Italy Serie A News
Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres came off the bench to rescue a 2-0 win for Barcelona at Las Palmas on Saturday that sent them back to the top of the La Liga table after a game that is unlikely to live long in the memory.
Barcelona now lead on 54 points, one ahead of Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid are third on 51 but have a game in hand and will host Girona on Sunday.
Continue reading...Might we eventually look back on Francisco Conceição’s winning goal as one of the pivotal moments of this season?
Francisco Conceição was dead, as he recalls it, but the chance wasn’t, the cross from his teammate Andrea Cambiaso only cleared to the edge of the box. Randal Kolo Muani tamed the ball and retained it as he was assailed by five Inter defenders who arrived one at a time like henchmen in a Hollywood movie: allowing him to overcome each of them in turn.
He evaded Hakan Calhanoglu with a half-step backwards, leaving the Turkey captain to fall under his own momentum, held off Nicolò Barella, dragged the ball back under his boot to spin away from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, flicked it across Francesco Acerbi with the outside of his boot and then poked it with a toe beyond Carlos Augusto and into the path of Conceição.
Continue reading...Inter missed the chance to go top of Serie A as they lost 1-0 at Juventus on Sunday with Francisco Conceição scoring the decisive late goal in an action packed match.
The Portuguese winger sparked jubilation in the stadium after 74 minutes following some clever footwork in the box by Randal Kolo Muani before he found Conceição, who fired home.
Continue reading...Jude Bellingham said that he was wrongly sent off and Carlo Ancelotti was left fuming over several refereeing decisions after Real Madrid drew 1-1 at Osasuna, extending the visitors’ winless La Liga run to three games.
Bellingham said of the 39th-minute incident: “I do not want to go into the details of what was said, but I didn’t insult the referee and I hope they review the footage because it was a misunderstanding, but I am here to apologise to the team anyways.”
Continue reading...Mateo Retegui and Moise Kean are firing Atalanta and Fiorentina up the table and themselves into Spalletti’s plans
It feels like only yesterday that Roberto Mancini was lamenting the scarce selection of centre-forwards available to him as Italy manager. He returned to the theme repeatedly through his final few months in the job, highlighting how few domestic players were even starting up front for the nation’s top clubs. “It makes things difficult for us,” he said. “Let’s hope it’s not an irreversible phenomenon.”
Luciano Spalletti has not dwelled on this subject since he succeeded Mancini in the role, but plenty of others were ready to say it for him as Italy crashed out early from Euro 2024. Starting up front in their last-16 defeat to Switzerland was Gianluca Scamacca, making his 20th appearance for Italy and yet to score his second goal. The only other recognised No 9 in the squad was Mateo Retegui, who had struck a modest seven times in his first Serie A season with Genoa.
Continue reading...Barcelona earned a hard-fought 4-1 win at struggling Sevilla on Sunday thanks to goals by Robert Lewandowski, Fermín López, Raphinha and Eric García to edge them closer to the top of the table.
The win lifted third-placed Barça to 48 points, one behind Atlético Madrid and two adrift of leaders Real Madrid after the capital rivals drew 1-1 on Saturday.
Lewandowski gave Barça the lead from close range in the seventh minute but Rubén Vargas hit right back to equalise for the home side from a quick counter one minute later.
Bayern Munich eased past Werder Bremen 3-0 on Friday with two goals from Harry Kane for their seventh league win in succession, to move nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
The Bavarians, who face Celtic in their Champions League playoff first leg next week for a spot in the round of 16, had their best chance of the first half through Kane but his stoppage-time header narrowly missed the target.
Continue reading...Internazionale missed their chance to go top of Serie A , the defending champions suffering a 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina as Moise Kean scored twice for the hosts. The defeat left Inter in second place on 51 points, three behind the leaders, Napoli, and Fiorentina moved up to fourth on 42 points, above Lazio on goal difference.
The original match on 1 December was suspended when Fiorentina’s Edoardo Bove collapsed on the pitch and was taken to hospital, and the game restarted at 0-0 in the 17th minute with a Fiorentina throw-in.
Continue reading...Draw in Milan derby suited nobody but the English duo showed they may be the answer to defensive frailties
Sérgio Conceição said last week that he was sick and tired of this transfer window. “A month is far too long,” he argued. “It has not been positive on an emotional level for many of our players.”
The counter-point arrived in the Milan derby on Sunday night. Starting at right-back for the Rossoneri was Kyle Walker, signed on loan from Manchester City a fortnight after he had informed the Premier League champions of his desire for a move. He was outshone on his debut by the man inside him at centre-back, Fikayo Tomori, who has spent this entire window being linked with transfers elsewhere.
Continue reading...Barcelona closed the gap on La Liga leaders, Real Madrid, to four points, but were reliant on Robert Lewandowski’s second-half goal to beat struggling Alavés.
The home side dominated possession with Alavés, who sit in 18th place, happy to sit back and defend. Barça almost scored near the half-hour mark when Manu Sánchez’s attempt to clear Raphinha’s cross went to Lewandowski, but the Polish striker put his shot wide.
Continue reading...Manchester United have completed the signing of Patrick Dorgu from Lecce, subject to visa and registration. The Denmark international has signed a contract until June 2030, with the option of an additional year.
Dorgu, who can play as a left-back, right-back or further forward on the flanks, has played 57 games for Lecce, contributing five goals. United have paid an initial €30m fee (£25.1m) with up to €5m (£4.2m) payable in bonuses.
Continue reading...Promoted team with expensive signings and celebrity fans are driven by the intensity of their manager and stakeholder
The faces surrounding Cesc Fàbregas were glum, yet he spoke like a conquering general: bellowing praise at his troops as he strode among them, pointing at his eyes then pounding a fist into his open palm. “We devoured them! We devoured them! Keep going because this is only the start!”
It was another cinematic moment at a venue that has become a favourite for Hollywood stars. Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Michael Fassbender, Kate Beckinsale and Benedict Cumberbatch are but a few of the A-listers who have come to watch Como play this season at their Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. All to see a team struggling in the bottom half of the Serie A table. You might not have guessed it from Fàbregas’s tone, but his team lost 2-1 to Atalanta on Saturday.
Continue reading...Two added time goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Samuel Chukwueze earned Milan an unlikely 3-2 win at home to struggling Parma in a dramatic game at San Siro on Sunday.
The win moves Milan to sixth in the standings, while Parma are just above the relegation zone in 17th. Parma took the lead in the 24th minute through Matteo Cancellieri before Milan equalised from the penalty spot, with Christian Pulisic converting seven minutes before the break.
Continue reading...Napoli staged a rousing comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Juventus in Saturday’s action-packed clash, handing the visitors their first Serie A defeat of the season.
Randal Kolo Muani, signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, scored on his debut to give Juventus the lead two minutes before the break, pouncing on a rebound to volley past goalkeeper Alex Meret and send Antonio Conte’s side in to the break behind.
Continue reading...Thiago Motta’s side beat Milan in a feast of football on Saturday that ended with Napoli pulling clear of their rivals
It took almost an hour for the first goal to arrive but once they started they just wouldn’t stop, Samuel Mbangula serving up the first dish of a Saturday night Serie A feast. A 6pm kick-off made Juventus-Milan the aperitivo before a dinner of Atalanta-Napoli.
How peculiar it sounds to frame a match between Italy’s most successful domestic side and its most prolific continental champion as the evening’s lighter course. Yet that is the reality: Juventus and Milan startied this weekend outside of Serie A’s top four, while Atalanta and Napoli are contenders for the Scudetto.
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