Category: Italy Serie A

New manager has transformed mood and on Sunday halted the seven-match winning streak of Claudio Ranieri’s Roma

Igor Tudor was on the pitch, stepping out of his technical area and on to the playing field as he gestured frantically at his defenders, jabbing a pointed finger so close to Stephan El Shaarawy that it appeared he might tap the Roma forward on the shoulder. It has been a little over 20 years since Tudor played his last game for Juventus, but all that time away does not appear to have lessened his passion.

The Bianconeri had needed this, needed something, an injection of purpose, of fury, of life. All their energies seemed to have expired under Thiago Motta, four defeats in six games telling only a part of the story. Anyone could lose a match to Atalanta, but 4-0? At home? And to follow that up with a 3-0 thrashing by one of your club’s favourite victims, Fiorentina?

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• Marseille two points ahead of Monaco in top-four race
• Atlético win over Sevilla closes gap to Madrid and Barça

Adrien Rabiot scored a volley as Marseille beat Toulouse at home 3-2 to reclaim second place in Ligue 1. The hosts, who had lost their last three games, saw bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain clinch a record-extending 13th title on Saturday with six matches remaining. But a much-needed win put Marseille two points ahead of Monaco in third place and three points in front of Strasbourg in fourth in the race for a Champions League spot next season.

The Marseille head coach Roberto De Zerbi had grown increasingly frustrated with his side’s inconsistency and there were tensions leading up to this game. “The coach was angry and he tried to remotivate us, that’s normal, that’s his role,” Rabiot told DAZN. “No one abandoned ship. On the contrary, we trained with even more enthusiasm, and tonight we gave the right answer.”

Midway through the first half, Rabiot broke down the left and sent a cross to the back post, where Gabriel Suazo miskicked the ball for a clumsy own-goal. Marseille conceded a soft goal shortly after, with the ball hitting the Toulouse striker Frank Magri’s shoulder as he attempted a header, the ball sailing over goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli.

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• PSG confirmed as champions for fourth straight season
• Real Madrid stunned 2-1 by Valencia but Barcelona held

Paris Saint-Germain sealed their fourth straight Ligue 1 title on Saturday after a 1-0 win over Angers gave Luis Enrique’s side an unassailable lead in the French top flight.

The victory, courtesy of a Désiré Doué goal, moved PSG to 74 points with six rounds left, 24 points ahead of second-placed Monaco, who can reach only 68 points if they win all their remaining games.

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• Harry Kane scores in 3-1 victory at 10-man Augsburg
• Espanyol up to 15th after 4-0 win against Rayo Vallecano

Bayern Munich came back from a goal down to beat 10-man Augsburg 3-1 away on Friday and move nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga but Jamal Musiala went off injured and looks unlikely to be fit for next week’s Champions League quarter-final.

Musiala equalised before Harry Kane’s header and a deflected own goal from Augsburg’s Chrislain Matsima gave Bayern the points after the hosts took the lead thorugh Dimitris Gianoulis’ strike but ran out of steam when Cedric Zesiger was sent off. Bayern now have 68 points with six games left, nine ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who travel to Heidenheim on Saturday.

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Winger has 32 Serie A goals over the past three years as side keep up push for another Champions League campaign

Venice has no shortage of eye-catching door-knockers, heavy bronze casts of 16th-century lions and sea monsters adorning entrances of palaces throughout the lagoon city. Still, there is always room for another. Riccardo Orsolini could not hang around quite so long, but his goal for Bologna away to Venezia on Saturday will linger in the memories of supporters.

The second half had barely started when Nicolò Cambiaghi cut back from the left flank and crossed right-footed to the far post. Orsolini met his delivery with an exquisite side-footed volley across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the net.

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• Milan midfielder hospitalised ahead of 2-1 loss to Napoli
• Inter edge out Udinese 2-1; Barcelona defeat Girona 4-1

The Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has had successful appendectomy surgery after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis, the Serie A club said on Sunday. Local media reported that during Milan’s training camp in Napoli the England international experienced severe abdominal pain that necessitated hospitalisation for further investigation.

Tests confirmed the diagnosis, prompting the operation, which went well, the club said in a statement. Further details on Loftus-Cheek’s condition have not been provided.

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• Ligue 1 leaders trounce Saint-Étienne 6-1
• Harry Kane scores as Bayern battle past St Pauli

Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique wants the club to keep their focus on domestic and European titles despite all but securing a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 crown.

PSG thrashed relegation-threatened Saint-Étienne 6-1 to virtually assure themselves of a second straight title under the Spaniard. Only Monaco have a mathematical chance to overhaul them after their 2-1 win over Nice left them 21 points behind PSG with seven games to play.

