Italy gives winning sendoff for Spalletti in World Cup qualifying. De Bruyne saves Belgium
With a parting gift for Luciano Spalletti, Italy beat Moldova 2-0 on Monday for its first points in the beleaguered national team's attempt to reach the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
There was also a significant victory for Belgium, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring in the 88th minute to snatch a 4-3 win against Wales after his team squandered a 3-0 lead after 27 minutes.
Spalletti was informed ahead of the game in Reggio Emilia that he would be losing his job as Italy coach in the wake of the team's 3-0 loss in Norway last week, which marked a dreadful way to begin its qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
Goals by Giacomo Raspadiro and Andrea Cambiaso meant Spalletti at least departed with a victory. Yet the Azzurri remained in a perilous position in Group I, with Norway beating Estonia 1-0 — thanks to Erling Haaland's 62nd-minute goal — to make it four wins from four halfway through qualifying.
Italy stayed nine points behind Norway — albeit having played two fewer matches — and might have missed a good chance to rack up some goals to boost its goal difference.
'We certainly are not leaving my successor a sense of enthusiasm, despite the positive response from the fans,' said Spalletti, who was in charge for less than two years. 'The coach has to make the difference, the players have to make the difference, and unfortunately I did not make the difference.'
Only the top team from each of the 12 groups qualifies automatically for next year's expanded 48-team tournament in North America. The runners-up go into the playoffs — the stage where Italy was eliminated by
Sweden
and
North Macedonia
to miss out on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively, in a humiliation for one of Europe's traditional powers.
'We are the first to know it wasn't a great game, we wanted to give the coach a better send-off,' Cambiaso said.
'We are professionals, unfortunately these things happen in sport. Spalletti is a great coach, has such passion for the sport, and every time a coach is fired, it hurts the players. We feel really sad.'
De Bruyne saves Belgium
Belgium was heading for a second straight draw to open World Cup qualifying until De Bruyne struck late at King Baudouin Stadium to consign rejuvenated Wales to a first defeat under Craig Bellamy in his 10 matches in charge.
Four days after being held by North Macedonia, Belgium sped ahead 3-0 inside the first half hour through goals by Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku.
Wales mounted a stirring recovery to draw level by the 69th, only for De Bruyne to meet a deep cross with a left-footed volley inside the near post. The playmaker is preparing to leave Manchester City after 10 years, with Napoli a possible destination according to reports in Britain.
North Macedonia won at Kazakhstan 1-0 and led Group J on eight points — one above Wales and four above Belgium, which has two games in hand.
Croatia beat the Czech Republic 5-1, with Luka Modric among its scorers, and trimmed the gap to its opponent to three points in Group L. Croatia has played only two games — winning both — whereas the Czechs have played four and won three of them.
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New York Times
21 minutes ago
- New York Times
Luciano Spalletti's abrupt sacking leaves Italy with much reflecting to do
It was professional and dignified, absurd and unprecedented. Luciano Spalletti appeared for his pre-match press conference on Sunday afternoon. He sat down with the forlorn hope of at least taking a couple of questions on Italy's opponents Moldova and the line-up he had in mind for the game in Reggio Emilia. One did come — about the compatibility of strikers Mateo Retegui and Lorenzo Lucca, and whether Bologna winger Riccardo Orsolini has it in him to play false nine. But it was tokenistic. Spalletti knew the only line of inquiry regarded his future. Advertisement An hour before he was due in the auditorium at Italy's training base in Coverciano, a newsflash made it clear this would be a press conference like no other. Sky Italia's yellow ticker reported the breaking news of Spalletti's intention to resign after the Moldova game. It was true he was leaving. But it turned out reports of his inclination to quit were false. Spalletti had already been sacked by Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). It was a bizarre scene. Why was Spalletti still in charge? Usually in these cases, a statement is released, an interim coach promoted and the floor handed to Gravina to explain the decision. But Gravina had already spoken in Parma at the Festival della Serie A that morning. He had eulogised Spalletti as 'extraordinary, a noble soul… the finest person I've ever met in football, a gentleman'. Not only for accepting the job in the first place but the way he took the news of being relieved of it. Spalletti's wish had been to continue after Friday's defeat by Norway in