Category: Football

Criscito nets late penalty to fire relegation-threatened Genoa to win over Juventus

May 6, 2022

An injury-time penalty from Domenico Criscito fired relegation-threatened Genoa to a 2-1 win over Juventus.

Genoa trailed with three minutes left on the clock, but Albert Gudmundsson drew them level and Criscito fired home from the spot deep in injury time for three points as they battle to avoid the drop.

After a slow start to the half with Juventus controlling the majority of the possession, Genoa gradually grew into the game towards the end of the opening 45 minutes.

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The best chance of the half fell to striker Mattia Destro, who headed a corner over from close-range.

Wojciech Szczesny, who had little to do in the first 40 minutes, found himself called into action three times as the first half drew to a close, giving Genoa confidence going into the second period.

Destro continued to prove problematic, and forced a strong save out of Szczesny on the stroke of half time after a speculative long-range effort was beaten away by the Poland international.

Genoa had another chance through Destro 60 seconds into the second half, but after meeting a fizzed delivery across the box, blazed his first-time effort over the bar.

Two minutes later Juventus took the lead through Paulo Dybala, who scored his ninth goal against Genoa in spectacular fashion. He picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and crafted a pinpoint strike towards the far post, before nestling into the bottom left corner.

Juventus were awarded a penalty in the 83rd minute when substitute Marley Ake was fouled by Gudmundsson, but a quick VAR check showed he got enough of the ball for the referee to overturn the decision.

Minutes later Gudmundsson levelled the score with a neat finish beyond Szczesny.

The host’s were awarded a penalty deep into injury-time, which was dispatched by club captain Criscito to complete the comeback and earn a valuable three points for Genoa.

With two games remaining, Genoa have hope in the battle to stay up.

TALKING POINT – HUGE COMEBACK WIN FOR GENOA

The odds remain stacked against them in the relegation battle, but a late double wrapped up all three points for the hosts, who needed them now more than ever. With three minutes to go it looked like they were heading for defeat, and potential relegation on Sunday, but an Albert Gudmundsson goal turned the tide before captain Domenico Criscito kept his cool to dispatch a penalty deep into added time.

Relegation rivals Cagliari and Salernitana face-off this weekend, but for now Genoa sit just a point from safety with two games to go. They’ve taken their chance and it could be worth top-flight football next season.

MAN OF THE MATCH – PAULO DYBALA (JUVENTUS)

The Argentine was the best player on the pitch by a distance. He was replaced when Juventus were leading and in cruise control, with Max Allegri likely having one eye on Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final, but outclassed his opposition throughout the game.

He took his goal exceptionally, showing elite precision to find the bottom corner from 25 yards out, and almost repeated the strike later on in the game, but was denied by the post. The goal was his 115th for Juventus, and ninth against Genoa.

MATCH RATINGS

GENOA: Sirigu 7, Hefti 7, Bani 6, Ostigard 6, Criscito 8, Galdames 6, Badelj 6, Melegoni 6, Amiri 7, Portanova 8, Destro 7

Subs: Yeboah 5, Gudmundsson 8, Ekuban 5, Frendrup 5

JUVENTUS: Szczesny 6, Cuadrado 6, Bonucci 7, Rugani 6, De Sciglio 7, Arthur 5, Miretti 6, Rabiot 6, Dybala 9*, Vlahovic 7, Kean 5

Subs: Sandro 5, Ake N/A, Morata 6, Bernardeschi 5, Zakaria 5

KEY MOMENTS

31’ – CHANCE GENOA! After forcing a cheap corner out of Kean, Destro wins the header in front of goal but guides it over the bar. The best chance so far for the hosts.

45’+1 – PORTANOVA STRIKES FROM RANGE! And Szczesny beats it away! That was a great effort from the winger against his former club. The Juventus goalkeeper has been called into action a few times in the last couple minutes after a quiet half.

48’ – GOAL! GENOA 0-1 JUVENTUS (DYBALA): And what a strike it is! He finds the bottom corner from roughly 25 yards out. That’s his ninth goal against Genoa.

