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Tag: Inter Milan

  • Napoli reach Italian Super Cup Final | The Express Tribune

    Napoli reach Italian Super Cup Final | The Express Tribune



    RIYADH:

    Napoli put aside their recent troubles on Thursday by reaching the Italian Super Cup final with a convincing 3-0 win over Fiorentina in Riyadh.
    Giovanni Simeone opened the scoring in the 22nd minute at a sparsely-populated Al-Awwal Park before Alessio Zerbin ensured Napoli’s passage with two late goals, his first for the Italian champions.
    Napoli will face the winner of Friday’s other semi-final, between Inter Milan and Lazio, in the final at the same stadium on Monday night.
    Thursday’s success was a rare bright moment in what has been a disastrous season for Napoli, who are 20 points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan and have won just five times since Walter Mazzarri replaced Rudi Garcia in November.
    Fiorentina had plenty of the ball but struggled to break down Napoli, and Jonathan Ikone’s missed penalty just before half-time summed up a bad night for Vincenzo Italiano’s team.
    This season is the first time that the Italian Super Cup has been contested with a four-team format, but it doesn’t appear to have captured the imagination of the Saudi Arabia public.
    The stadium was mostly empty for a match featuring the ailing champions, who took the lead when Simeone netted the first chance his team created in a rare start, with Victor Osimhen at the Africa Cup of Nations.
    Fiorentina should have levelled when Ikone went down easily under a challenge from Mario Rui, but the French forward ballooned his spot-kick over the bar.
    And after easily keeping Fiorentina at bay Napoli doubled their lead in the 84th minute through substitute Zerbin.
    The 24-year-old, who is reportedly moving to Frosinone on loan this month, latched on to a flick-on at a corner and poked home before smacking his head into the post.
    Team doctors had to check over the 24-year-old, who looked dazed from the impact, before he could return to the field.
    But he recovered quickly enough to add the third two minutes later, pinching the ball off Michael Kayode and lashing a low shot past Pietro Terracciano to confirm his team’s spot in the final. 





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  • Inghazi always wants us to win: Calhanoglu | The Express Tribune

    Inghazi always wants us to win: Calhanoglu | The Express Tribune



    ROME:

    Inter Milan sitting atop the Serie A table is due in large part to coach Simone Inzaghi who has “a big heart” and has superb man management skills said playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu.

    The Turkish star will be at the heart of matters when Inter entertain struggling Verona on Saturday with the Milan club seeking to maintain their two-point lead over Juventus.

    Inzaghi will hope his older brother Filippo can help Inter and cause a mighty shock as his Salernitana side, who are bottom of the table, host Juventus on Sunday.

    In hardly the best of omens, Salernitana were thrashed 6-1 by Juventus on Thursday in the Italian Cup.

    Whatever Juventus do, though, is of little interest to Calhanoglu.

    “I don’t look at them, I only look at Inter and I don’t even listen,” said the 29-year-old, who joined Inter in 2021 on a free transfer from their bitter city rivals AC Milan.

    Calhanoglu’s confidence in Inzaghi — who joined at the same time as he did — is exemplified by him turning down a lucrative move to a Saudi club and signing a contract extension instead.

    Inzaghi’s personal qualities have sparked a positive response from the players.

    Two successive Italian Cup trophies and a surprise run to last season’s Champions League final — losing 1-0 to Manchester City — are testament to the 47-year-old’s skills at motivating the personnel.

    “The way he speaks with the players and how he behaves with us, he always wants to win and gets angry when we slow down,” said Calhanoglu of Inzaghi’s greatest characteristic.

    “Once the training session finishes, he has a big heart. He is very calm and we can talk about anything with him.

    “He is also growing.

    “You can’t do everything in one year. We arrived at the club at the same moment and we are all growing on the pitch,” added Calhanoglu, who has scored eight goals in 22 appearances in all competitions this season.

    Juve’s humble target

    Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri refuses to talk about the title, focussing instead on a more humble target.

    “We have to get to the top four, the next Champions League will be completely different,” he said following the victory over Salernitana.

    “We have to respect the opponents, otherwise it will be a mess.”

    Filippo Inzaghi — who enjoyed a far more successful playing career than his younger brother but whose managerial career has been moderate by comparison — is hopeful he can pick his players up for Sunday’s clash.

