have won only one of their last five outings, and head coach Chris Armas admits there is still work to be done if they want to get back to winning ways.
"We're a work in progress," he said. "We're going to make mistakes, we have a fairly young squad, so we will make mistakes, and we need to work on that."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld
Gauld scored his fourth regular-season brace in Vancouver's win at Kansas City on Wednesday.
That saw him equal Eric Hassli, Fredy Montero, and Pedro Morales for the second-most multi-goal games for the Whitecaps, behind only Camilo Sanvezzo (eight).
Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic
Mihailovic has been involved in a goal in five of his last six MLS appearances (two goals, three assists), including the last three in a row.
The American has recorded a goal contribution in four straight appearances once before in his MLS career, doing so with CF Montreal between September and October 2021.
MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN
The Whitecaps have lost only one of their last nine matches against the Rapids in Vancouver (won four, drawn four) dating back to October 2014, including going unbeaten in the last three at BC Place (won one, drawn two).
However, Vancouver have lost two of their last three home matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Inter Miami on Saturday.
The Whitecaps have suffered back-to-back home defeats in MLS only once since returning to BC Place in 2021, doing so in July 2022 against Minnesota United and Chicago Fire.
Colorado have lost their last two away matches, conceding eight goals along the way. The Rapids had lost only one of their previous six on the road (won three, drawn two), allowing a total of six goals in those games.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Vancouver Whitecaps – 50.3%
Draw – 25.1%
Colorado Rapids – 24.5%
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