87’ – GOAL! GENOA 1-1 JUVENTUS (GUDMUNDSSON): His first for Genoa and what a time to get it! A cool finish gives Szczesny no chance!

90’+6 – GOAL! GENOA 2-1 JUVENTUS (CRISCITO): Incredible scenes! A huge moment for Genoa! Criscito buries the penalty in the bottom left corner.

KEY STAT

  • 115 – Paulo Dybala scored his 115th goal for Juventus, equalling Roberto Baggio (9th place each in the all time Bianconeri scorers ranking). (Opta).

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Criscito nets late penalty to fire relegation-threatened Genoa to win over Juventus

May 6, 2022

An injury-time penalty from Domenico Criscito fired relegation-threatened Genoa to a 2-1 win over Juventus.

Genoa trailed with three minutes left on the clock, but Albert Gudmundsson drew them level and Criscito fired home from the spot deep in injury time for three points as they battle to avoid the drop.

After a slow start to the half with Juventus controlling the majority of the possession, Genoa gradually grew into the game towards the end of the opening 45 minutes.

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02/05/2022 AT 05:40

The best chance of the half fell to striker Mattia Destro, who headed a corner over from close-range.

Wojciech Szczesny, who had little to do in the first 40 minutes, found himself called into action three times as the first half drew to a close, giving Genoa confidence going into the second period.

Destro continued to prove problematic, and forced a strong save out of Szczesny on the stroke of half time after a speculative long-range effort was beaten away by the Poland international.

Genoa had another chance through Destro 60 seconds into the second half, but after meeting a fizzed delivery across the box, blazed his first-time effort over the bar.

Two minutes later Juventus took the lead through Paulo Dybala, who scored his ninth goal against Genoa in spectacular fashion. He picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and crafted a pinpoint strike towards the far post, before nestling into the bottom left corner.

Juventus were awarded a penalty in the 83rd minute when substitute Marley Ake was fouled by Gudmundsson, but a quick VAR check showed he got enough of the ball for the referee to overturn the decision.

Minutes later Gudmundsson levelled the score with a neat finish beyond Szczesny.

The host’s were awarded a penalty deep into injury-time, which was dispatched by club captain Criscito to complete the comeback and earn a valuable three points for Genoa.

With two games remaining, Genoa have hope in the battle to stay up.

TALKING POINT – HUGE COMEBACK WIN FOR GENOA

The odds remain stacked against them in the relegation battle, but a late double wrapped up all three points for the hosts, who needed them now more than ever. With three minutes to go it looked like they were heading for defeat, and potential relegation on Sunday, but an Albert Gudmundsson goal turned the tide before captain Domenico Criscito kept his cool to dispatch a penalty deep into added time.

Relegation rivals Cagliari and Salernitana face-off this weekend, but for now Genoa sit just a point from safety with two games to go. They’ve taken their chance and it could be worth top-flight football next season.

MAN OF THE MATCH – PAULO DYBALA (JUVENTUS)

The Argentine was the best player on the pitch by a distance. He was replaced when Juventus were leading and in cruise control, with Max Allegri likely having one eye on Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final, but outclassed his opposition throughout the game.

He took his goal exceptionally, showing elite precision to find the bottom corner from 25 yards out, and almost repeated the strike later on in the game, but was denied by the post. The goal was his 115th for Juventus, and ninth against Genoa.

MATCH RATINGS

GENOA: Sirigu 7, Hefti 7, Bani 6, Ostigard 6, Criscito 8, Galdames 6, Badelj 6, Melegoni 6, Amiri 7, Portanova 8, Destro 7

Subs: Yeboah 5, Gudmundsson 8, Ekuban 5, Frendrup 5

JUVENTUS: Szczesny 6, Cuadrado 6, Bonucci 7, Rugani 6, De Sciglio 7, Arthur 5, Miretti 6, Rabiot 6, Dybala 9*, Vlahovic 7, Kean 5

Subs: Sandro 5, Ake N/A, Morata 6, Bernardeschi 5, Zakaria 5

KEY MOMENTS

31’ – CHANCE GENOA! After forcing a cheap corner out of Kean, Destro wins the header in front of goal but guides it over the bar. The best chance so far for the hosts.