Oslo when Italy found themselves 3-0 down at half-time. The 66-year-old did not want to go out like that, and so an awkward compromise was reached whereby he would get to put Italy back on course in their World Cup qualifying campaign — something he achieved with a 2-0 win over Moldova on Tuesday — and then graciously break his contract without seeking a payout and return to his vineyard in the rolling Tuscan hills. Unless Juventus or Fiorentina decide to make him an offer in the coming weeks, Spalletti will finally get to have the sabbatical he left Napoli to go on in 2023. Spalletti was on his farm, La Rimessa, when Gravina picked up the phone and dialled his number that summer. He had just led Napoli to their first league title in 33 years and wanted more time with the family. But his country called, and Gravina would not take 'no' for an answer. He was desperate and rightly considered Spalletti the best man for the job. Advertisement Roberto Mancini had quit — supposedly after having second thoughts about the reshuffle of his staff imposed on him by the FIGC. Mancini was instead clearing the way to accept an offer from Saudi Arabia, a decision he now regrets. 'Mancio' did not leave Spalletti a great inheritance. He left Italy with little chance of catching England in their qualifying group for Euro 2024. They had lost to Gareth Southgate's side in Naples and Spalletti was immediately under pressure to beat Ukraine to the runners-up spot. An extreme generational transition was under way, too. Barely anyone from the team that had become European champions in 2021 remained. Giorgio Chiellini had retired after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Leonardo Bonucci was in his twilight and, after an acrimonious divorce from Juventus, ended his career at Union Berlin and Fenerbahce. Arsenal's signing of Declan Rice cut Jorginho's minutes. Marco Verratti, still only 32, was in Qatar. Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi moved to Toronto FC. Leonardo Spinazzola struggled to come back from the snapped Achilles he suffered nearly four years ago, while Ciro Immobile — the most prolific striker of his generation in Italy — later followed Bonucci to Turkey and joined Besiktas. Spalletti, in other words, had to figure a lot out in a short space of time. Drama was never far away. The police interrupted one of his first get-togethers after a paparazzo, Fabrizio Corona, blew the whistle on a betting scandal that led to long-term bans for Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli. Qualification for the 2024 Euros was not straightforward either. Ukraine, for instance, believed they deserved a penalty in the 93rd minute of a 0-0 draw, crying foul after Bryan Cristante took out Mykhailo Mudryk. The tension was unceasingly high. Italy's group at the Euros featured Spain and Croatia. A soft opener against Albania in Dortmund was instantly complicated by the sort of mistake Federico Dimarco repeated in this season's Champions League final. Although Italy came back to win, Spalletti had doubts about the same XI's ability to cope with Spain's speed and intensity. Nevertheless, he tried to play them at their own game a few days later. Rather than adapt according to his gut feeling, he treated the game as a test. His team not only flunked it as he had foreseen, but their confidence in his game model was also shattered. Spalletti found himself in a difficult position. In order to play at the rhythm he considered necessary to compete, he had to rotate. But wholesale change looked punitive, and change was also the enemy of chemistry. A vicious cycle began. In Leipzig, Italy dramatically made it to the knockouts with a 98th-minute equaliser against Croatia. It was a moment of euphoria and had the potential to re-energise the group and make the players believe again. Rather than enjoy it, Spalletti went on a mole hunt in the press conference that followed, seizing on an apparently innocuous question about a pact between him and the players, which he considered a damaging leak from inside the camp. Advertisement Elimination came shortly afterwards against Switzerland in Berlin. It was one of the most insipid and emotionless performances ever put on by the national team at a major tournament, the opposite of Italy's display at the same stadium in 2006 when they last won the World Cup. There were, unsurprisingly, calls for Spalletti to go, and he was memorably offended by a foreign journalist who likened the Swiss to a Ferrari and his Italy to a Fiat Panda. Italy's head of communications was told to make a note of the reporter's name for future reference. Gravina rightly felt Spalletti deserved more time. He had only been in the job nine months and had got to work with the players just once in 2024 (the March international break) before the tournament started. Vindication seemed to follow quickly. Italy fell behind after 14 seconds in their first game back after the Euros. Bradley Barcola caught out his club team-mate Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was still