Inter players were in tears on Saturday after losing at home to US Sassuolo 2-1 left their chances of qualifying for the Champions League in tatters.
Inter captain Mauro Icardi, Rafinha and other players fell to the ground after the final whistle, several with tears running down their face.
“This defeat hurts us a lot, but the team did well,” Inter coach Luciano Spalletti said. “The players were destroyed in the dressing room. It really meant a lot to them and they gave their all.
Photo: AFP
The result means AS Roma qualified for the Champions League — no matter how they fared against Juventus yesterday — as they were four points ahead of Inter with one round remaining.
Inter remained two points behind fourth-placed Lazio, who could have secured a spot in the Champions League with a victory over relegation-threatened Crotone yesterday.
Inter and Lazio play each other in the last round.
Having already secured safety, Sassuolo had pride to play for and took a surprise lead in the 24th minute, when Matteo Politano waited for the wall to jump before rolling a free-kick under it and into the bottom right corner.
Goalkeeper Andrea Consigli did well to deny Marcelo Brozovic and Antonio Candreva, and pulled off a fantastic stop to keep out Mauro Icardi’s effort on the stroke of halftime.
Consigli continued to perform heroics after the break and Domenico Berardi doubled Sassuolo’s lead in the 72nd, beating a defender before firing powerfully into the back of the net.
Rafinha netted his first goal for Inter 10 minutes from time with a low shot that went in off the base of the post.
Demoted Benevento marked their final home match in Serie A by beating Genoa 1-0.
Cheick Diabate scored four minutes from time, thanks to a great run from Enrico Brignola, who started in his own half and shrugged off two tackles before rolling across for his teammate.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two
RSS