Filippo Inzaghi got his tenure as AC Milan coach off to the best possible start with a scintillating 3-1 victory over SS Lazio at the San Siro on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Nemanja Vidic was sent-off on his debut for Inter in their 0-0 draw at Torino.
New Rossoneri signing Fernando Torres was in the stands alongside president Silvio Berlusconi, to watch goals from Keisuke Honda, Sulley Muntari and a Jeremy Menez penalty give Inzaghi’s men three well-earned points.
Photo: Reuters
Initially, Milan looked nervous in defense, with Lazio keen to exploit centerback Daniele Bonera, who had lined up in the leftback position, but it was not long before any trepidation was extinguished, as Milan opened the scoring after just seven minutes.
Stephan El Shaarawy latched on to a hopeful long ball on the left, rode the challenge of Stefan de Vrij, before sliding the ball to the in-rushing Honda on the right, who put it through the legs of Etrit Berisha.
In an opening period with little in the way of goalmouth action, Lazio’s only meaningful chance came midway through the half as Miroslav Klose got in behind the Milan defense down the right, but his cross deflected off Cristian Zapata, only to be easily gathered by goalkeeper Diego Lopez.
Ten minutes after the restart, Milan doubled their advantage against the run of play.
A simple cross from Ignazio Abate on the right, bounced in the 6m area, inviting the unmarked Muntari to poke it home.
Then, just after the hour mark, De Vrij brought down Menez in the area with the slightest of touches and the Frenchman stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick and fired low into the goalkeeper’s right-hand corner.
However, Lazio immediately pulled one back as Filip Djordjevic’s near-post flick was deflected in at his near left-hand post by Alex.
Lazio’s perseverance earned a penalty in time added on after Antonio Candreva was fouled, but Lopez got down low to his right and palmed the midfielder’s spot-kick away.
Meanwhile, Vidic was having a nightmare in Turin.
He gave away a penalty midway through the first half after pulling down Omar El Kaddouri, but Samir Handanovic saved Marcelo Larrondo’s resulting spot-kick.
Nevertheless, Vidic’s debut disaster was compounded as he received a 90th minute red card.
Rafael Benitez’s SSC Napoli left it late to earn a 2-1 win against Genoa, as they looked to bounce back from their midweek Champions League exit at the hands of Athletic Bilbao.
US Sassuolo’s Simone Zaza scored a Marco van Basten-esque volley against Cagliari as the two sides played out an exciting 1-1 draw. Marco Sau netted for the Sardinians.
Elsewhere, an Antonio Di Natale double helped Udinese to a 2-0 win over Empoli, US Citta di Palermo drew 1-1 with 10-man UC Sampdoria, while newly promoted AC Cesena overcame Parma 1-0.
In Bergamo, Atalanta BC were held to a 0-0 draw by Hellas Verona in what was an utterly dull affair.
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS