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Serie A Liveblog: Milan-Atalanta, Cagliari-Inter, Napoli-Genoa, Bologna-Sassuolo

May 15, 2022

Join us for all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s four Serie A games with the Scudetto, European and relegation battles colliding in Bologna–Sassuolo, Napoli–Genoa, Milan–Atalanta and Cagliari–Inter.

We begin at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT) with a local derby between mid-table Bologna and Sassuolo, the Rossoblu seeking a victory with Sinisa Mihajlovic back at the Stadio Dall’Ara.

At 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), Napoli can lock down third place and want to give Lorenzo Insigne a good send-off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but Genoa need a result to keep their hopes of escaping relegation alive.

At 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), Serie A leaders Milan can take another giant leap towards the Scudetto, but first they must get the better of an Atalanta side who are still in the running for a Europa League spot.

Everything is at stake in Sardinia at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), as Inter need a win to keep the title race going down to the wire, while Cagliari have a huge opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone after Salernitana’s draw.

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Tearful Insigne says goodbye to Napoli: ‘We’re an enormous family’

May 15, 2022

Lorenzo Insigne fought back tears during an emotional speech to the fans ahead of his final match in a Napoli jersey at the Stadio Maradona. ‘We celebrated, suffered and at times argued, but always together, like an enormous family.’

The game against Genoa kicks off at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), you can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.

He has not been able to agree a new contract and instead is joining MLS club Toronto FC as a free agent from July 1.

His teammates fanned out in a guard of honour as he walked out onto the pitch with his two sons and was presented with commemorative gifts, a framed jersey from Dries Mertens, a painting from Kalidou Koulibaly, a trophy from President Aurelio De Laurentiis – who was booed by the fans.

“As you know, I am not good with words, but I wrote something down,” said Insigne.

“All I can say is thank you. Thank you to a city that gave me everything. I grew up here with you. We celebrated, suffered and at times argued, but always together, like an enormous family.

“I felt loved by the people of my land, of my jersey. Playing for Napoli was not just a marvellous experience, but also a huge responsibility that I accepted with love and pride.

“Any goodbye leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, but this one more than others. Leaving Napoli means leaving home, knowing I will miss this and you forever.

“Over the years, we amassed unforgettable moments that I will take with me. I always gave everything I had, but the biggest game, where there are no winners or losers, is the one we played together.

“Finally, thank you to all the fans of Napoli around the world, to all the teammates who became friends I could count on. Thank you to the entire staff who took care of me from the first day. To the club that made all this possible. To those who always believed in me.

“Thank you from my heart, Forza Napoli always.”

There were banners from both the Curva A and Curva B sections of ultras.

‘Your jersey weighed more than any other, because it belonged to someone who truly loved it. You wore it with creativity, courage and dignity, as a proud son of this city.’

Another read: ‘You conquered less than you dreamed of, was often insulted and given little consideration. You will always be remembered with affection by this Curva!’

Fittingly, the get-together was concluded with a giant bear-hug from Tommy Starace, the legendary kit and coffee man who has been working for Napoli since the Diego Maradona era.

Allegri notes ‘these seasons happen’ after tough year with Juve

May 15, 2022

Massimiliano Allegri underlined that difficult seasons happen, even to top clubs, and noted the importance of Champions League qualification.

The Bianconeri will now finish this season in a worse position than they did last year under Andrea Pirlo, with no trophy and less points. It was been a frustrating and difficult campaign for both Allegri and the fans, who have started to lose faith in the coach that brought them to two Champions League finals.

Speaking in a press conference, Allegri first discussed the state of his team ahead of tomorrow’s match against Lazio.

“For who we are, we’re fine, tomorrow is the last at home and we have to honour it as best we can. Then it’s Chiellini’s celebration and Dybala’s last game, we must unite all three.”

Allegri touched on if this season could be considered a failure.

“Failure I’m hearing. When you’re at Juve it’s normal that there are high expectations, but such years happen.

“In the meantime we achieved Champions League qualification, which seems like a trivial objective but it’s not. It’s eleven consecutive years that Juve has taken part in the Champions League and it’s an important result.”

He did not want to rate the team’s season.

“These are trivial questions… What do I say 3, so are you happy? You always have to win here, but qualifying for the Champions League is not a trivial objective.”

The Italian coach didn’t want to discuss Paulo Pogba either.

“The season is not over yet and Pogba is a Manchester United player, with the club we will talk about the market at the end of the season. I have already forgotten, I don’t remember him so much, I have a full memory.”

Allegri commented on if Paulo Dybala’s departure takes a back seat compared to Giorgio Chiellini’s farewell.

“They are two different things. Chiellini spent 17 years with Juve, Paulo has a career ahead of him and will have the tribute of all the fans.”

The Juventus coach spoke about if there was a risk of the team giving up for the final two games of the season.

“Lazio and Fiorentina are teams in the running for the Europa League. By the way, tomorrow Sarri arrives, who is the coach of the last Scudetto, I think he will be shrewd because he deserves it.

“Some players will not be there. Danilo has finished his season, Arthur will have finished as well. De Sciglio will be back, Zakaria had a knock on his thigh and we have to evaluate but he won’t be there tomorrow.

“McKennie will see if he can be available on Wednesday. We saw Locatelli who had been out for a while. Miretti will play again tomorrow.”