wrapping up his gloves at the Parc des Princes. But Italy came back and won 3-1, winning in France for the first time in 70 years. The style with which they played that night also matched the initial expectations of what Spalletti might be able to achieve with the Azzurri. Tonali was back from suspension. Samuele Ricci made the midfield more cerebral. Andrea Cambiaso looked like the picture of a modern hybrid footballer. Strikers Retegui and Moise Kean were beginning to score. Not even the anterior cruciate ligament tears suffered by Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini could stop the blossoming of a new era. Two-nil up against Belgium, only a Lorenzo Pellegrini red card allowed their opponents back into the game to snatch a point. Had Pellegrini stayed on the field, Italy perhaps would have won their Nations League group instead of finishing second on goal difference to France, who beat them 3-1 in the return game at San Siro. It meant playing Germany, not Croatia, in the knockouts. Italy would take the lead in that game at San Siro but lost, and were 3-0 down at half-time in Dortmund, only to stage a heroic but ultimately futile comeback to make it 3-3 on the night. Overall, Spalletti's Italy reflected the worst febrility of his nature, and little of his genius. In the end, this is what disappointed him most. Advertisement A year ago, in the debrief after the Switzerland debacle, he acknowledged a leadership deficit in the post-Chiellini-Bonucci era. His hope was that players like Riccardo Calafiori would fill it. Spalletti wanted others to follow Tonali and Calafiori to the Premier League. Federico Chiesa swiftly did; however, he only started once for Liverpool in the Premier League. Heralded as Italy's next big thing after his goals against Austria and Spain at Euro 2020, Chiesa was overhyped and then badly injured. He has not lived up to expectations. Spalletti has instead had to build around a core of Inter players. One of the excuses he made for Italy's performance at the Euros last summer was that Inter won the league too early and had lost match rhythm going into the tournament. This week, the same players were, by contrast, exhausted after a 59-game season which ended without a treble or a trophy, and with the scars of a 5-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. That Friday's qualifier against Norway came only six days after Munich shows how relentless the football calendar is today. The Champions League has been expanded. The Nations League is bigger. A Club World Cup awaits. Is it any wonder Inter's players look dead on their feet? Alessandro Bastoni was the one who gave the ball away and played Alexander Sorloth onside for Norway's first goal. The second from Antonio Nusa was a worldie. The third figured as the end for Italy and Spalletti, who had not helped himself in the build-up to the game by falling out with Francesco Acerbi, the veteran defender. Spalletti had called him out at the beginning of the international break for not answering a call-up. The wisdom of clashing with a centre-back who has reserved his best performances for Erling Haaland — at a time when Calafiori and Alessandro Buongiorno were out injured — was questionable, as was picking a fight with someone close to the other senior players in the Italy squad, although Spalletti emphatically denied losing the dressing room. When asked if he had been betrayed, Spalletti paused and read out the names of the FIGC executive team in a thankful tone. He then got up and left. The auditorium applauded. The press appreciated his honesty, his self-criticism, the way he fronted up and held himself accountable above anybody else. Spalletti could undoubtedly have handled some situations better. His adaptation to international football was not seamless and his uncompromising ways made life harder. On the one hand, Italy have underperformed relative to the talent available. On the other, the talent is still not what it was in the 1980s and 90s — even though Italy are the current under-17 and under-19 European champions and finished runners-up at the last Under-20 World Cup. Advertisement It is still early days in qualifying for next year's World Cup. Italy have played two of eight games and while overhauling Norway looks difficult, it is not impossible. That said, changing coach is not enough on its own to restore the national team to greatness. The system must change too. And yet the system seems to think everything is fine. Gravina was recently re-elected president of the FIGC with 98 per cent of the vote. When Italian football looks at itself in the mirror, it still apparently likes enough of what it sees to keep the status quo. After all, there were five Italian teams in the Champions League this season, a reward for finishing first in the UEFA coefficient. But the national team remains a source of dissatisfaction, and reflection is needed. More cracks are appearing in the mirror and if missing one World Cup was bad luck, failing to qualify for three in a row would be something else.