    Inzaghi will bring back his two 36-year-old veterans, former Argentina centre-back Federico Fazio and ex-Italy midfielder Antonio Candreva.

    “On Sunday, two captains like Fazio and Candreva will return, they will give us strength,” said Inzaghi.

    “We couldn’t ask them to play on Thursday and Sunday, they are too important for us.

    “It’s clear that if Juve gets the match right there’s little that can be done but we will have the crowd behind us to push us to try to achieve a feat.”

    In the Serie A table, Inter is sitting on top with 45 points while Juventus are on the second place two points behind them while AC Milan are thrifd with a wide gap of 7 points (36), Fiorentina are fourth with 33 after playing 18 matches.





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  • Leaders Inter held to draw at Genoa | The Express Tribune

    Leaders Inter held to draw at Genoa | The Express Tribune



    GENOA:

    Serie A leaders Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw away to Genoa on Friday as Marko Arnautovic’s first league goal for the club was cancelled out by a header from Radu Dragusin. 
    Inter are top with 45 points but the result gives second-placed Juventus, on 40, an opportunity to close the gap as they host AS Roma on Saturday. Genoa are 13th with 20. 
    Inter broke the deadlock after 42 minutes when Austrian Arnautovic found himself in the right place to tap home a rebound off the post following Nicolo Barella’s volley. He opened his account for the club in Serie A after being sidelined for several matches due to a hamstring injury following his loan move from Bologna in the close season. 
    However, Genoa equalised in first-half stoppage time when Dragusin’s powerful header from a corner eluded Yann Sommer despite the goalkeeper getting both hands on the ball. 
    “We knew the type of game that we were going into. Genoa are in great shape, both physically and mentally, it was a hard-fought match,” Inter manager Simone Inzaghi told DAZN. “The second half probably would have been different without conceding at that moment (in first-half added time). We wanted to win, we are not happy with the point, but we must continue and remember that every match holds dangers.” 
    The game was interrupted for about eight minutes just after the start with the release of several flares resulting in dense smoke that reduced visibility following heavy rainfall. 
    As the smoke cleared Genoa showed little respect for injury-hit Inter, who were missing key players like Lautaro Martinez and Federico Dimarco, and came close to scoring several times. Having already managed to hold Juventus to a 1-1 draw earlier in the month at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa were again driven forward by an enthusiastic home crowd. Inter started to gain momentum around the hour mark and Francesco Acerbi almost put them back in front with a header only for Josep Martinez to make a fine save. 
    “It was not easy to play on a heavy pitch that made it tough for both teams,” Inzaghi added. “We had a huge chance with Acerbi – their goalkeeper made a great save – and we tried to limit their counter-attacks.” 
    The match then fizzled out with few clear-cut chances and both sides appeared content to end the year with a draw. “We must retain the solidity, the hunger and clearly try to bring more consistency,” said Inzaghi. 
    “We know that we’re not even halfway through the season. It will be a long and tough road with difficulties that we must overcome.” In Friday’s other late game, Lazio recovered from a goal down to beat visiting Frosinone 3-1 courtesy of Valentin Castellanos, Gustav Isaksen and Patric in a 14-minute spell late in the match. Maurizio Sarri’s side are eighth on 27 points. Inter will start the New Year by hosting lowly Hellas Verona on Jan. 6, while Lazio visit Udinese the following day. 





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  • Inter Milan make title statement | The Express Tribune

    Inter Milan make title statement | The Express Tribune



    MILAN:

    Inter Milan sent a warning to the rest of Serie A with Sunday’s convincing 3-0 win at Napoli which re-established their two-point lead at the summit and left the champions’ title defence on its last legs.

    Beautifully taken goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella and Marcus Thuram pushed Inter back above closest challengers Juventus, who briefly held top spot after beating Monza on Friday.

    Sunday’s thumping was a show of force from Inter who illustrated why they are favourites to win a 20th league title, still unbeaten away from home in all competitions after claiming a huge win at a ground where they have a dreadful record.

    “It was a show of strength, of team spirit,” said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi.

    “Winning like this in Naples is satisfying, but we’re only 14 games in and there is a very long way to go.”

    Napoli are now 11 points off the pace and travel to Juve next weekend in a match which could end any realistic hope of the champions retaining the Scudetto before the calendar year is out.