45’+1 – PORTANOVA STRIKES FROM RANGE! And Szczesny beats it away! That was a great effort from the winger against his former club. The Juventus goalkeeper has been called into action a few times in the last couple minutes after a quiet half.

48’ – GOAL! GENOA 0-1 JUVENTUS (DYBALA): And what a strike it is! He finds the bottom corner from roughly 25 yards out. That’s his ninth goal against Genoa.

87’ – GOAL! GENOA 1-1 JUVENTUS (GUDMUNDSSON): His first for Genoa and what a time to get it! A cool finish gives Szczesny no chance!

90’+6 – GOAL! GENOA 2-1 JUVENTUS (CRISCITO): Incredible scenes! A huge moment for Genoa! Criscito buries the penalty in the bottom left corner.

KEY STAT

  • 115 – Paulo Dybala scored his 115th goal for Juventus, equalling Roberto Baggio (9th place each in the all time Bianconeri scorers ranking). (Opta).

Serie A

Bonucci nets double as Juventus edge out Venezia

01/05/2022 AT 10:08

Football

Mino Raiola dies aged 54

30/04/2022 AT 14:35

'Where are these tickets?' – Klopp questions UEFA's Champions League final plans

May 6, 2022

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has questioned UEFA for the way the governing body has distributed tickets for their Champions League final against Real Madrid, with the clubs receiving fewer than 20,000 seats each in the 75,000 capacity Stade de France in Paris.

A total of 19,618 Liverpool supporters will be in the French capital for the showpiece match, after Klopp’s side navigated their way past Villarreal at the semi-final stage.

With this allocation allowed for both teams, it means that almost half of the crowd will be made up of people who are not supporters of the clubs in the final.

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Speaking about the situation, Klopp was puzzled, saying: “Is it right that we only get 20,000, they get 20,000 and there’s 75,000 in? That makes 35,000 left over. Where are these tickets?”

Soime 12,000 of the remaining tickets were available for fans worldwide to buy, but the deadline to get hold of those was 28 April – nearly a week before the second leg matches of the semi-finals had taken place.

National associations, commercial partners and broadcasters are among those who will snatch up the final batch of 23,000 tickets.

The Premier League club have advised fans to avoid travelling to France on May 28 without a ticket, and Klopp knows he must be careful what he says after getting in trouble in 2016.

He urged Liverpool supporters to follow his team to Basel – even if they had no match day ticket – for the Europa League final in his first season in charge, and was swiftly told that was the wrong thing to say.

“If you don’t get a ticket, I don’t want to invite people to Paris but this time it’s big enough and I did this last time for Basel in Switzerland and it was ‘oops’,” he remembers.

“I hope they all can make it somehow and can create – of course they will – an incredible atmosphere,” Klopp went on to say.

Despite his previous misdemeanours on the subject, Klopp could not help himself.

“But I think Paris is big enough to go there without a ticket and have a good time, behave yourself but be in the best possible mood,” he said.

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'Where are these tickets?' – Klopp questions UEFA's Champions League final plans

May 6, 2022

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has questioned UEFA for the way the governing body has distributed tickets for their Champions League final against Real Madrid, with the clubs receiving fewer than 20,000 seats each in the 75,000 capacity Stade de France in Paris.

A total of 19,618 Liverpool supporters will be in the French capital for the showpiece match, after Klopp’s side navigated their way past Villarreal at the semi-final stage.

With this allocation allowed for both teams, it means that almost half of the crowd will be made up of people who are not supporters of the clubs in the final.

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19 MINUTES AGO

Speaking about the situation, Klopp was puzzled, saying: “Is it right that we only get 20,000, they get 20,000 and there’s 75,000 in? That makes 35,000 left over. Where are these tickets?”

