Inter moved provisionally back to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over Genoa on Saturday, while AS Roma’s poor run of results continued as Torino snatched a 1-1 draw against Rudi Garcia’s side.
Adem Ljajic scored the only goal of the match as Inter won 1-0 for the eighth time in their 15 league matches this season.
Inter had to play with 10 men for the final four minutes after Danilo D’Ambrosio was sent off following a second booking.
Photo: EPA
Inter moved two points above SSC Napoli, who were due to travel to relegation-threatened Bologna yesterday.
“We gave our utmost because we knew it was a difficult match, but we managed to return to winning ways and we are happy,” Ljajic said. “I don’t like talking about referees, but it doesn’t seem normal to me that every two or three weeks we have to play with a man less, but we are used to it.”
Ljajic moved on loan from Roma on the final day of the transfer window and the Nerazzurri have the right to buy the Serbia international at the end of the season.
Photo: Reuters
“I always try to give my best for the team,” Ljajic added, when asked about his future. “Are Roma kicking themselves? I hope so.”
Roma were fifth, five points behind Inter, after a late penalty saw Torino rescue a point.
Roma created little of note throughout, but Miralem Pjanic looked to have won the match.
However, Maxi Lopez converted deep in stoppage-time after Kostas Manolas was harshly adjudged to have tripped Andrea Belotti in the penalty area.
“This draw is also our fault because when you are so close to the end of the match you have to manage the result better,” said Garcia, who ironically applauded the referee after the match. “Looking at the penalty again, Manolas appears to get the ball and put it out for a corner, without touching anyone.”
Inter were looking to bounce back from last week’s 2-1 defeat to Napoli and almost took the lead early, but Felipe Melo fired over the bar from a pullback by Rodrigo Palacio — who joined the Nerazzurri from Genoa in 2012, after three years at the club.
The hosts went even closer just before halftime when Mattia Perin was forced into a great save to parry Ljajic’s volley from an Alex Telles cross from the left.
Moments later, the dangerous Ljajic went on a mazy run, before firing just past the left post.
Genoa had their first real chance of the match in the 53rd minute, but Samir Handanovic parried an explosive Diogo Figueiras effort.
Inter took the lead six minutes later when Ljajic’s free-kick from the left flank flew into the far side of the net.
Roma were looking to bounce back ahead of Wednesday’s crucial UEFA Champions League showdown with BATE Borisov. They were humiliated 6-1 at Barcelona in their last European outing and that match was sandwiched between a 2-2 draw at Bologna and an alarming 2-0 defeat at home to Atalanta BC.
Torino had several early chances, but recalled Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny did well to parry Belotti’s effort from close range and moments later Bruno Peres’ snapshot from distance was deflected just over the bar.
There was more bad news for Roma as key striker Gervinho limped off 25 minutes into his comeback.
It took Roma until the 49th minute for their first shot on target, but Radja Nainggolan’s volley was straight at Padelli.
Edin Dzeko should have put Roma in front in the 71st minute from a great ball over the top by Alessandro Florenzi, but he headed over the bar.
The capital side did take the lead with a slice of fortune as Padelli mistimed his run off the line and saw Pjanic’s free-kick float past him.
However, Torino snatched a point when Antonio Rudiger failed to control the ball in the penalty area, allowing Belotti to get past him and the Torino forward was brought down by Manolas.
Lopez fired into the bottom-left corner.
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
RSS