    To add insult to injury Napoli have dropped out of the top four, replaced by Roma who won 2-1 at Sassuolo earlier and sit in the last Champions League spot on goal difference.

    Returning Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri refused to speak after the match, sporting director Mauro Meluso expressing anger at referee Davide Massa for not stopping play for a foul before Inter’s opener and not giving a penalty for what he believed was a clear foul on Victor Osimhen while the home side trailed by a single goal.

    “I don’t want to create an excuse for our team, who obviously still need to work on a few things, but we didn’t deserve that humiliation today,” said Meluso.

    Simone Inzaghi’s side have won 11 of their 14 league matches so far this season and once Hakan Calhanoglu thrashed in the opener on the stroke of half-time they expertly dealt with a hyped-up Napoli.

    Hosts Napoli were playing their first home fixture under Mazzarri, whose team are stuck on a paltry seven points from as many matches at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

    Barella doubled Inter’s lead just after the hour mark with his first goal of the season shortly after Yann Sommer pulled off a brilliant save to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, one of three superb stops from the Swiss.

    Italy’s Barella burst unopposed from midfield and after collecting Lautaro Martinez’s low pass skipped past Leo Ostigard and Natan before confidently finishing past Alex Meret.

    And with five minutes remaining Thuram – who earlier had a goal ruled out for a microscopic offside – made absolutely sure of the points, tapping home his fifth league goal of a brilliant first season at Inter from substitute Juan Cuadrado’s low cross.

    Paulo Dybala’s 76th-minute penalty and a wildly deflected strike from Rasmus Kristensen shortly afterwards earned Roma a win from their scrappy match with 10-man Sassuolo, who opened the scoring through Matheus Henrique.

    The win at the Mapei Stadium came as coach Jose Mourinho is reportedly being investigated by the Italian Football Federation for saying that referee Matteo Marcenaro didn’t “have the emotional stability to referee at this level” ahead of the match.

    The Portuguese blasted Marcenaro, 31, in a pre-match outburst on Saturday which the country’s refereeing association said “could lead to violence” against officials.

    And despite having excellent Italian Mourinho insisted on only speaking in Portuguese in his post-match interview with DAZN.

    “I am speaking Portuguese because my Italian is not good enough to explain certain concepts,” claimed Mourinho.

    “When I spoke about emotional stability, I was talking about a quality that is necessary in both life and football in order to perform at the highest level.”

    Fiorentina are a point behind Roma and Napoli in sixth thanks to a simple 3-0 win over the division’s bottom team Salernitana, while Bologna are a further point and place back following their 1-1 draw at Lecce.





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  • Inter Milan keep Juventus at arm’s length | The Express Tribune

    Inter Milan keep Juventus at arm’s length | The Express Tribune



    MILAN:

    Lautaro Martinez ensured that Inter Milan kept hold of their two-point lead at the top of Serie A as he struck in Sunday’s scrappy 1-1 draw at closest rivals Juventus.

    Argentina forward Martinez swept home Marcus Thuram’s low cross in the 33rd minute following fine play down the right flank from his strike partner, to keep second-placed Juve at arm’s length in the title race.

    His 15th goal in all competitions brought Inter level six minutes after Dusan Vlahovic broke a two-month scoring duck with a similar first-time finish at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.

    The stalemate ended a six-match winning streak in all competitions for Inter, who are favourites to claim a 20th Scudetto ahead of AC Milan who have also won the league 19 times.

    “For how the match went we’ll take the point,” said coach Simone Inzaghi to DAZN.

    “We know it’s not easy to score at Juventus but after going behind the team stayed in the match and we scored a great goal.”

    Inzaghi’s side have come through the first of a series of tough tests with a Champions League trip to Benfica next up on Wednesday before they face Napoli in Naples next Sunday.

    They have already reached the last 16 of Europe’s top competition but are battling with Real Sociedad for top spot in Group D with the Spanish outfit travelling to Milan next month.

    Inter’s hierarchy have repeatedly said Juve are favourites for the title as they have no European commitments but beyond Vlahovic’s fifth goal of the season Massimiliano Allegri’s side offered very little.

    The away side were missing starting defenders Benjamin Pavard and Alessandro Bastoni but had few problems dealing with Juve’s predictable attacks as both teams seemed keener to not lose than to try to win.