Soime 12,000 of the remaining tickets were available for fans worldwide to buy, but the deadline to get hold of those was 28 April – nearly a week before the second leg matches of the semi-finals had taken place.

National associations, commercial partners and broadcasters are among those who will snatch up the final batch of 23,000 tickets.

The Premier League club have advised fans to avoid travelling to France on May 28 without a ticket, and Klopp knows he must be careful what he says after getting in trouble in 2016.

He urged Liverpool supporters to follow his team to Basel – even if they had no match day ticket – for the Europa League final in his first season in charge, and was swiftly told that was the wrong thing to say.

“If you don’t get a ticket, I don’t want to invite people to Paris but this time it’s big enough and I did this last time for Basel in Switzerland and it was ‘oops’,” he remembers.

“I hope they all can make it somehow and can create – of course they will – an incredible atmosphere,” Klopp went on to say.

Despite his previous misdemeanours on the subject, Klopp could not help himself.

“But I think Paris is big enough to go there without a ticket and have a good time, behave yourself but be in the best possible mood,” he said.

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'Where are these tickets?' – Klopp questions UEFA's Champions League final plans

May 6, 2022

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has questioned UEFA for the way the governing body has distributed tickets for their Champions League final against Real Madrid, with the clubs receiving fewer than 20,000 seats each in the 75,000 capacity Stade de France in Paris.

A total of 19,618 Liverpool supporters will be in the French capital for the showpiece match, after Klopp’s side navigated their way past Villarreal at the semi-final stage.

With this allocation allowed for both teams, it means that almost half of the crowd will be made up of people who are not supporters of the clubs in the final.

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21 HOURS AGO

Speaking about the situation, Klopp was puzzled, saying: “Is it right that we only get 20,000, they get 20,000 and there’s 75,000 in? That makes 35,000 left over. Where are these tickets?”

Soime 12,000 of the remaining tickets were available for fans worldwide to buy, but the deadline to get hold of those was 28 April – nearly a week before the second leg matches of the semi-finals had taken place.

National associations, commercial partners and broadcasters are among those who will snatch up the final batch of 23,000 tickets.

The Premier League club have advised fans to avoid travelling to France on May 28 without a ticket, and Klopp knows he must be careful what he says after getting in trouble in 2016.

He urged Liverpool supporters to follow his team to Basel – even if they had no match day ticket – for the Europa League final in his first season in charge, and was swiftly told that was the wrong thing to say.

“If you don’t get a ticket, I don’t want to invite people to Paris but this time it’s big enough and I did this last time for Basel in Switzerland and it was ‘oops’,” he remembers.

“I hope they all can make it somehow and can create – of course they will – an incredible atmosphere,” Klopp went on to say.

Despite his previous misdemeanours on the subject, Klopp could not help himself.

“But I think Paris is big enough to go there without a ticket and have a good time, behave yourself but be in the best possible mood,” he said.

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A DAY AGO

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Lautaro nets twice as Inter rally from two behind to beat Empoli and move top of Serie A

May 6, 2022

Lautaro Martinez’s brace got Inter Milan back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Empoli 4-2 and keep their Serie A title hopes alive.

Inter, who lost control of the title race by losing to Bologna nine days ago, fell two goals behind to strikes from Andrea Pinamonti after five minutes and Kristjan Asllani just before the half-hour mark.

However, an own goal from Simone Romagnoli five minutes before the break gave them a lifeline and Lautaro crashed home Hakan Calhanoglu’s pull-back to get them even before the break after an incredible first half.

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There only looked like being one winner after that point, though it took nearly 20 minutes before Lautaro, with another crashing finish, gave them the crucial lead.

The home side kept pouring forward and after a host of chances were squandered, before Alexis Sanchez turned home Edin Dzeko’s cross in injury time to seal the win.

Inter are now a point clear of AC Milan, having played a game more, with their city rivals set to play at Verona on Sunday.

