Latest news with #AlessandroDelPiero
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How bad was Spurs v United in comparison to other European club finals?
Juventus 0-0 Milan (2-3 pens) 2003 Champions League final The attacking talents on show for both Italian sides were frightening. Juventus partnered David Trezeguet in attack with Alessandro Del Piero, while Milan opted for Pippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko in front of the creativity of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Rui Costa. Such was the embarrassment of riches available to manager Carlo Ancelotti, Rivaldo was an unused sub. Yet after 120 minutes, the final remained goalless. Marcello Lippi, who had succeeded Ancelotti as Juve manager in 2001, was particularly culpable, having brought on the defensively minded Antonio Conte as a makeshift No 10 at half-time. How they missed the suspended Pavel Nedved. Milan prevailed in the shootout, with Paolo Maldini lifting the trophy at Old Trafford, but the final did nothing to dispel the belief that Italian football is a defensive game. Advertisement Related: Tottenham clinch Europa League glory on golden night to floor Manchester United Porto 1-0 Braga 2011 Europa League final A goal of exquisite beauty punctuated an otherwise drab affair as Radamel Falcao earned victory for André Villas Boas's side, a triumph that would contribute to the Portuguese manager moving to Chelsea later that summer. Falcao's looping header from a brilliant Fredy Guarín cross was the only highlight, with Braga looking only to frustrate their neighbours before conceding and unable to muster any sort of response once they fell behind. Even Villas Boas conceded afterwards his disappointment that the final had 'not been the spectacle' he had envisaged, while the Guardian's Paul Doyle, on liveblogging duties that night, was a little more forthright in his summary of the match: 'Well that was torpid. Nice enough goal to win it, though.' Tottenham 1-0 Man Utd 2025 Europa League final It is often the way that finals contested by teams from the same nation can be tight, cagey affairs – just look at this list – which is normally due to the finalists knowing each other well and often being concerned about losing to a long-established rival. In this case, it was much more to do with the fact that Spurs and Manchester United were lurching from dreadful domestic seasons, in which both sides lurked just above the Premier League relegation zone. The carrot of Champions League qualification and the stick of derision or potentially someone losing their job probably didn't help in opening up the contest, which was fittingly decided by a dismal Brennan Johnson deflection. Spurs fans won't care about that, or Ange Postecoglou's gameplan, which the Australian admitted afterwards was about 'minimising moments by having a strong foundation' – manager-speak for putting 10 men behind the ball for almost the entire second half. Nottingham Forest 1-0 Malmö 1979 European Cup final The fairytale of Nottingham Forest winning their first European Cup under Brian Clough often seems to omit how the final against the Swedish club was a drab affair. In an age where back passes to the keeper were common, especially in tight and important matches decided by the odd goal, it was a game heavy on offsides and stoppages. Forest had thrilled many en route to the final, including in a 4-1 win over Grasshoppers in the first leg of their quarter-final, and a 3-3 draw with Cologne in the first leg of their semi-final, but a tall, physical Malmö nullified Forest in the final, before Trevor Francis's headed winner, in his first European appearance for the club, mercifully prevented the final from going into extra time. As ever, though, it was Clough who had the last word: 'It wasn't a great game but they were a boring team, Malmö. In fact the Swedes are quite a boring nation. But we still won, so who cares?' Bayern 1-1 Valencia (5-4 pens) 2001 Champions League final 'Two teams with their minds more obviously on correcting the perceived injustices of the past than on winning a match through the sort of expressive football that earned the European Cup its reputation fought each other virtually to a standstill in Milan,' began Richard Williams' match report from San Siro. This was both a disappointing match – a penalty each for Bayern and Valencia sending the game towards, you guessed it, more penalties in a shootout – but also two disappointing performances, particularly for that Valencia side. The La Liga team were appearing in their second successive final, having been thrashed by Real Madrid in the 2000 showpiece a year earlier. Owen Hargreaves did such a good job of negating Pablo Aimar that the Valencia manager, Héctor Cúper, withdrew the Argentinian playmaker at half-time. Ultimately, the Spanish side could not conquer man-of-the-match Oliver Kahn. The goalkeeper saved Mauricio Pellegrino's spotkick in the shootout to give Bayern their fourth European crown.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Official: Del Piero becomes coach after completing courses
Italy and Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has officially completed his coaching courses, so, as he says, you can already call him 'Mister'… Former Juventus and Italy striker Alessandro Del Piero has completed coaching courses to become a qualified UEFA coach. Advertisement The ex-striker announced his new career achievement on Instagram. 'From today, you can also call me Mister,' Del Piero wrote. 'Mister' is a typical Italian expression used to address football coaches. 'Thanks to the FIGC and all the instructors who guided me through this course. I'm grateful to everyone who collaborated and shared this crucial educational journey with me,' Del Piero continued. MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 05: Alessandro Del Piero looks on alongside The FIFA Club World Cup Trophy during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Draw at Telemundo Studios on December 05, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by) 'A special thank you to my children and my wife for the support they gave me during these years of study and the beautiful surprises they gave me today in Florence by showing up for the presentation of my thesis, which encapsulates an integral part of my professional and personal experiences as well as may vision of football and the role of the coach.' Advertisement Del Piero is currently working as a Serie A and Champions League pundit for Sky Sport Italia and CBS Sports. He's the Juventus player with the most goals and appearances in a Bianconeri shirt and won the 2006 World Cup with the Italy national team. His personal trophy cabinet also includes six Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, four Supercoppa Italiana and one Champions League. Del Piero practically spent his entire playing career at Juventus, except for two seasons in Serie B at Padova from 1991 to 1993, two at Sydney FC (2012 to 2014), and one at Delhi Dynamos. He's the fourth-best scorer for the Italy national team with 27 goals in 91 games.
New Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Juventus fans dreaming after Del Piero obtains coaching licence
Former Italy forward and World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero had fans of Juventus dreaming that he may one day coach the club when he announced on Tuesday that he had obtained his UEFA Pro Licence. Del Piero, who spent 19 seasons at Juventus winning six Serie A titles and the Champions League, completed the course run by the Italian football federation (FIGC) at Coverciano in Florence. "Starting today, you can call me 'Mister'," Del Piero said in a social media post. "Thanks to FIGC and all the teachers who accompanied me on this course, I am grateful to all the people who collaborated and shared with me this important training journey." Del Piero is still a hero at the club he left in 2012, and the 50-year-old's announcement was greeted with plenty of comments from Juventus fans looking for their idol to return home. When Del Piero left Juventus the club wanted to retire his number 10 jersey, but the player turned down the offer, saying he wanted other children to be able to dream of one day wearing it. Juventus have not won the Scudetto since their run of nine consecutive titles ended in 2020 and earlier this season sacked Thiago Motta as coach and replaced him with another former player, Igor Tudor.
The Star
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Juventus fans dreaming after Del Piero obtains coaching licence
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Italian Super Cup - Final - Inter Milan v AC Milan - Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 6, 2025 Former italian football player Alessandro Del Piero is seen before the match REUTERS/Claudia Greco (Reuters) -Former Italy forward and World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero had fans of Juventus dreaming that he may one day coach the club when he announced on Tuesday that he had obtained his UEFA Pro Licence. Del Piero, who spent 19 seasons at Juventus winning six Serie A titles and the Champions League, completed the course run by the Italian football federation (FIGC) at Coverciano in Florence. "Starting today, you can call me 'Mister'," Del Piero said in a social media post. "Thanks to FIGC and all the teachers who accompanied me on this course, I am grateful to all the people who collaborated and shared with me this important training journey." Del Piero is still a hero at the club he left in 2012, and the 50-year-old's announcement was greeted with plenty of comments from Juventus fans looking for their idol to return home. When Del Piero left Juventus the club wanted to retire his number 10 jersey, but the player turned down the offer, saying he wanted other children to be able to dream of one day wearing it. Juventus have not won the Scudetto since their run of nine consecutive titles ended in 2020 and earlier this season sacked Thiago Motta as coach and replaced him with another former player, Igor Tudor. (Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis)
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Juventus fans dreaming after Del Piero obtains coaching licence
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Italian Super Cup - Final - Inter Milan v AC Milan - Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 6, 2025 Former italian football player Alessandro Del Piero is seen before the match REUTERS/Claudia Greco Former Italy forward and World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero had fans of Juventus dreaming that he may one day coach the club when he announced on Tuesday that he had obtained his UEFA Pro Licence. Del Piero, who spent 19 seasons at Juventus winning six Serie A titles and the Champions League, completed the course run by the Italian football federation (FIGC) at Coverciano in Florence. "Starting today, you can call me 'Mister'," Del Piero said in a social media post. "Thanks to FIGC and all the teachers who accompanied me on this course, I am grateful to all the people who collaborated and shared with me this important training journey." Del Piero is still a hero at the club he left in 2012, and the 50-year-old's announcement was greeted with plenty of comments from Juventus fans looking for their idol to return home. When Del Piero left Juventus the club wanted to retire his number 10 jersey, but the player turned down the offer, saying he wanted other children to be able to dream of one day wearing it. Juventus have not won the Scudetto since their run of nine consecutive titles ended in 2020 and earlier this season sacked Thiago Motta as coach and replaced him with another former player, Igor Tudor. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