    A lively opening period was followed up by a miserable second half in which niggly fouls and protests to referee Marco Guida dominated, and a drab encounter petered out to a draw which seemed to satisfy both teams.

    “It’s a good result. We wanted to win, obviously, but they are a very tough team to play against,” said Adrien Rabiot.

    French international midfielder Rabiot admitted that Juve were aiming for the title despite Allegri repeatedly saying his objective was Champions League qualification.

    “Obviously we talk about winning the Scudetto in the dressing room,” he added.

    “We’re all great players, we have to realise that… I believe we can do it.”

    Paulo Dybala felt the need to silence the haters after helping to fire Roma fifth with the decisive second goal in a 3-1 win over struggling Udinese.

    Dybala rolled Roma into a 2-1 lead with nine minutes remaining at the Stadio Olimpico after being brilliantly flicked through by Romelu Lukaku, with Stephan El Shaarawy then completing the scoring in the final minute.

    It was Dybala’s third goal of the league campaign and his first since a brace against Empoli in mid-September, and he put his finger to his lips for the people who “talk too much for no reason”.

    “I try to give back all the love these people give me,” Dybala told DAZN. “I want to make history here by winning a trophy. It was a good night.”

    Dybala’s strike helped move Roma three points from fourth-placed Napoli, who currently occupy the last Champions League spot, taking advantage of Atalanta and Fiorentina both losing on Saturday to leapfrog the pair.

    Udinese are only a point above the relegation zone, with Empoli just inside the bottom three after Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi consigned them to a late 4-3 home defeat.

    Defeat sent Empoli down to 18th, level on 10 points with Cagliari who move out of the drop zone following their 1-1 draw with Monza in Sunday’s early match.

    Ilario Monterisi moved Frosinone up to 10th with a 92nd-minute winner against fellow promoted outfit Genoa, who sit 15th after their seventh defeat of the campaign.





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  • Inter romp clear in Italy with Dimarco wondergoal | The Express Tribune

    Inter romp clear in Italy with Dimarco wondergoal | The Express Tribune



    ROME:

    A magnificent long-range strike from Federico Dimarco set up Inter Milan for a 2-0 win over Frosinone on Sunday that sent them back top of Serie A ahead of the international break.

    Among Inter’s title rivals, only Juventus won over the weekend. The pair meet in the next round of matches in Turin.

    A gap is opening below the two traditional giants, after AC Milan and Napoli continued to lose ground.

    Simone Inzaghi’s joyful Inter side have won ten of 12 games and have 31 points, with Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus on 29. AC Milan are third on 23 after letting slip a 2-0 lead over Lecce. Defending champions Napoli have 21 after losing to Empoli.

    Such is the confidence at Inter, that Dimarco shot shortly after crossing the halfway-line from the left touchline, his arcing shot dropping under the crossbar and into the Frosinone goal with ‘keeper Stefano Turati clutching at air.

    Hakan Calhanoglu doubled the lead, converting a spot-kick just after the break.

    Earlier, Napoli fell to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Empoli, leaving the defending champions on the verge of sacking  new coach Rudi Garcia.

    Lazio and Roma slugged out a goalless stalemate in the Rome derby.

    Napoli were booed off after Viktor Kovalenko’s superb last-minute strike snatched the win for Empoli, leaving the hosts eight points behind leaders Juventus and looking over their shoulder.

    No-one from Napoli spoke to the media after yet another poor display on home turf. The club have not won a fixture in Naples since the end of September.

    The Gazzetta Dello Sport and Naples-based daily Il Mattino both reported that Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis had already decided to sack Garcia and that the Frenchman will not take training on Wednesday.

    De Laurentiis has also called a summit in Rome on Monday to decide on the successor, with Igor Tudor and Fabio Cannavaro among the names cited.

    Garcia took over from title-winning coach Luciano Spalletti in the summer but his days already look numbered after a poor performance against Empoli who lifted themselves out of the relegation zone.

    The 59-year-old Garcia won Ligue 1 with Lille in 2011 but his stock has fallen dramatically since being sacked by Roma in early 2016.

    He was fired from Al Nassr in April, after the Saudi Arabian club signed Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Napoli’s home record is the 15th-best in the league while on the road where they are unbeaten in all competitions and have won six from eight fixtures.

