Italy Serie A News
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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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.”
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...Real Madrid stumbled in the three-way race for the La Liga title as Isco guided Real Betis to a 2-1 comeback win over the defending champions on Saturday, enabling Atlético Madrid to overtake their neighbours by winning the late kick-off against Real Betis.
Atlético won thanks to a second-half strike from the substitute Julián Álvarez. Atletico came close to taking the lead in the first half through Alexander Sørloth, who missed a header from Antoine Griezmann’s pass. Álvarez, who came on for Sørloth just before the hour mark, gave Atlético the winner in the 66th minute with a precise left-foot shot after being played through by Marcos Llorente.
Continue reading...Bayern Munich fought back from a goal down to maintain their place at the top of the Bundesliga with a 3-1 victory at Stuttgart. The win keeps Bayern comfortably atop the Bundesliga with 61 points, 11 more than Bayer Leverkusen, though they have played one match more.
Stuttgart took the lead in the 34th minute through Angelo Stiller, who struck a left-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box. In first-half stoppage time, Bayern equalised as Michael Olise made a perfectly timed run and finished with ease.
Continue reading...After Ademola Lookman’s miss in midweek, Lorenzo Lucca invited further criticism in ignoring his Udinese teammates
This was the week of the undesignated penalty taker in Italian football. On Tuesday, Ademola Lookman missed a spot-kick against Club Brugge and then listened to his manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, tear him to shreds for having the audacity to step up when teammates encouraged him to. The responsibility was supposed to fall to Charles De Ketelaere, but Lookman claimed the Belgian had told him to go for it.
Gasperini used his post-game press conference to roast Lookman, calling him “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” and adding that: “even in training he has a very low conversion rate. He shoots them really badly.” Four days later, Gasperini claimed surprise that his words had caused the striker to feel disrespected.
Continue reading...Moise Kean has been discharged from hospital less than 24 hours after he collapsed during Fiorentina’s defeat by Hellas Verona on Sunday. The former Everton and Juventus forward appeared to pass out following an earlier blow to his head.
Italy international Kean had been involved in an accidental collision with Pawel Dawidowicz and Diego Coppola midway through the second half, taking a knee in the face which left him with a cut above his eye. Although Kean returned to the pitch following treatment with his head bandaged, the 24-year-old soon fell, initially appearing unresponsive, before being taken off on a stretcher in the 67th minute.
Continue reading...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.
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