TALKING POINT – Inter stared into the abyss but fight on

You can look at it two ways. How could Inter go two goals down to a side in mid-table – especially having lost to Bologna recently? And there is the suspicion that if they had not been gifted a goal from Romagnoli – and a questionable disallowed goal – the tough night might have extended deep into the second half at least. But when they needed them most, their key men took control and turned the game back in their favour. Their co-tenants remain the favourites and even a draw at Verona would leave them in control with two games remaining due to their head-to-head advantage over Inter. But Inter live to fight another day and it certainly looked like this might not be the case a third of the way into this match.

MAN OF THE MATCH – Ivan Perisic (Inter)

It would have been easy to give the award to Lautaro Martinez whose two efforts which won the game were sublime. But if there was one Inter player who showed his best form throughout the game, even in that difficult first half-hour, it was Perisic who did not stop tormenting the right-hand side of the Empoli defence for the whole game and his cross led to the own goal which brought the hosts back into the game. There might not be a better deliverer of a ball from that flank in world football. If his team-mates had been on form Inter could have doubled their score.

PLAYER RATINGS

Inter: Handanovic 6; Skriniar 6, De Vrij 6, Dimarco 7; Dumfries 7, Barella 7, Brozovic 6, Calhanoglu 8, Perisic 9*; Lautaro Martinez 8, Correa 6.

Subs: Dzeko 7, Vidal 6, D’Ambrosio 6, Darmian 6, Sanchez 6.

Empoli: Vicario 7; Fiamozzi 5 Romagnoli 6, Luperto 6, Parisi 5; Zurkowski 7, Stulac 6, Bandinelli 6; Asllani 6, Bajrami 6, Pinamonti 7.

Subs: Henderson 6, Di Francesco 6, Cutrone 6, Ismajli 6, Benassi 6.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

5′ GOAL FOR EMPOLI! What a fantastic start! It was a fantastic run down the right flank from Zurkowski and his low cross behind the defence was met on the stretch from Pinamonti.

10′ GOAL – NO! It looked like Inter were two down but Zukowski’s goal was disallowed for an offside against Pinamonti. He slotted the ball home superbly.

23′ PENALTY FOR INTER! It looked like Parisi got the ball when Barella went down. Now the referee is looking at the video screen. It’s been over-ruled, no penalty.

28′ GOAL FOR EMPOLI! Amazing! A long ball over the top was brilliantly controlled by Asllani who directed the ball wide of Handanovic and then slid the ball under him for his first Serie A goal.

40′ GOAL FOR INTER! An own goal from Romagnoli and maybe that is what they needed to get back into the game. Dimarco slid a low cross behind the defence and with a desperate lunge the defender shinned the ball into the net.

45′ GOAL FOR INTER! Crisis over? Well, they will at least go in level. Lautaro slammed the ball home with the outside of his right boot after Calhanoglu pulled the ball back from the left by-line.

64′ GOAL FOR INTER! It was coming. Another period of pinball in the Empoli box led to the ball being hit in the direction of Lautaro and he lashed home a low effort which even Vicario didn’t have a chance to stop.

90+2′ OFF THE POST! A fine run from Dzeko skipping past a diving challenge before hitting a shot which had Vicario beaten but came back off the post.

90+4′ GOAL FOR INTER! Finally Inter get a fourth and it is from Sanchez who was all alone at the far post after Dzeko pulled the ball across from the left-hand side of the six-yard box.

KEY STAT

Serie A

Inter suffer title blow as Arnautovic and Sansone seal Bologna win

27/04/2022 AT 17:21

Serie A

Empoli score three late goals in seven minutes to stun Napoli

24/04/2022 AT 12:04

Lautaro nets twice as Inter rally from two behind to beat Empoli and move top of Serie A

May 6, 2022

Lautaro Martinez’s brace got Inter Milan back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Empoli 4-2 and keep their Serie A title hopes alive.

Inter, who lost control of the title race by losing to Bologna nine days ago, fell two goals behind to strikes from Andrea Pinamonti after five minutes and Kristjan Asllani just before the half-hour mark.