    Three defeats in six league home matches is already more than last season’s total but didn’t lead to them losing their place in Italy’s top four.

    Lazio and Roma meanwhile played out a goalless draw in a Rome derby which was full of needle between fans, players and coaches.

    Roma would have drawn level on 20 points with Atalanta and Fiorentina if they had won the first Rome derby of the season but offered little at the Stadio Olimpico.

    Jose Mourinho’s team move up one place to seventh, ahead of Bologna on goal difference, while Lazio stay a point behind their local rivals in 10th.

    Nominal hosts Lazio came closest to scoring, Luis Alberto smacking the post in the 25th minute, and three minutes later Roma ‘keeper Rui Patricio had to be at his best to keep out Alessio Romagnoli’s header.

    After the restart, the two teams seemed more interested in avoiding defeat and getting in each other’s faces than trying for a win.





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  • Martinez fires Inter Milan past Atalanta | The Express Tribune

    Martinez fires Inter Milan past Atalanta | The Express Tribune



    MILAN:

    Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal as Serie A leaders Inter Milan edged Atalanta 2-1 away in a rain-lashed slog in Bergamo on Saturday.

    Inter are now five points clear of Juventus and six ahead of AC Milan, who slipped to a 1-0 home defeat to Udinese, after showing relentless spirit despite the conditions playing havoc with the run of the ball.

    The away side suffered an early blow when French central defender Benjamin Pavard limped off in the first half.

    Hakan Calhanoglu lifted their spirits with a confidently converted spot-kick on 40 minutes sending Inter into a welcome half-time break from the rain.

    The fiesty Martinez ripped a curling shot round two defenders and into the top corner with an impressive effort on 57 minutes.

    Inter lost ‘keeper Andre Onana to Manchester United in the close season but replaced him with Swiss stopper Yann Sommer, who produced an assured performance with his saves, calls and mobility.

    Former West Ham player Gianluca Scammaca was fortunate to see his pullback goal stand after a foul in the build-up, but at 2-1 it was game on again until Rafaele Toloi was given a straight red card late on.

    After a tricky test, Inter can look forward to Wednesday’s Champions League game at Salzburg, where a victory would send them through to the last 16.

    Reigning Italian champions Napoli beat southern neighbours Salernitana 2-0 earlier on Saturday to climb provisionally into the top four.

    Inter, Juventus and Milan are all still ahead of the champions, but Napoli appear to be putting early season jitters behind them as French coach Rudi Garci starts to make his mark.

    This could have been a mismatch with bottom side Salernitana winless so far this season.

    Napoli, who host Union Berlin in the Champions League in midweek, were without injured Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen.

    In his absence Giacomo Raspadori slotted home on 13 minutes and Macedonian winger Eljif Elmas assured the win on 82 minutes with a curling shot after an impressive burst down the left.

    If AC Milan were hoping for a confidence boost before the visit of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, they were disappointed as they went down to Roberto Pereyra’s 62nd-minute penalty at the San Siro.

    Milan poured into attack looking for an equaliser but were unable to find an opening as Udinese claimed all three points.





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  • Inter tastes first defeat of the season | The Express Tribune

    Inter tastes first defeat of the season | The Express Tribune



    MILAN:

    Inter Milan crashed to their first defeat of the Serie A season on Wednesday, going down 2-1 at home to Sassuolo.

    Inter went into the game with a perfect record of five wins in five and looked in control at 1-0 ahead thanks to a Denzel Dumfries goal on the stroke of half-time at the San Siro.

    Sassuolo levelled in the 54th minute when Nedim Bajrami scored with a long-range effort which caught out goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

    Domenico Berardi hit the winner 10 minutes later as Sassuolo claimed all three points to follow up last week’s win over Juventus.

    Inter remain top of the table on goal difference ahead of AC Milan who earlier defeated Cagliari 3-1.

    After a defeat and two draws, champions Napoli returned to winning ways with Victor Osimhen playing a starring role.

    The Nigerian striker scored his fourth goal of the season after 39 minutes with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ending a long goal drought by finding the net in the second half.

    Osimhen, top scorer in Serie A last season, had cut a controversial figure at the weekend when he showed his displeasure at being taken off by coach Rudy Garcia in the 0-0 draw with Bologna.

