AC Milan, with Kaka, Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko in their line-up, lost 2-0 at Genoa on Sunday to plunge the seven-time European champions into crisis.
It was Milan’s second defeat in the opening two games of the Serie A season following a 2-1 home loss to Bologna and put renewed pressure on coach Carlo Ancelotti, who failed to guide the team to the Champions League last season.
Giuseppe Sculli opened the scoring for Genoa after 30 minutes, with Diego Milito adding an injury-time penalty to give the home side their first win against Milan on their own soil since 1983. Milan are now second from bottom, propped up by Cagliari, who are also without a point.
PHOTO: AFP
After the match, Milan general manager Adriano Galliani issued a warning to Ancelotti, who has presided over the club’s worst start since 1986.
“He doesn’t risk the sack, but he’d better stop losing,” Galliani said.
Ancelotti, who has been at the helm for eight seasons, said he was confident he could solve the problems.
“We have time to fix things and I am certain that we will. This is my Milan,” he said.
Shevchenko, who returned to Milan from Chelsea in the summer, said his teammates were feeling the strain.
“This defeat weighs on the players. It is a difficult moment and we must try to stick together, trying to find a victory so we can get back on track,” the Ukrainian said. “It’s tricky to say what we are missing at the moment, but it just seems to be a bad time for us.”
Lazio lead the way after a second victory in two games, a 2-0 win over Sampdoria with Mauro Zarate after seven minutes and Goran Pandev in the 72nd minute on target.
Atalanta also have a 100-percent record and are second in the table following a 1-0 win at Bologna, with Tiberio Guarente grabbing the only goal after nine minutes.
Fiorentina are another Italian side having problems after slumping to a 2-1 defeat at Napoli which left them sixth from bottom. Adrian Mutu put Fiorentina ahead in the 41st minute, but headers from Marek Hamsik and Christian Maggio gave Napoli the three points.
In Sunday’s late game, Juventus picked up their first win, with Amauri grabbing the goal in a 1-0 victory at home to Udinese.
Italian Serie A
Team P GD PTS
1 Lazio 2 5 6
2 Atalanta 2 2 6
3 Torino 2 3 4
4 Inter 2 1 4
5 Napoli 2 1 4
6 Juventus 2 1 4
7 Udinese 2 1 3
8 Genoa 2 1 3
9 Siena 2 1 3
10 Palermo 2 0 3
11 Bologna 2 0 3
12 Catania 2 0 3
13 Chievo 2 -1 3
14 Lecce 2 -1 3
15 Fiorentina 2 -1 1
16 Reggina 2 -1 1
17 Roma 2 -2 1
18 Sampdoria 2 -2 1
19 AC Milan 2 -3 0
20 Cagliari 2 -5 0
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
LONG TIME COMING: With the addition of Marcus Smart, the Washington Wizards finally held a team to under 100 points, the last team this season to do so The Detroit Pistons on Monday won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham making 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons, who are in the playoff position, moved to 32-26, their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years. It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris adding 20 points and Jalen Duren making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-2015
Soccer fans in England and Wales might be allowed to spend more time in pubs if their teams go far at the UEFA European Women’s Championship being held in Switzerland in July. The British government is launching a four-week consultation to discuss whether pubs can extend their opening hours from 11pm to 1am should England or Wales reach the semi-finals or final of Euro 2025. The British secretary of state for the home department has the power to extend licensing hours for occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance,” the government said on Monday. England’s women’s team — whose players are nicknamed
RSS