However, an own goal from Simone Romagnoli five minutes before the break gave them a lifeline and Lautaro crashed home Hakan Calhanoglu’s pull-back to get them even before the break after an incredible first half.

Serie A

Inter keep their Scudetto dream alive with Udinese win

01/05/2022 AT 15:54

There only looked like being one winner after that point, though it took nearly 20 minutes before Lautaro, with another crashing finish, gave them the crucial lead.

The home side kept pouring forward and after a host of chances were squandered, before Alexis Sanchez turned home Edin Dzeko’s cross in injury time to seal the win.

Inter are now a point clear of AC Milan, having played a game more, with their city rivals set to play at Verona on Sunday.

TALKING POINT – Inter stared into the abyss but fight on

You can look at it two ways. How could Inter go two goals down to a side in mid-table – especially having lost to Bologna recently? And there is the suspicion that if they had not been gifted a goal from Romagnoli – and a questionable disallowed goal – the tough night might have extended deep into the second half at least. But when they needed them most, their key men took control and turned the game back in their favour. Their co-tenants remain the favourites and even a draw at Verona would leave them in control with two games remaining due to their head-to-head advantage over Inter. But Inter live to fight another day and it certainly looked like this might not be the case a third of the way into this match.

MAN OF THE MATCH – Ivan Perisic (Inter)

It would have been easy to give the award to Lautaro Martinez whose two efforts which won the game were sublime. But if there was one Inter player who showed his best form throughout the game, even in that difficult first half-hour, it was Perisic who did not stop tormenting the right-hand side of the Empoli defence for the whole game and his cross led to the own goal which brought the hosts back into the game. There might not be a better deliverer of a ball from that flank in world football. If his team-mates had been on form Inter could have doubled their score.

PLAYER RATINGS

Inter: Handanovic 6; Skriniar 6, De Vrij 6, Dimarco 7; Dumfries 7, Barella 7, Brozovic 6, Calhanoglu 8, Perisic 9*; Lautaro Martinez 8, Correa 6.

Subs: Dzeko 7, Vidal 6, D’Ambrosio 6, Darmian 6, Sanchez 6.

Empoli: Vicario 7; Fiamozzi 5 Romagnoli 6, Luperto 6, Parisi 5; Zurkowski 7, Stulac 6, Bandinelli 6; Asllani 6, Bajrami 6, Pinamonti 7.

Subs: Henderson 6, Di Francesco 6, Cutrone 6, Ismajli 6, Benassi 6.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

5′ GOAL FOR EMPOLI! What a fantastic start! It was a fantastic run down the right flank from Zurkowski and his low cross behind the defence was met on the stretch from Pinamonti.

10′ GOAL – NO! It looked like Inter were two down but Zukowski’s goal was disallowed for an offside against Pinamonti. He slotted the ball home superbly.

23′ PENALTY FOR INTER! It looked like Parisi got the ball when Barella went down. Now the referee is looking at the video screen. It’s been over-ruled, no penalty.

28′ GOAL FOR EMPOLI! Amazing! A long ball over the top was brilliantly controlled by Asllani who directed the ball wide of Handanovic and then slid the ball under him for his first Serie A goal.

40′ GOAL FOR INTER! An own goal from Romagnoli and maybe that is what they needed to get back into the game. Dimarco slid a low cross behind the defence and with a desperate lunge the defender shinned the ball into the net.

45′ GOAL FOR INTER! Crisis over? Well, they will at least go in level. Lautaro slammed the ball home with the outside of his right boot after Calhanoglu pulled the ball back from the left by-line.

64′ GOAL FOR INTER! It was coming. Another period of pinball in the Empoli box led to the ball being hit in the direction of Lautaro and he lashed home a low effort which even Vicario didn’t have a chance to stop.

90+2′ OFF THE POST! A fine run from Dzeko skipping past a diving challenge before hitting a shot which had Vicario beaten but came back off the post.

90+4′ GOAL FOR INTER! Finally Inter get a fourth and it is from Sanchez who was all alone at the far post after Dzeko pulled the ball across from the left-hand side of the six-yard box.

KEY STAT

Serie A

Inter suffer title blow as Arnautovic and Sansone seal Bologna win

27/04/2022 AT 17:21

Serie A

Empoli score three late goals in seven minutes to stun Napoli

24/04/2022 AT 12:04

Lautaro nets twice as Inter rally from two behind to beat Empoli and move top of Serie A

May 6, 2022

Lautaro Martinez’s brace got Inter Milan back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Empoli 4-2 and keep their Serie A title hopes alive.

Inter, who lost control of the title race by losing to Bologna nine days ago, fell two goals behind to strikes from Andrea Pinamonti after five minutes and Kristjan Asllani just before the half-hour mark.

However, an own goal from Simone Romagnoli five minutes before the break gave them a lifeline and Lautaro crashed home Hakan Calhanoglu’s pull-back to get them even before the break after an incredible first half.

Serie A

Inter keep their Scudetto dream alive with Udinese win

01/05/2022 AT 15:54

There only looked like being one winner after that point, though it took nearly 20 minutes before Lautaro, with another crashing finish, gave them the crucial lead.

The home side kept pouring forward and after a host of chances were squandered, before Alexis Sanchez turned home Edin Dzeko’s cross in injury time to seal the win.

Inter are now a point clear of AC Milan, having played a game more, with their city rivals set to play at Verona on Sunday.

TALKING POINT – Inter stared into the abyss but fight on

You can look at it two ways. How could Inter go two goals down to a side in mid-table – especially having lost to Bologna recently? And there is the suspicion that if they had not been gifted a goal from Romagnoli – and a questionable disallowed goal – the tough night might have extended deep into the second half at least. But when they needed them most, their key men took control and turned the game back in their favour. Their co-tenants remain the favourites and even a draw at Verona would leave them in control with two games remaining due to their head-to-head advantage over Inter. But Inter live to fight another day and it certainly looked like this might not be the case a third of the way into this match.

MAN OF THE MATCH – Ivan Perisic (Inter)

It would have been easy to give the award to Lautaro Martinez whose two efforts which won the game were sublime. But if there was one Inter player who showed his best form throughout the game, even in that difficult first half-hour, it was Perisic who did not stop tormenting the right-hand side of the Empoli defence for the whole game and his cross led to the own goal which brought the hosts back into the game. There might not be a better deliverer of a ball from that flank in world football. If his team-mates had been on form Inter could have doubled their score.

PLAYER RATINGS

Inter: Handanovic 6; Skriniar 6, De Vrij 6, Dimarco 7; Dumfries 7, Barella 7, Brozovic 6, Calhanoglu 8, Perisic 9*; Lautaro Martinez 8, Correa 6.

Subs: Dzeko 7, Vidal 6, D’Ambrosio 6, Darmian 6, Sanchez 6.

Empoli: Vicario 7; Fiamozzi 5 Romagnoli 6, Luperto 6, Parisi 5; Zurkowski 7, Stulac 6, Bandinelli 6; Asllani 6, Bajrami 6, Pinamonti 7.

Subs: Henderson 6, Di Francesco 6, Cutrone 6, Ismajli 6, Benassi 6.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

5′ GOAL FOR EMPOLI! What a fantastic start! It was a fantastic run down the right flank from Zurkowski and his low cross behind the defence was met on the stretch from Pinamonti.

10′ GOAL – NO! It looked like Inter were two down but Zukowski’s goal was disallowed for an offside against Pinamonti. He slotted the ball home superbly.

23′ PENALTY FOR INTER! It looked like Parisi got the ball when Barella went down. Now the referee is looking at the video screen. It’s been over-ruled, no penalty.

28′ GOAL FOR EMPOLI! Amazing! A long ball over the top was brilliantly controlled by Asllani who directed the ball wide of Handanovic and then slid the ball under him for his first Serie A goal.

40′ GOAL FOR INTER! An own goal from Romagnoli and maybe that is what they needed to get back into the game. Dimarco slid a low cross behind the defence and with a desperate lunge the defender shinned the ball into the net.