    On Tuesday, his agent threatened Napoli with legal action for having published a video on the club’s TikTok account, since deleted, mocking the striker for missing a penalty in that game.

    Napoli are now fifth in the table with 11 points, four points behind the two Milan clubs.

    AC Milan fought back from a goal down to defeat Cagliari.

    Milan were without injured goalkeeper Mike Maignan as well as strikers Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao.

    Cagliari, searching for a first win of the campaign, grabbed a shock 29th-minute lead through Angolan winger Zito Luvumbo who capitalised on a mix-up in the Milan defence to shoot past Marco Sportiello.

    Milan, however, hit back with Noah Okafor levelling in the 40th minute when he beat goalkeeper Boris Radunovic from a cross by Christian Pulisic.

    In first-half injury-time, Fikayo Tomori added Milan’s second thanks to the work of Yacine Adli who was starting a game for only the second time since his arrival at the club in July 2022.

    Stefano Pioli’s side made sure of the three points on the hour mark when Ruben Loftus-Cheek hit the target.

    The win was a fifth in six matches for AC Milan who are level on 15 points with Inter.

    “We deserved our victory in a match which was not a formality,” said Pioli who celebrated his 200th win as a coach in Serie A.

    However, he admitted there had been “naivety” over the goal Milan conceded.

    “We know that it is the matches against our direct rivals for the title which will impact our place in the table, but these matches which, on paper, seem simple will be very important at the end of the season,” he added.

    Empoli, who sacked coach Paolo Zanetti last week after a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Roma, celebrated their first win of the season.

    Tommaso Baldanzi scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Salernitana. 





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  • Inter dish out derby destruction | The Express Tribune

    Inter dish out derby destruction | The Express Tribune



    MILAN:

    Inter Milan laid down an early title marker on Saturday by handing out a 5-1 derby hammering to AC Milan and going it alone at the Serie A summit, while champions Napoli were held 2-2 at promoted Genoa.

    Four wins from their opening four matches have Inter leading the pack with a perfect 12 points, two ahead of their other fierce rivals Juventus who beat Lazio 3-1 in the day’s early match.

    Milan sit a further point back in third after a humiliating first defeat of the season before they welcome Newcastle United in the Champions League on Tuesday.

    Spurred on by the majority of a heaving and raucous San Siro crowd, Inter claimed their fifth straight derby win in all competitions thanks to a Henrikh Mkhitaryan brace, Marcus Thuram’s rocket and two late strikes from Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi.

    Simone Inzaghi’s side claimed the points with a display which showed why they got past Milan to reach last season’s Champions League final and confirmed their status as early favourites to beat their local rivals to a 20th Scudetto.

    “We’ve started the season brilliantly and we want to keep going,” Mkhitaryan told DAZN.

    “We’re all here for the same goal, and I don’t care who plays… the coach will pick whoever gives their all for the second star (on the shirt for 20 titles).”

    Thuram continued his fast start in an Inter shirt, the new man also crucial to Mkhitaryan’s fifth-minute opener.

    France forward Thuram bundled past Malick Thiaw before finding Federico Dimarco whose mishit shot was guided home by the former Armenia midfielder.

    And Thuram then underlined Inter’s superiority seven minutes before the break after a lightning breakaway started by Lautaro Martinez, collecting from Denzel Dumfries before cutting inside the hapless Thiaw and crashing in an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area.

    The match looked dead and buried with 45 minutes to play but Rafael Leao halved the deficit in the 57th minute when he rolled in his second of the season after being brilliantly put through by Olivier Giroud.

    Leao’s finish was the first goal conceded by Inter this term and as a violent downpour descended on the San Siro, Mkhitaryan silenced Milan’s loud “away” support with his deflected second of the evening after being fed by Martinez.

    Calhanoglu’s 79th-minute penalty and a neat stoppage-time finish from Frattesi, fresh from Tuesday’s double for Italy at the same ground, rubbed salt into wounds for Milan and coach Stefano Pioli.

    “I don’t think we need to apologise to our fans. Do you think we wanted to concede five goals to Inter?” said a defiant Pioli who in 2023 has lost every Milan derby to an aggregate score of 12-1.

    “We’re disappointed, but you ask for forgiveness when you deliberately don’t do something.”

