
Napoli give Inter Scudetto hope after being held by Genoa
Antonio Conte's team's destiny is still in their hands with two matches remaining in the season, and two wins against Parma and Cagliari will secure the Scudetto.
But Inter will have hope of retaining their league crown after Johan Vasquez's thumping header gave Genoa a deserved draw at a packed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Giacomo Raspadori thought he had won the game and all but secured the title for Napoli in the 64th minute after a wonderful piece of skill to control Scott McTominay's pass.
McTominay also set up Romelu Lukaku's 15th-minute opener which was cancelled out in the 32nd minute when Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret inadvertantly diverted Honest Ahanor's header into his own goal.
The cheers will have rung around the blue and black half of Milan when Vasquez powered home Genoa's late leveller, after Nicola Zalewski and Kristjan Asllani gave Inter just their second away win in eight Serie A matches under torrential rain.
"It's not up to us, so all we can do is do our jobs. That's what happened today," said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi.
"Now we've got a few days' rest after the tour de force the boys have had recently."
Inter could have done without more drama after their epic Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona on Tuesday, but the match was barely underway when it was stopped as aid was rushed to a Torino supporter who had fallen from a stand.
An attritional match which Inter started with nine changes from their midweek triumph went in the away side's favour in the 14th minute when Zalewski spun and curled home his first goal for the champions.
The game was stopped a minute from half-time as rain became a biblical downpour which left the pitch in Turin unplayable.
Even though the first half was completed following a short pause, the two teams then remained in the dressing rooms for over half an hour as the rain continued to pour.
Once back out, Asllani almost immediately doubled Inter's lead with his second penalty in as many weeks, after Mehdi Taremi was brought down by Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
That goal was enough for Inter to claim the points and hand mid-table Torino a first home defeat of 2025.
Earlier, Verona inched towards safety from relegation with a 1-1 home draw with fellow strugglers Lecce which moved Paolo Zanetti's team five points above the drop zone.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Nations League victors Portugal toast Ronaldo's 'winner mentality'
Portugal twice fell behind, but twice came back, with Ronaldo scoring the second equaliser. "A captain with the type of experience he has is essential, to show the necessary values and personality," said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez. "Spain was ahead on the scoreboard twice, but the captain has a lot of experience and we used his experience to show we are ready to win." The 40-year-old forward was subbed off with what looked like cramp, but Portugal fought through extra time after the match finished 2-2 and then triumphed 5-3 on penalties. On the sidelines, Ronaldo could not watch the final penalty, burying his face in a teammate's back. Once Ruben Neves converted, the Portugal veteran fell to his knees and was embraced by players and staff. Ronaldo scored the winner in Portugal's semi-final victory over Germany and the crucial equaliser against Spain. Nuno Mendes, who scored Portugal's first, set up Ronaldo's goal and converted a penalty in the shootout, praised the veteran's impact. "He deserves everything. He helps us a lot on the pitch and off it," Mendes said. "He's got a winner mentality. He's a role model. We're happy we've got him." Mendes, who won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain on the same ground eight days ago, was named man of the match by UEFA after the game. Ronaldo made his debut in the national team in 2003 and has gone on to score 138 goals while picking up 219 caps for his national side.


France 24
11 hours ago
- France 24
Italy coach Spalletti says Moldova match will be his last
Spalletti had come in for criticism after the Italian side lost 3-0 to Norway in their opening World Cup qualifying match last week. "We spoke with the president of the Italian federation on Saturday and I was told that I would be relieved of my duties as coach of the national team," Spalletti told a press conference on Sunday. "I'm not happy about it. Given the relationship we have, I had absolutely no intention of leaving. Especially when things aren't going well, I would have preferred to stay and do my job. "But this is a dismissal and I have to accept it. I've always seen this role as a service to the country and I want to facilitate the future of the national team. I think it's right to strive for the best." Spalletti, 66, took over from Roberto Mancini as Italy coach in August 2023. In his time as head of the Nazionale, the team won 11 times, drew six and lost six. Spalletti's dismissal came only hours after he had been stoutly defended by the same man who then fired him, Federation president Gabriele Gravina. Gravina, who is not without his own critics, said earlier on Sunday Spalletti "was an extraordinary person" adding he "believed in the team and (Spalletti's) project" which he declared was "amazing." "He is a noble soul. The attacks on him are not merited," said Gravina. Gravina had conceded the manner of the defeat to Norway was "unacceptable" though he intimated Spalletti would be responsible for leading the recovery. "We have to face difficult times with our heads held high and we have to get back up immediately." Two names have popped up on a regular basis as to who would replace him, AS Roma's experienced Claudio Ranieri, 73, most famous for guiding Leicester City to the unlikeliest of Premier League titles in 2016, is one of them. The other is Stefano Pioli presently the coach of Saudi outfit Al-Nassr but prior to that the 59-year-old won the 2022 Serie A crown with AC Milan.


France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Pochettino plays down Spurs return rumors
Argentine Pochettino was in charge of Spurs for five years from 2014 and took the team to the Champions League final but never won a trophy with the North London club. Despite having signed a two year contract in September to lead the USA at the 2026 World Cup, which they are co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, Pochettino's name has appeared in bookmakers' lists of favorites for the Spurs job and in several UK reports. But asked on Saturday about the links, in his post-match press conference following the USA's 2-1 home friendly defeat to Turkey, Pochettino played down the talk. "After I left in 2019, every time that I was free, and the place of the position of the manager or head coach in Tottenham Hotspur (was vacant), my name is appearing on the list," Pochettino said. "If you have seen the rumors, I think there are 100 coaches in the list. I think, don't be worried about that," he added. Pochettino has talked in the past about his remaining affection for Spurs and has never ruled out the possibility of returning to the club at some point. But he suggested the timing was not right for a second chance with his old team. "If something happened, you for sure you will see, but we cannot talk about this type of thing, because I think today, it's not real. It's not realistic. And look at where I am, where we are," he said in the stadium press room in Hartford, Connecticut. "And the thing is, the answer is so clear, no? But we're talking about it because it's my club, like Newells or Espanyol," he added. Postecoglou was fired just 16 days after the Australian ended Tottenham's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League. Postecoglou led Tottenham to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao to clinch the north Londoners' first European prize in 41 years and secure a place in next season's Champions League. The former Celtic boss paid the price for Tottenham's worst domestic season since they were relegated from the top flight in 1976-77. The USA have now lost three games in a row, following losses to Panama and Canada in March's CONCACAF Nations League but Pochettino was upbeat about his team's encouraging display after question marks about the attitude of his team in recent games. "This attitude I want to continue for the future until we arrive to the World Cup … that is the only way we can improve," he said. "If I decide in September (to have a) different roster, what I want is the same level of commitment, attitude, not to complain (about) this and that," he added.