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Irish Examiner
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Absent Conte calls for calm with Serie A history on offer
Napoli manager Antonio Conte called for calm heads when his team bid to clinch the Serie title on Friday, underlining his deep sense of responsibility to the city even though he will be watching from the stands due to suspension. Napoli are one point ahead of Inter Milan in the standings going into the last game of the season at home to Cagliari. Inter must travel to Como at the same time with both pivotal matches switched from Sunday to Friday. "We have come through a very demanding season and clearly this could be the last match that closes a season for me in a new place, a new environment, where we obviously feel the responsibility to give Naples, the fans, something beautiful and historic," Conte said. The manager will not be on the bench after emotions ran high in the scoreless draw against Parma last time out with Conte and Parma coach Cristian Chivu involved in a shouting match and sent off at the end of the game. "I regret not being there. After a season like this, you want to be there, with your fans, to lead the team," Conte said. "There is great trust in my staff, as always, in the fans, in the atmosphere that will be there, and even if I will be in the stands, my heart will be there. "We have had everything from them (fans), closeness in positive moments and in negative moments when we faltered a bit. They immediately had faith in the whole group. What I feel like saying is to continue being who they are." Conte would become the first coach to win Serie A with three different teams if Napoli clinch the trophy. Fabio Capello lifted league trophies with AC Milan and Roma but his back to back titles with Juventus in 2005 and 2006 were stripped because of the Calciopoli refereeing scandal. Conte says he will treat the Cagliari match like a normal game. "Tomorrow there is Cagliari, a good team, and we have to play our game respecting the opponent 100%. If we respect them, we will have more chances to win," Conte said. "We know very well that the work has brought us here today to talk about something special. We have to try to finish the job." Over 450,000 people queued for tickets to the final match. Authorities are expecting enormous crowds throughout the city. Twenty big screens will be set up across Naples as fans gather to witness the club's potential fourth Scudetto - and their second in just three years, but fans are not taking anything for granted. "Here in Naples, we don't talk about victory yet because we are very superstitious, but we usually say one thing: 'It won't happen, but if it does...'," fellow Napoli fan Giuseppe Coppola said with a smile. About 660 kilometres to the north, the mood is similarly calm among Inter fans, who also have the Champions League final against Paris St Germain to look forward to at the end of the month. "I'll just watch — it's not in our hands. We'll experience it calmly," life-long Inter Milan fan Andrea Comin said, adding he was not worried. "I believe the team has been focused on the Champions League final for quite some time now," he added when asked if he was concerned that the European title had taken priority over Serie A for Inter. Cesc Fabregas, coach of their opponents Como, believes Inter are the league's best side, whatever the table says. 'For me, Inter are the best team in Serie A. And among the best in Europe. 'We have to play with personality. Not suffer their football, but impose our own. Inter are a very strong team. But we'll try to cause problems for them.' Inter coach Simone Inzaghi should able to call once again on captain Lautaro Martinez and midfielder Davide Frattesi, with both having missed matches against Torino and Lazio. Italian international Alessandro Bastoni is also available after injury but may not be risked with the Champions League final in mind. Benjamin Pavard will still be absent as he recovers from an ankle problem. Reuters and Associated Press
Daily Tribune
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Arsenal secure Champions League place, Everton win on Goodison farewell
Arsenal secured Champions League qualification thanks to a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday as Everton said farewell to Goodison Park with an emotional 2-0 victory over Southampton. Declan Rice scored the only goal at the Emirates in the battle between second and third to guarantee the consolation of a top-five finish for Mikel Arteta's men at the end of another trophyless season. Rice continued his goalscoring form with a stunning strike from outside the box on 55 minutes. Defeat means Newcastle still have work to do to join Arsenal in the Champions L e a g u e next season. Just o n e p o i n t sepa - r a t e s the League Cup winners in third from Nottingham Forest in seventh. Victory over Everton next weekend should be enough for the Magpies due to their much superior goal difference over fifthplaced Aston Villa. Forest maintained their push for a first appearance in Europe's top competition for 45 years after winning 2-1 at West Ham. Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic struck for the visitors at the London Stadium as Forest showed support for striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who needed urgent abdominal surgery this week. Forest must beat Chelsea on the final day of the campaign and hope other results go their way to finish in the t o p five. ' If we'd thought in the beginning of the season that we'd be playing to play in the Champions League we'd sign (for) it,' said Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo. Goodison's goodbye Everton's home since 1892, Goodison Park played host to the club's men's team for the final time before they head to a new 52,000 capacity stadium next season. Former England captain Wayne Rooney was among the Toffees' former greats in attendance as Iliman Ndiaye produced two fine first-half finishes to ensure there was a happy ending to the Goodison era. 'Extraordinary atmosphere. The crowd were amazing. The job was to win the game and see ourselves out at Goodison in a good light,' Everton boss David Moyes said. Jamie Vardy brought down the curtain on his Leicester career with his 200th goal for the club in Sunday's 2-0 victory against Ipswich. Vardy was making his 500th and final appearance for the Foxes after a remarkable 13- year spell including a fairytale Premier League title triumph in 2016 and FA Cup glory in 2021. The 38-year-old, who started his career in non-league football, will leave at the end of the season and agreed not to play in next weekend's final game of the season to ensure his last Leicester appearance came at the King Power Stadium. With both Leicester and Ipswich long since condemned to relegation, the full focus was on Vardy and he took just 28 minutes to make it an unforgettable day as he sprinted onto James Justin's pass to unleash a typically predatory finish. Kasey McAteer bagged his first Premier League goal in the 68th minute, firing home to ensure Vardy would bow out on a winning note.
The Advertiser
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Lazio snatches draw against 10-man Juventus in Serie A
The race for fourth place in Serie A keeps getting tighter and if Juventus fail to qualify for next season's Champions League, defender Pierre Kalulu might shoulder significant blame. Lazio snatched a 1-1 draw against Juventus, one of their direct rivals for fourth spot, on Saturday. The match changed on the hour mark when Kalulu was sent off for hitting an opponent while his team led 1-0. Fourth-placed Juventus remained level on points with Lazio, above the capital team thanks to a better head-to-head record. Roma are only a point behind and visit third-placed Atalanta on Monday. Bologna are a point further back following Friday's loss to AC Milan and could be joined on points if Fiorentina win at Venezia on Monday. There are two rounds remaining. Juventus broke the deadlock six minutes after the break when Weston McKennie floated in a cross from the left for an unmarked Randal Kolo Muani to head in from close range. However, nine minutes later, Kalulu was sent off after video review. He hit Taty Castellanos on the back of the shoulder, although the Lazio forward fell clutching his face. Lazio levelled in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio pulled off another fine save to keep out Castellanos' header but he couldn't stop Matías Vecino's follow-up from point-blank range. Empoli recorded their first win of 2025 and it could prove to be the most crucial, as they beat 10-man Parma 2-1 in a relegation battle to move out of the bottom three. Jacopo Fazzini swept a corner kick into the roof of the net in the 11th minute and matters appeared to be going the Tuscan team's way even more when Parma were reduced to 10 men in the 31st. Defender Lautaro Valenti, who needlessly earned himself a yellow card nine minutes earlier for slapping an opponent on the leg after being tripped, was even more foolish in receiving a second booking for dragging back another player by the jersey. Milan Duric managed to bundle in a surprise equaliser for the 10 men of Parma in the 73rd but Tino Anjorin curled into the top right corner four minutes from time to secure Empoli's first win in five months. Empoli moved a point above Lecce, who visit Hellas Verona on Sunday. Parma are only five points above the relegation zone. Como recovered from from a huge mistake from their goalkeeper to beat Cagliari 3-1. It was a sixth straight win for Cesc Fabregas' team, who had already secured Serie A safety. Cagliari will have to wait a little longer as they are six points above the relegation zone, with most of the teams below them still to play this weekend. Cagliari took the lead in the 20th when Pepe Reina allowed Michel Adopo's shot to squirm under his body. Como's Maxence Caqueret leveled in the 40th and Gabriel Strefezza fired the hosts in front in stoppages. Patrick Cutrone sealed the result on his 100th appearance for Como. The race for fourth place in Serie A keeps getting tighter and if Juventus fail to qualify for next season's Champions League, defender Pierre Kalulu might shoulder significant blame. Lazio snatched a 1-1 draw against Juventus, one of their direct rivals for fourth spot, on Saturday. The match changed on the hour mark when Kalulu was sent off for hitting an opponent while his team led 1-0. Fourth-placed Juventus remained level on points with Lazio, above the capital team thanks to a better head-to-head record. Roma are only a point behind and visit third-placed Atalanta on Monday. Bologna are a point further back following Friday's loss to AC Milan and could be joined on points if Fiorentina win at Venezia on Monday. There are two rounds remaining. Juventus broke the deadlock six minutes after the break when Weston McKennie floated in a cross from the left for an unmarked Randal Kolo Muani to head in from close range. However, nine minutes later, Kalulu was sent off after video review. He hit Taty Castellanos on the back of the shoulder, although the Lazio forward fell clutching his face. Lazio levelled in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio pulled off another fine save to keep out Castellanos' header but he couldn't stop Matías Vecino's follow-up from point-blank range. Empoli recorded their first win of 2025 and it could prove to be the most crucial, as they beat 10-man Parma 2-1 in a relegation battle to move out of the bottom three. Jacopo Fazzini swept a corner kick into the roof of the net in the 11th minute and matters appeared to be going the Tuscan team's way even more when Parma were reduced to 10 men in the 31st. Defender Lautaro Valenti, who needlessly earned himself a yellow card nine minutes earlier for slapping an opponent on the leg after being tripped, was even more foolish in receiving a second booking for dragging back another player by the jersey. Milan Duric managed to bundle in a surprise equaliser for the 10 men of Parma in the 73rd but Tino Anjorin curled into the top right corner four minutes from time to secure Empoli's first win in five months. Empoli moved a point above Lecce, who visit Hellas Verona on Sunday. Parma are only five points above the relegation zone. Como recovered from from a huge mistake from their goalkeeper to beat Cagliari 3-1. It was a sixth straight win for Cesc Fabregas' team, who had already secured Serie A safety. Cagliari will have to wait a little longer as they are six points above the relegation zone, with most of the teams below them still to play this weekend. Cagliari took the lead in the 20th when Pepe Reina allowed Michel Adopo's shot to squirm under his body. Como's Maxence Caqueret leveled in the 40th and Gabriel Strefezza fired the hosts in front in stoppages. Patrick Cutrone sealed the result on his 100th appearance for Como. The race for fourth place in Serie A keeps getting tighter and if Juventus fail to qualify for next season's Champions League, defender Pierre Kalulu might shoulder significant blame. Lazio snatched a 1-1 draw against Juventus, one of their direct rivals for fourth spot, on Saturday. The match changed on the hour mark when Kalulu was sent off for hitting an opponent while his team led 1-0. Fourth-placed Juventus remained level on points with Lazio, above the capital team thanks to a better head-to-head record. Roma are only a point behind and visit third-placed Atalanta on Monday. Bologna are a point further back following Friday's loss to AC Milan and could be joined on points if Fiorentina win at Venezia on Monday. There are two rounds remaining. Juventus broke the deadlock six minutes after the break when Weston McKennie floated in a cross from the left for an unmarked Randal Kolo Muani to head in from close range. However, nine minutes later, Kalulu was sent off after video review. He hit Taty Castellanos on the back of the shoulder, although the Lazio forward fell clutching his face. Lazio levelled in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio pulled off another fine save to keep out Castellanos' header but he couldn't stop Matías Vecino's follow-up from point-blank range. Empoli recorded their first win of 2025 and it could prove to be the most crucial, as they beat 10-man Parma 2-1 in a relegation battle to move out of the bottom three. Jacopo Fazzini swept a corner kick into the roof of the net in the 11th minute and matters appeared to be going the Tuscan team's way even more when Parma were reduced to 10 men in the 31st. Defender Lautaro Valenti, who needlessly earned himself a yellow card nine minutes earlier for slapping an opponent on the leg after being tripped, was even more foolish in receiving a second booking for dragging back another player by the jersey. Milan Duric managed to bundle in a surprise equaliser for the 10 men of Parma in the 73rd but Tino Anjorin curled into the top right corner four minutes from time to secure Empoli's first win in five months. Empoli moved a point above Lecce, who visit Hellas Verona on Sunday. Parma are only five points above the relegation zone. Como recovered from from a huge mistake from their goalkeeper to beat Cagliari 3-1. It was a sixth straight win for Cesc Fabregas' team, who had already secured Serie A safety. Cagliari will have to wait a little longer as they are six points above the relegation zone, with most of the teams below them still to play this weekend. Cagliari took the lead in the 20th when Pepe Reina allowed Michel Adopo's shot to squirm under his body. Como's Maxence Caqueret leveled in the 40th and Gabriel Strefezza fired the hosts in front in stoppages. Patrick Cutrone sealed the result on his 100th appearance for Como.
