5 DAYS AGO - Fiorentina and Inter players had squabbled over a VAR check before the hosts’ midfielder suffered a cardiac arrestBefore Edoardo Bove fell, it had seemed as though a disallowed goal was the most important thing in the world. Fiorentina and Inter were waiting for a VAR check to confirm whether the ball really had gone out as Denzel Dumfries set up Lautaro Martínez to score in the 17th minute of their top-four clash. Players and coaches voiced their disagreement in the usual theatrical terms.And then, it did not matter at all. Bove had not involved himself in the discussion, waiting in the far half of the pitch. He dropped to a knee for a moment, presumed to be tying a shoelace, but in fact using his hands to steady himself on the turf. After standing back up, he took a handful of steps then collapsed beside Hakan Calhanoglu. Continue reading... Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - Leaders slip to surprise 2-1 defeat at home in La LigaGriezmann clapped by Valladolid fans after stunning goalBarcelona suffered their first home defeat of the season as Las Palmas stunned the Spanish league leaders 2-1 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.Barcelona have played superbly in the first three months under Hansi Flick. Coming into the visit of Las Palmas, Barça were flying high after convincing victories over Real Madrid in La Liga and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, winning all eight home games to start the campaign. But Flick’s side have now gone three La Liga rounds without a win. Before the loss to Las Palmas, Barça fell 1-0 at Real Sociedad and drew 2-2 at Celta Vigo. Continue reading... Collapse

24/11/2024 - Madrid beat Leganés to move four points off BarcelonaLukaku takes Napoli back to top spot in Serie AKylian Mbappé ended his four-game goal drought and England’s Jude Bellingham scored too as Real Madrid eased past Leganés 3-0 in La Liga on Sunday.Leganés’ defence kept Real at bay for the majority of the first half but the visitors took the lead three minutes before the break when Vinícius Jr teed up Mbappé, who slotted home for his seventh league goal this season. Real enjoyed most of the possession in the second half and the Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scored with a powerful low free-kick in the 66th minute after Bellingham had been fouled on the edge of the box. Continue reading... Collapse

14/11/2024 - Ranieri to take role as adviser to owners at end of seasonHe becomes Roma’s fourth head coach of the yearClaudio Ranieri has come out of retirement at the age of 73 to take charge of Roma until the end of the season, the Serie A club have announced, days after sacking the Croatian Ivan Juric.Ranieri is Roma’s third coach of the season and this is his third time coaching his home town club, having guided the Giallorossi from 2009-11 and in 2019. He began his playing career with Roma. Continue reading... Collapse

10/11/2024 - Roma sack coach Ivan Juric after just 12 games in chargeScott McTominay scores as Napoli hold Inter 1-1Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 La Liga defeat at Real Sociedad on Sunday that ended their seven-match winning streak in all competitions as Sheraldo Becker scored for the Basque side in the first half. It was also notable as it was the first time since September 2014 that Barça had failed to get a shot on target in a league game.The league leaders got their first taste of defeat in over a month and only their second in their domestic season after they were dominated throughout the match by the home side, who wasted several chances. Becker’s strike in the 33rd minute was enough to secure Real Sociedad the win as he beat the offside trap to race on to a Luka Sucic header before slotting a tidy finish just inside the post. Continue reading... Collapse

02/11/2024 - ‘It doesn’t make any sense,’ says Atlético Madrid managerHarry Kane scores two as Bayern beat Union BerlinThe Atlético Madrid manager, Diego Simeone, said on Saturday it made no sense to play this weekend after catastrophic floods swept through parts of Spain.The deadliest flash floods in Spain’s modern history – and the second-deadliest European floods of the century – have killed at least 211 people and dozens are unaccounted for, four days after torrential rains swept the region of Valencia, the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said on Saturday. The matches between Valencia and Real Madrid, along with Villarreal v Rayo Vallecano, are among several postponed after the floods. Continue reading... Collapse

29/10/2024 - Belgian striker and Kvaratskhelia on target in victoryConte’s team now lead Serie A by seven pointsNapoli extended their lead at the top of Serie A to seven points as goals from Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sealed a 2-0 win at Milan.Lukaku and Kvaratskhelia both struck in the first half as Napoli extended their unbeaten league run to nine matches after their opening-day defeat at Verona. Continue reading... Collapse

27/10/2024 - PSG blitz Marseille with three-goal first halfKane and Olise on target as Bayern Munich win 5-0Piotr Zielinski converted two penalties for Inter as they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Juventus, for whom Kenan Yildiz scored a late brace, in Serie A on Sunday.The five-goal opening half began with Marcus Thuram earning a penalty, which Zielinski converted to give Inter the lead after 15 minutes. Juve equalised five minutes later through Dusan Vlahovic and then took the lead with a strike from Timothy Weah, all within a six-minute span. After Henrikh Mkhitaryan equalised for Inter in the 35th minute, Zielinski scored his second from the penalty spot two minutes later, handing Inter a 3-2 lead going into the break. Continue reading... Collapse

21/10/2024 - A surprise signing from Genoa, the striker has immediately integrated in Bergamo thanks to his manager’s brillianceMateo Retegui is not afraid to make a snap decision. When Roberto Mancini phoned to ask if he would consider representing the Italian national team last March, the striker “didn’t have to think about it. I just said yes right away”. Born and raised in Argentina, he had never lived in Italy nor did he speak the language, yet within days he marked his international debut with a goal against England in Naples.A choice that shifted his whole life’s trajectory. Twenty-three years old and playing for Tigre on loan from Boca Juniors, Retegui was hardly at the forefront of most European scouts’ minds. He scored 23 goals across all competitions in 2022, yet domestically there were doubts as to his ceiling. His parent club had declined their option to bring him back at the end of the year, while the Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni was indifferent to Retegui declaring for Italy. Collapse