Business Upturn
an hour ago
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10 cricketers who retired early: From Nicholas Pooran to Ayesha Naseem and more
Nicholas Pooran's recent retirement from international cricket at just 29 years old has reignited discussions about players who walked away from the sport in their prime. While the reasons range from mental health and injuries to faith and career setbacks, each story reflects a unique journey. Here are 10 cricketers who stunned fans with early exits: 1. Nicholas Pooran (West Indies) At 29, Pooran announced his international retirement despite being West Indies' most-capped T20I player and leading run-scorer. He cited personal reflection and gratitude for the journey, with no specific reason but hints of shifting priorities. 2. Ayesha Naseem (Pakistan) The promising 18-year-old batter retired suddenly to lead a more devout Islamic life. Debuting in 2020, she had already made a mark in both T20Is and ODIs, and her departure leaves a gap in Pakistan's future plans. 3. Sarah Taylor (England) England's legendary wicketkeeper retired at 30, citing long-term anxiety issues. Taylor won multiple ICC titles and is remembered as one of the finest gloveswomen in women's cricket. 4. Unmukt Chand (India) India's U-19 World Cup-winning captain from 2012 retired at 28 after struggling to break through in senior-level cricket. He later moved to the U.S. to pursue cricketing opportunities. 5. Munaf Patel (India) The fast bowler, instrumental in India's 2011 World Cup win, quietly retired at 28 after being dropped from the national side. Persistent injuries and lack of selection led to his decision. 6. Pragyan Ojha (India) Ojha was only 27 when sidelined from the Indian Test squad. Despite 113 wickets in 24 Tests, competition from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja curtailed his career. 7. AB de Villiers (South Africa) Known for redefining modern batting, de Villiers shocked the world by retiring at 34 while still dominating world cricket. He cited fatigue and the pressure of international cricket. 9. Aaqib Javed (Pakistan) A key figure in Pakistan's 1992 World Cup-winning squad, Javed retired at 26 amid match-fixing controversies. His early debut at 16 and swift exit make his story notable. 10. Craig Kieswetter (England) Kieswetter's career ended at 25 due to an eye injury. He was instrumental in England's 2010 T20 World Cup win and was seen as a long-term wicketkeeper option. 11. James Taylor (England) Taylor's career was cut short at 26 due to a serious heart condition. A consistent performer in ODIs, he averaged 42 and was seen as a key future player. These stories underline how unpredictable sporting careers can be, shaped not just by form and stats but personal battles, faith, and fate.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Carli Lloyd's game-winner, USWNT reunion and a $1 million prize: TST balances fun with fire
The past few days in Cary, North Carolina have felt like a U.S. women's national team reunion, complete with slide tackles and a $1 million prize on the line. World Cup winners like Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Ali Krieger and Hope Solo laced up once again, not just for nostalgia, but to satiate that ever-present hunger for competition and glory. Their battleground was The Soccer Tournament (TST), a seven-a-side, winner-takes-all competition which is equal parts entertainment and sport. And for the second year in a row, it has become something of a post-retirement playground for the U.S. women's national team. Advertisement Starting last week, games were played on a smaller field with a fast-paced format designed for high-stakes and comebacks. The tournament featured rolling substitutions and target score time, meaning a game finishes on a final goal as opposed to when time ends. The target score is determined by adding one to the leading team's score after the full-time whistle and having teams compete to see who is the first to reach that total. As an added obstacle, a player from each team is removed from the field of play every three minutes until this target score is reached. In its third year, 48 men's teams and 16 women's teams competed for a $1 million prize. It all comes down to the two finals on Monday night: reigning champions US Women play Bumpy Pitch FC Women at 7 and Bumpy Pitch FC (men) take on Pumas De Alabama at 8:30, streaming on ESPN+. 'This is our third year in the tournament,' O'Reilly, US Women founder and captain, told Chatting from her bed between two matches, in mid-recovery on Friday, she talked about the tournament's evolution. 