45′ GOAL FOR INTER! Crisis over? Well, they will at least go in level. Lautaro slammed the ball home with the outside of his right boot after Calhanoglu pulled the ball back from the left by-line.

64′ GOAL FOR INTER! It was coming. Another period of pinball in the Empoli box led to the ball being hit in the direction of Lautaro and he lashed home a low effort which even Vicario didn’t have a chance to stop.

90+2′ OFF THE POST! A fine run from Dzeko skipping past a diving challenge before hitting a shot which had Vicario beaten but came back off the post.

90+4′ GOAL FOR INTER! Finally Inter get a fourth and it is from Sanchez who was all alone at the far post after Dzeko pulled the ball across from the left-hand side of the six-yard box.

KEY STAT

Serie A

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27/04/2022 AT 17:21

Serie A

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Rangnick defends decision to deny Lingard Old Trafford farewell appearance

May 6, 2022

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick knew his decision not to give Jesse Lingard a farewell appearance at Old Trafford would not be “to the liking” of everyone.

The England midfielder’s brother, Louie Scott, took to Instagram to call the outgoing United boss “classless” after not using Lingard in the club’s final home match of the season against Brentford.

On the social media post Scott wrote: “20 years of blood, sweat and tears. 4 domestic trophies, 3 cup final goals. Not even a farewell. No wonder it’s Conference League next year.”

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Lingard arrived at United as a seven-year-old, but is set to leave this summer, with his contract coming to an end. He appeared to follow his brother’s social media outing with a post of his own on Twitter, sharing an image of him as a young boy wearing a t-shirt with ‘United’ written on it.

Rangnick’s defended his decision not to give the 29-year-old an opportunity to say goodbye to the club’s supporters, saying: “In the last couple of weeks under my tenure, he has played far more games than he used to.”

Lingard has been involved 22 times for United this season, but he has only started four matches.

Speaking about his substitutions during the 3-0 win over Brentford, Rangnick said: “With only three substitutes, I had to take a decision between Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard, or the young [Alejandro Garnacho], who I would have loved to have brought on and given a chance to play.

“I took the decision to bring on Edinson. Had I not brought on Edinson, someone else might have asked if it’s classless not to bring on Cavani or Garnacho.

You have to take a decision and this will not be to the liking of everybody and this is part of the game.

Lingard could yet make a final appearance for the club, with their last two games of the season seeing them come up against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

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Rangnick defends decision to deny Lingard Old Trafford farewell appearance

May 6, 2022

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick knew his decision not to give Jesse Lingard a farewell appearance at Old Trafford would not be “to the liking” of everyone.

The England midfielder’s brother, Louie Scott, took to Instagram to call the outgoing United boss “classless” after not using Lingard in the club’s final home match of the season against Brentford.

On the social media post Scott wrote: “20 years of blood, sweat and tears. 4 domestic trophies, 3 cup final goals. Not even a farewell. No wonder it’s Conference League next year.”

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12 HOURS AGO

Lingard arrived at United as a seven-year-old, but is set to leave this summer, with his contract coming to an end. He appeared to follow his brother’s social media outing with a post of his own on Twitter, sharing an image of him as a young boy wearing a t-shirt with ‘United’ written on it.

Rangnick’s defended his decision not to give the 29-year-old an opportunity to say goodbye to the club’s supporters, saying: “In the last couple of weeks under my tenure, he has played far more games than he used to.”

Lingard has been involved 22 times for United this season, but he has only started four matches.

Speaking about his substitutions during the 3-0 win over Brentford, Rangnick said: “With only three substitutes, I had to take a decision between Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard, or the young [Alejandro Garnacho], who I would have loved to have brought on and given a chance to play.

“I took the decision to bring on Edinson. Had I not brought on Edinson, someone else might have asked if it’s classless not to bring on Cavani or Garnacho.

You have to take a decision and this will not be to the liking of everybody and this is part of the game.

Lingard could yet make a final appearance for the club, with their last two games of the season seeing them come up against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

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