Category: Italy Serie A

Gian Piero Gasperini is clearly a fan of the on-loan Aston Villa forward who shone in their 2-0 victory at Torino

Was it even a real quote, or only an approximation, a convenient lead-in to columns such as this? After Donyell Malen put the ball in the net for the second time in the first half-hour of his Roma debut, a member of his new team’s coaching staff was reportedly heard asking: “ma chi abbiamo preso?” – who on earth have we just signed?

Nobody would clarify who said this, and frankly it did not matter. The phrase was now canon, repeated in commentary and churned across the oceans of online news aggregation. It resonated because Roma’s supporters were asking the same question of a player who arrived from Aston Villa two days before.

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• La Liga lead cut to one point after surprise 2-1 defeat

• Füllkrug scores first goal in Italy since leaving West Ham

Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defence with a surprise 2-1 home victory as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches. The Catalan side, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now lead their rivals Real Madrid by only a point at the top of La Liga after Álvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.

Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under their new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on.

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• Inter 1-0 Lecce, Cologne 1-3 Bayern Munich

• Ajax thrashed 6-0 by AZ Alkmaar in Dutch Cup

Francesco Pio Esposito was the hero for Inter, the substitute’s 78th-minute goal earning a 1-0 home win over lowly Lecce to boost their title hopes.

The Serie A leaders laboured against stubborn opposition before Esposito scored from a rebound with 12 minutes remaining. Inter move six points clear of Milan and Napoli with victory in what could be a major turning point in this season’s title race.

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Scott McTominay has a long way to go to top his wild 2025. But his double at Inter was a very solid start

Scott McTominay said recently that he hopes to carry on playing top-level football for another decade. And, if he does, will he ever have another year better than the last one? In 2025, he won Serie A and helped deliver Scotland to their first World Cup this century – scoring sensational goals in the games that sealed both achievements. He has described himself as “obsessive” when it comes to self-improvement, but some feats are hard to top.

Still, if he was looking to set some intentions for 2026, there are worse places to do it than San Siro. On Sunday night, Napoli’s title defence would be severely tested away to Inter. But every time they strayed into danger, McTominay led them back out.

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• Scotland midfielder scores two equalisers in 2-2 draw

• Bayern Munich crush Wolfsburg to go 11 points clear

Scott McTominay scored a double as the defending champions Napoli twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with the Serie A leaders Inter at San Siro.

Inter came close to gaining revenge for their 3-1 defeat in Naples earlier this season and a win would have opened up a commanding gap at the top, but Napoli’s never-say-die attitude keeps them very much in the title race.

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On Saturday, Jonathan David’s lazy penalty cost Juventus a win. By Tuesday, he was the best player on the pitch

Four years have passed since Andrea Agnelli, still the chairman of the European Club Association and president of Juventus back then, floated the idea of selling 15-minute viewing subscriptions for football games. A response to research showing that younger generations – “tomorrow’s spenders” – had shorter attention spans.

Agnelli’s judgement has been called into question a few times since, between the failed launch of a European Super League and his suspension from Italian football following an investigation into financial irregularities at Juventus. But perhaps he was right about the need to serve modern audiences a faster fix of sporting theatre.

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Win over Cremonese was only made possible after a late injury led to match-winner’s inclusion as a substitute

The man who breathed life into Fiorentina’s survival bid was not meant to be playing at all. Moise Kean returned to training on Saturday after almost a week away attending to a private family matter. The club’s manager, Paolo Vanoli, did not intend to name him in the matchday squad to face Cremonese one day later, but had his hand forced by a late injury to Edin Dzeko.

“I have to tell the truth because that’s how I am – I’m a sincere person,” said Vanoli on Sunday. “When [Kean] came back I told him ‘Moise, out of respect for the group, I’m not even going to put you on the bench’.”

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• Striker steps in for injured Mbappé in 5-1 victory

• Paris Saint-Germain beat city rivals Paris FC 2-1

Gonzalo García bagged a hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 5-1 victory over Real Betis at the Bernabéu on Sunday, cutting Barcelona’s La Liga lead back to four points.