'Year one, we were the only all-women's team, got our butts kicked, but probably were fan favorites. That loss turned into something bigger and the following year we demanded a women's division and equal prize money.' TST organizers first questioned the idea of paying women equal prize money, but O'Reilly pushed hard for it. The organizers said there was an ongoing discussion about the prize money and eventually agreed that equal pay was the only way to go. Advertisement 'Don't even do it at all if you're not going to do it equally,' O'Reilly said. O'Reilly is the driving force behind assembling the US Women team. She retired from professional soccer in 2019 but came back to fulfil her dream of playing the UEFA Champions League with Irish champions Shelbourne in the 2022-23 season. (Gotham FC also signed her as an Injury Replacement Player for a game in 2024.) Though she shifted to coaching in her post-playing years, O'Reilly never stopped jumping to lunchtime pick-up games when she could. When she heard TST was taking place in her backyard, she knew she had to play. Last year, she recruited her longtime friend Lloyd, who was pregnant at the time, to coach. But this year, after welcoming her daughter Harper in October, the two-time FIFA Player of the Year is back on the field, fit and focused. The 42-year-old scored the winning goal for the US Women on Friday to make it to the semifinals over the weekend. Krieger is also on the squad. So are Allie Long, Amber Brooks, Cat Whitehill, Casey Loyd, Jill Loyden and Jo Lohman. Former USWNT midfielder and Bay FC co-founder Leslie Osborne is serving as an assistant coach, while Lori Lindsey is the team's general manager. Advertisement Solo entered her own team this year, Solo FC, falling to Ultrain FC in the quarterfinals. In that match, the former U.S. goalkeeper made a diving save reminiscent of those she made in World Cup and Olympic finals. Knowing more opponents were joining the tournament this year, the US Women's preparation started early: Zoom calls, strategy sessions, and even custom workout plans were sent out weeks in advance. 'Every year, new teams come in better prepared,' O'Reilly said. 'Some of these coaches know this format inside-out.' This year, O'Reilly added a handful of younger legs too, including University of North Carolina midfielder Evelyn Shores, who scored the game winner for the USWNT U-23 team in Germany last month. Advertisement 'You have to keep evolving, find those small margins. This game is different from 11-a-side,' O'Reilly said. 'Last year we lost our first game, and it was a real wake-up call.' When the US Women won the tournament in 2024, each player took home around $50,000, while coaching and staff took in about half of that. 'That's not just gas money, that's tuition for kids' schools, a mortgage, real-life stuff,' O'Reilly said. On Monday night, they will face off against Bumpy Pitch Women — a squad making its TST debut with a mix of former NWSL players like Ally Prisock, Katie Johnson, McCall Zerboni, as well as college talent, and European and Japanese pros — for the same $1 million prize. From the start, the team's mission wasn't just to compete, it was to make a statement. They lobbied for equal prize money. They got it. Now they want more. 'There's so much brand value here,' she said. 'You've got U.S. legends, high-level soccer and an audience that's hungry. Sponsors should be lining up.' Advertisement Founded by TBT Enterprises, which also created The Basketball Tournament, TST has grown from a quirky offseason tournament into a potential model for a fast-paced version of soccer mostly consumed by younger fans. The tournament was unveiled in 2022 with 32 men's teams. TST added the women's tournament in 2024 and doubled the size of the women's side this year, expanding from eight to 16 teams after receiving more than 50 applications. The tournament signed a broadcast deal with ESPN and on the women's side, signed with RBC Wealth Management as the main sponsor. Similar tournaments like the Kings and Queens League in Spain and World Sevens Football have followed in recent years. O'Reilly has had offers to play or coach in other tournaments, but for now, she is loyal to TST, a date she circles in her calendar every year. 'For me, TST is kind of the one time of the year, our annual time to get the band together,' she said. 'I wasn't expecting TST to even be in my life, and now it is. We'll see what the future brings. But it is an interesting idea. I think a lot of people are thinking, maybe this is the future of the sport in some way and that's amazing.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. US Women's national team, Soccer, NWSL, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company