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• Former Bologna coach leaves after just nine months
• Axe follows heavy defeats by Atalanta and Fiorentina

Juventus have sacked Thiago Motta as manager and appointed Igor Tudor as his replacement. The decision comes after Motta guided the club to consecutive heavy defeats in Serie A, losing 4-0 at home to Atalanta and 3-0 at Fiorentina.

Those losses left Juve fifth in the table, 12 points behind the leaders, Inter. The 42-year-old’s side were also surprisingly knocked out of the Champions League in the playoff round by PSV Eindhoven in February. Less than a week later, they exited the Coppa Italia, knocked out by Empoli after a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals.

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Another costly defeat means Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have not beaten the Nerazzurri from Milan since 2018

There was no timidity left in the city of Bergamo, no desire to hide behind underdog status. The thousand Atalanta fans who descended on the team’s training ground on Saturday brought a banner insisting: “We Believe”. One day later, as their team prepared to kick off against Inter, another was unfurled in the north stand of Gewiss Stadium. “Needle and thread are in the drawer,” it read. “10 finals to stitch it on to our chest.”

The reference of course was to the Scudetto – a badge in the colours of the Italian flag that Serie A’s winners get to wear on their kit. Atalanta have never enjoyed that honour. They have won only two pieces of major silverware in club history – the 1963 Coppa Italia and last season’s Europa League. In Serie A they have never finished higher than third, and even that is a recent development, achieved for the first time in 2019.

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• PSG beat Marseille 3-1 in Ligue 1 top-of-the-table clash
• Leverkusen snatch 4-3 Bundesliga win against Stuttgart

Inter extended their lead at the top of Serie A to three points with a 2-0 win at third-placed title rivals Atalanta on Sunday as both sides finished with 10 men.

An intense opening half ended goalless, with Inter’s Marcus Thuram hitting the upright and Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic forcing goalkeeper Yann Sommer into a save from a header.

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• Milan enjoy thrilling 2-1 comeback against Como
• Bayern held to a 1-1 draw away to Union Berlin

Kylian Mbappé scored twice to help Real Madrid fight back to beat Villarreal 2-1 and move top of La Liga overnight.

The hosts opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Álex Baena’s corner was deflected by Aurélien Tchouaméni, allowing Juan Foyth to score from close range. Real Madrid levelled 10 minutes later when Mbappé pounced on Brahim Díaz’s blocked shot and the ball landed at his feet for a close-range finish.

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After Motta expresses gratitude to his former manager, Atalanta’s 4-0 win may end his plans for a second season

Thiago Motta has never been shy with his gratitude towards Gian Piero Gasperini. He cites the Atalanta manager extensively in the thesis he submitted while studying for his Uefa Pro coaching licence at Coverciano, describing how the season he spent playing under Gasperini at Genoa reshaped his approach to the game.

He offered thanks again on Saturday, recalling how he had arrived in Italy in a delicate moment of his career – seeking a way back from successive knee injuries at Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. “I’d just started training again and Gasperini asked me if I could play,” said Motta. “I said yes, and he said: ‘OK, I’ll bring you tomorrow and maybe you’ll play 10 minutes.’ Then he stuck me on in the first half when [Omar] Milanetto got hurt.

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• Vinícius Júnior also scores in 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano
• Getafe’s late double stuns Atlético; Napoli beat Fiorentina

Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior scored in the first half to give Real Madrid an easy 2-1 win over neighbours Rayo Vallecano on Sunday that helped them draw level at the top of the table in the battle to retain their La Liga crown.

Only one point separates Spain’s three biggest clubs in one of the closest title races in recent years with Barcelona leading the pack on 57 points, ahead of second-placed Real on goal difference with Atlético Madrid in third on 56 points after a 2-1 loss at Getafe earlier on Sunday. Barça, who will face Atlético next Sunday, have a game in hand after their match against Osasuna on Saturday was postponed due to the sudden death of their team doctor.

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Internazionale still top the table after draw but leveller restores belief that Antonio Conte’s side can reel in leaders

Billy Gilmour or Philip Billing? That was the dilemma facing Antonio Conte for a season-defining fixture: his second-placed Napoli taking on the Inter side who had just overtaken them with 12 rounds to go. Should he trust in a midfielder who had started only five Serie A games since arriving from Brighton last summer, or one who spent the first half of this season as a backup at Bournemouth?

“I’ve been thinking about it all week,” Conte said with a chuckle at his pre-game press conference, “and I still have 24 more hours to decide.”

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• Robert Lewandowski scores final goal in 4-0 victory
• 10-man Milan lose to 98th-minute Lazio penalty

Barcelona returned to the top of the La Liga table with a comfortable 4-0 home victory over 10-man Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Barça’s sixth straight league win moved them into first place with 57 points from 26 games, one ahead of Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid are third with 54 points after a 2-1 defeat at Real Betis on Saturday.

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