    Napoli’s title defence continued to stutter at Genoa where the champions came back from two goals down to snatch a point late on.

    Rudi Garcia’s side, beaten by Lazio before the international break, trail Inter by five points following the draw at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris which came thanks to strikes in the final 15 minutes from Italy internationals Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano.

    “We’ve got work to do, but we had very little time to prepare for this match because a lot of players only came back (from international duty) yesterday,” said Politano to Sky Sport in Italy.

    Mattia Bani headed Genoa into the lead five minutes before the break before Italy striker Mateo Retegui swept in the hosts’ second from Kevin Strootman’s pass in the 56th minute.

    Retegui has scored twice since signing from Boca Juniors in July and Saturday’s strike looked likely to give Genoa a stunning second win of the campaign.

    But Napoli didn’t give up and were back in it when Raspadori arrowed in his first goal of the season in the 76th minute.

    And Politano salvaged a draw for Napoli with six minutes remaining with a brilliant volley from Piotr Zielinski’s lofted pass.





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  • Thuram helps Inter thrash Fiorentina to top Serie A | The Express Tribune

    Thuram helps Inter thrash Fiorentina to top Serie A | The Express Tribune



    MILAN:

    Marcus Thuram scored his first Serie A goal on Sunday as Inter Milan thumped Fiorentina 4-0 and moved level with AC Milan at the top of Serie A.

    France forward Thuram opened the scoring midway through the first half and had a hand in two more strikes from Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu which helped continue Inter’s perfect start to the new season.

    “The whole team played well today, it was a good evening,” said Thuram to DAZN.

    “I’m really happy with my goal and key pass, I just want to help the team as much as I can.”

    Inter host Milan, who have also won their first three matches, in the first derby of the season immediately after the international break.

    That match promises to be a blockbuster as both teams already look like strong contenders for the league title.

    And Milan will be looking for revenge for a comprehensive defeat to their local rivals in last season’s Champions League semi-finals.

    Leading the line for Inter should be Thuram, who has slotted in brilliantly alongside Martinez since signing from Borussia Moenchengladbach this summer and returning to the country of his birth.

    Thuram, 26, was born in Parma where his World Cup-winning father Lilian played for five seasons, winning the UEFA Cup and Italian Cup in 1999 as part of a star-studded outfit which also featured Italian icons Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro.

    Martinez ended up with a brace to take his tally to five goals in three matches but it was Thuram who was crucial to seeing off woeful Fiorentina.

    He crashed home a header in the 23rd minute from Federico Dimarco’s pinpoint cross and could have had a hat-trick at half-time as close-range chances went begging.

    However, he rolled in Martinez for a simple finish eight minutes after the break and was then brought down by Fiorentina goalkeeper Oliver Christensen shortly afterwards to give Calhanoglu a chance from the penalty spot that he didn’t waste.

    Martinez capped off the scoring for Inter, who are yet to concede a goal, in the 73rd minute when he rammed home Juan Cuadrado’s inviting low cross.

    Juventus are two points behind the pace setters in third after their 2-0 win at bottom team Empoli, who are still pointless three weeks into the season.

    Danilo opened the scoring in the 24th minute in Tuscany after confusion at a corner and Federico Chiesa ensured Juve of the points with his second of the campaign eight minutes from the end.

    Chiesa was picked in Luciano Spalletti’s first Italy squad which will face North Macedonia and Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifying.

    And the 25-year-old showed the eye for goal that Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri has demanded from him when he sprinted through onto Arkadiusz Milik’s through ball and carried on to roll home after being almost taken out by Empoli keeper Etrit Berisha.

    Juve had little problem dealing with Empoli, striking the twice through Milik and Moise Kean while Dusan Vlahovic also missed a first-half penalty.

    The only sour note for Juve is that Paul Pogba could have picked up yet another injury after making an appearance from the bench, although Allegri said there would be no news until tests were carried out on Monday.

    Level with Juve in fourth are Lecce, who continued their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 2-0 win over Salernitana.

    Roberto D’Aversa’s team collected their second win of the season thanks to Nikola Krstovic’s second goal since moving to southern Italy from Slovakia this summer and a stoppage time penalty from Gabriel Strefezza.

    Nemanja Radonjic gave Torino their first win of the season with a superb stoppage-time strike which earned his team a 1-0 win over Genoa.





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