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The Star
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Napoli hold edge in Serie A's grand finale
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Parma v Napoli - Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy - May 18, 2025 Napoli's Matteo Politano with teammates applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Alberto Lingria/File Photo (Reuters) - Napoli may be stumbling towards the finish line following back-to-back draws, but they remain in pole position ahead of Inter Milan going into their final Serie A matches on Friday. With 90 minutes left in the season, Napoli hold a one-point advantage over Inter after a campaign in which the two teams have regularly swapped places at the top of the standings. Napoli host a Cagliari side safe from relegation, while Inter face a tough test at in-form Como who are unbeaten in their last eight matches. The odds favour Napoli, with league president Ezio Simonelli due to be in Naples with the trophy ready for a potential coronation. Napoli coach Antonio Conte is almost certain to be without midfield anchor Stanislav Lobotka, leaving the engine room duties to Scotland's Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay. At the back, injuries have ruled out Juan Jesus and Alessandro Buongiorno. Inter boss Simone Inzaghi faces a raft of tough selection calls - and like Conte will be forced to watch the season finale from the stands due to a touch-line ban. With the Champions League final looming and key players Lautaro Martinez and Davide Frattesi still short of full fitness, Inter may be forced to keep both on the bench or leave them out altogether. FOURTH PLACE The race for the final Champions League spot remains intense. Napoli, Inter and Atalanta have qualified and Juventus occupy fourth place, one point clear of AS Roma and two points ahead of Lazio. Juventus, who need a victory to be sure of Champions League qualification, should be good enough to overcome second-bottom Venezia when they meet on Sunday. Juve will likely be without injury-plagued midfielder Teun Koopmeiners while Nicolo Savona, Pierre Kalulu and Khephren Thuram all return from suspension. Roma will say farewell to coach Claudio Ranieri in his last match, having turned around their season with only seven losses in his 35 matches in charge in all competitions before Sunday's game at midtable Torino. Roma need Juve to drop points in order to have a chance to leapfrog them into the top four and with no new injury concerns, Ranieri is unlikely to make changes to his team. Lazio close out their season with a home match against Lecce and their faint hopes of earning a Champions League spot rest on Juve losing and Roma also dropping points, while they beat their relegation-threatened opponents. The mood at San Siro on Saturday will be anything but festive as AC Milan host already relegated Monza in what could be Milan manager Sergio Conceicao's final match - though he won't be in the dugout due to a suspension. Ninth-placed Milan will have no European football next season and while a win in their final game might lift them a place or two, overall it has been a campaign to forget for the 19-times champions. At the bottom of the table, the battle to avoid joining Monza in relegation is fierce. Venezia sit 19th with 29 points, while Empoli and Lecce share the final relegation spot on 31 points. Parma and Hellas Verona are also under pressure with 33 and 34 points respectively. Empoli host Verona in Sunday's final match, while Parma face a tough trip to Atalanta, who have little left to play for. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis)
The Star
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Serie A title deciding games moved to Friday
Soccer Football - Serie A - Parma v Napoli - Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy - May 18, 2025 Napoli's Matteo Politano with teammates applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Alberto Lingria (Reuters) - Inter Milan and Napoli will play their final Serie A games of the season on Friday instead of Sunday, the Italian league announced on Monday. The Lega Serie A council decided Napoli's home game against Cagliari and Inter's away match against Como will kick off simultaneously at 2045 CEST (1845 GMT). Antonio Conte's Napoli are top of the league standings on 79 points, one ahead of defending champions Inter going into the final matchday. Should the two sides end level on points, a playoff will be required to determine the title winner. The potential playoff could be played on May 26, leaving time for Inter to prepare the Champions League final on May 31. Six remaining matches will be played on Sunday, deciding the European places and relegation. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Jeep returns as Juventus shirt sponsor in $77 million deal through mid-2028
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Coppa Italia - Final - Atalanta v Juventus - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy - May 15, 2024 Juventus' Federico Gatti celebrates with teammates after winning the Coppa Italia final REUTERS/Alberto Lingria/File Photo Juventus said on Tuesday U.S. carmaker Jeep will pay 69 million euros ($77.16 million) to become the Italian soccer club's front-of-jersey sponsor until June 2028. Of the total amount, Juventus will get 4 million euros for the remainder of the current season, 19 million euros for the next season, and 23 million euros for each of the following sporting seasons, the club said in a statement. The deal resumes the partnership after the Serie A club failed to find a main sponsorship deal when its previous contract with Jeep ended last June. Part of Stellantis - the world's fourth largest automaker - Jeep had been the main sponsor of Juventus, the 36-time Italian league champions, since 2012. The club currently featured 'Save the Children' foundation on the front of its shirt before the deal. Reuters reported last month that Jeep was set to get its brand back on the black-and-white shirts of Juventus. The Italian club also entered into a agreement with Detroit tourism bureau's 'Visit Detroit' to fill the second slot reserved for sponsors. The club did not provide financial details on the 'Visit Detroit' deal, but said it "entails a fixed total fee significantly lower than that of the Jeep sponsorship agreement". Juventus, who dominated Italian soccer for nearly a decade until 2020, have been struggling to regain their shine on the pitch after an accounting scandal, whose consequences included a ban from European competitions in the 2023/2024 season. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Napoli's title hopes shaken by late Genoa equaliser as Inter close in
Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v Genoa - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - May 11, 2025 Napoli's Scott McTominay and Leonardo Spinazzola in action with Genoa's Brooke Norton-Cuffy REUTERS/Alberto Lingria Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v Genoa - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - May 11, 2025 Napoli's Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Mathias Olivera in action with Genoa's Patrizio Masini and Alessandro Zanoli REUTERS/Alberto Lingria NAPLES, Italy - Napoli's Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with Inter Milan just one point behind. Napoli remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got rid of his marker before guide his shot into the bottom corner to give Napoli the lead in the 15th minute. Genoa equalised in the 32nd minute when Honest Ahanor's header hit the bar, with Napoli keeper Alex Meret initially parrying it into the post, only for the rebound to bounce off his body and into the net for an own goal. The sombre mood at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium lifted in the 64th minute when Giacomo Raspadori drilled a screamer from close range, restoring Napoli's lead and sending the blue-and-white supporters into a frenzy. However, a Johan Vasquez header six minutes from time silenced the crowd as the realisation hit that the title race had been blown wide open again. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Wall Street Journal
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Wall Street Journal
‘There Will Never Be Another Match Like That.' The Champions League Semifinal That Turned Into a Thriller for the Ages.
Inter Milan's Francesco Acerbi, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a stoppage-time equalizer. Photo: Alberto Lingria/Zuma Press There had been seven decades' worth of semifinals in Europe's premier soccer tournament before this week. But, in a rare moment of consensus, the soccer world came to an agreement on Tuesday night. None of those semis had delivered a spectacle quite as heart-stopping as what transpired between Barcelona and Internazionale in the Champions League this season.