The 21-year-old forward, who scored four goals at last summer’s Club World Cup, stepped up in the absence of La Liga’s top scorer, Kylian Mbappé, sidelined by a knee injury. García was left unmarked at the far post to head in Rodrygo’s precise cross for a deserved 20th-minute lead.

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• David’s failed Panenka costs Juventus against Lecce

• Chelsea target Rosenior’s Strasbourg draw at Nice

The Barcelona manager Hansi Flick hailed Joan García as one of the best goalkeepers in the world after the former Espanyol player delivered a decisive performance against his old club in the Catalan derby on Saturday.

García was instrumental in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory, producing a series of outstanding saves, with the league leaders extending their lead at the top of the La Liga standings to seven points.

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The Argentinian captain has his critics but is the leader and inspiration behind a team finding their feet again

Leave it to a 20-year-old, with three Serie A starts under his belt, to provide a most perceptive analysis of the Italian top flight as we head into a new year. “The most difficult thing to do in this game,” said Francesco Pio Esposito on Sunday night, “is to stick the ball in the net.”

He was speaking in praise of his Inter teammate, Lautaro Martínez, whom he set up for the decisive goal in a 1-0 win away to Atalanta. Pio Esposito had barely entered as a second-half substitute when he was gifted possession by an opponent, Berat Djimsiti. Instead of taking the chance on himself, he froze the last defender and released Lautaro to score with a side-footed through-ball.

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• Forward scores only goal of the game in 65th minute

• Milan had gone top earlier in day by beating Verona 3-0

Lautaro Martínez scored to give Inter an important 1-0 win at Atalanta on Sunday, sending his side into the new year at the top of Serie A. Inter lead a tightly contested league table on 36 points, one clear of Milan and two ahead of Napoli.

Marcus Thuram appeared to have put Inter into the lead just before the interval, but the goal was ruled out after an offside by Martínez in the build-up. Atalanta felt a similar sense of frustration soon after the restart when Nicola Zalewski broke through one-on-one with Yann Sommer, only for the Inter goalkeeper to produce a spectacular leg save.

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• Milan-Como was intended for Perth on 8 February

• Asian Football Confederation wanted to impose conditions

The proposal to play a Serie A match between Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled due to football sanctions and conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The game was set to become the first major European domestic league fixture to be played outside its home country but will now not go ahead because of the financial risks and last-minute complications.

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• Barcelona head into new year on top of La Liga

• Kane scores again in Bayern’s 4-0 rout of Heidenheim

Barcelona enjoyed a composed 2-0 La Liga victory at Villarreal on Sunday thanks to goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal in a match that tilted firmly in the visitors’ favour when the hosts were reduced to 10 men just before the break.

It took only 12 minutes for Barcelona to take the lead from the penalty spot after Santi Comesana blocked Raphinha with his back as the winger tried to break through and the Brazilian calmly converted the spot-kick.

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• Mbappé makes it 59 goals in a year in win over Sevilla

• Juventus stay in Serie A race with 2-1 win over Roma

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid with a late penalty in his side’s 2-0 home win over Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday, the French forward celebrating his 27th birthday in style.

Mbappé missed several earlier chances before getting his chance from the spot four minutes from time and he made no mistake to net his 59th goal in as many games across all competitions in 2025 to level Ronaldo’s 2013 haul.

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• Rodrygo keeps Real within four points of Barça at top

• Inter win 2-1 at Genoa, as Milan draw and Napoli lose

Rodrygo secured a crucial 2-1 victory for Real Madrid at Alavés in La Liga, ending a dismal run of form and keeping them within four points of the leaders, Barcelona.

Real, under pressure after two successive defeats in all competitions, broke the deadlock through Kylian Mbappé’s stunning first-half strike. However, a resilient Alavés levelled in the 68th minute through Carlos Vicente. The visitors restored their lead eight minutes later, courtesy of a counterattack led by Vinícius Júnior, whose assist was converted by Rodrygo.

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