He discussed if he was satisfied with this season as a whole.

“I am satisfied because of the team’s growth and the minimum goal achieved. Then I am not satisfied because we did not win anything.

“From what was negative there are always positive things, fighters in a season that stopped with Inter. Then moments often decide things. You have to take Wednesday’s defeat with you, it’s something I’ll find hard to erase.”

Finally, Allegri spoke about why it was important for him to take the defeat with him.

“Those are always there. The final must stay with us because we lost. The team did its best, but let’s not forget that in the long run numerically we paid for the traumatic injuries. Chiesa, McKennie, Danilo, Bonucci, it’s normal to pay in terms of strength.

“Vlahovic next year will be a better player than now, because he is young and can improve and has already been at Juve for six months. We have players who can potentially grow. Then with the market we’ll try to improve on the team’s shortcomings.”

Probable line-ups: Milan-Atalanta and Cagliari-Inter

May 15, 2022

League leaders Milan could secure the Scudetto with a win over Atalanta today if second place challengers Inter don’t win away against relegation candidates Cagliari.

The match between Milan and Atalanta kicks off at 17.00 UK time, with the game between Cagliari and Inter kicking off later at 19.45.

Stefano Pioli has a healthy Milan squad available to him for this evening’s tense clash as only Simon Kjaer is unavailable due to injury.

Gian Piero Gasperini has to deal with a few more injuries for the match; Giuseppe Pezzella, Josip Ilicic and Rafael Toloi are all unavailable for Atalanta.

Looking over to Sardinia, Nahitan Nandez has been ruled out for Cagliari’s match against Inter due to a thigh problem. Boris Radunović is also unavailable due to suspension.

Simone Inzaghi will be feeling prepared for the must-win battle in Sardinia, with only Matias Vecino sidelined with injury.

Probable line-ups

Milan vs Atalanta:

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Messias, Kessié, Leao; Giroud.

Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Musso; Djimsiti, Demiral, Palomino; Hateboer, de Roon, Freuler, Zappacosta; Pasalic, Koopmeiners; Muriel.

Cagliari vs Inter:

Cagliari (3-5-2): Cragno; Ceppitelli, Lovato, Altare; Bellanova, Marin, Grassi, Rog, Lykogiannis; Joao Pedro, Pavoletti.

Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Dzeko, Lautaro.

Probable line-ups: Milan-Atalanta and Cagliari-Inter

May 15, 2022

League leaders Milan could secure the Scudetto with a win over Atalanta today if second place challengers Inter don’t win away against relegation candidates Cagliari.

The match between Milan and Atalanta kicks off at 17.00 UK time, with the game between Cagliari and Inter kicking off later at 19.45.

Stefano Pioli has a healthy Milan squad available to him for this evening’s tense clash as only Simon Kjaer is unavailable due to injury.

Gian Piero Gasperini has to deal with a few more injuries for the match; Giuseppe Pezzella, Josip Ilicic and Rafael Toloi are all unavailable for Atalanta.

Looking over to Sardinia, Nahitan Nandez has been ruled out for Cagliari’s match against Inter due to a thigh problem. Boris Radunović is also unavailable due to suspension.

Simone Inzaghi will be feeling prepared for the must-win battle in Sardinia, with only Matias Vecino sidelined with injury.

Probable line-ups

Milan vs Atalanta:

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Messias, Kessié, Leao; Giroud.

Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Musso; Djimsiti, Demiral, Palomino; Hateboer, de Roon, Freuler, Zappacosta; Pasalic, Koopmeiners; Muriel.

Cagliari vs Inter:

Cagliari (3-5-2): Cragno; Ceppitelli, Lovato, Altare; Bellanova, Marin, Grassi, Rog, Lykogiannis; Joao Pedro, Pavoletti.

Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Dzeko, Lautaro.

Probable line-ups: Milan-Atalanta and Cagliari-Inter

May 15, 2022

League leaders Milan could secure the Scudetto with a win over Atalanta today if second place challengers Inter don’t win away against relegation candidates Cagliari.

The match between Milan and Atalanta kicks off at 17.00 UK time, with the game between Cagliari and Inter kicking off later at 19.45.

Stefano Pioli has a healthy Milan squad available to him for this evening’s tense clash as only Simon Kjaer is unavailable due to injury.

Gian Piero Gasperini has to deal with a few more injuries for the match; Giuseppe Pezzella, Josip Ilicic and Rafael Toloi are all unavailable for Atalanta.

Looking over to Sardinia, Nahitan Nandez has been ruled out for Cagliari’s match against Inter due to a thigh problem. Boris Radunović is also unavailable due to suspension.

Simone Inzaghi will be feeling prepared for the must-win battle in Sardinia, with only Matias Vecino sidelined with injury.

Probable line-ups

Milan vs Atalanta:

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Messias, Kessié, Leao; Giroud.

Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Musso; Djimsiti, Demiral, Palomino; Hateboer, de Roon, Freuler, Zappacosta; Pasalic, Koopmeiners; Muriel.

Cagliari vs Inter:

Cagliari (3-5-2): Cragno; Ceppitelli, Lovato, Altare; Bellanova, Marin, Grassi, Rog, Lykogiannis; Joao Pedro, Pavoletti.

Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Dzeko, Lautaro.

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

May 14, 2022

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

May 14, 2022

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

May 14, 2022

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

May 14, 2022

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”