Inter on Tuesday marked the return of Jose Mourinho to the San Siro by dumping their idol’s new team AS Roma out of the Coppa Italia 2-0 and reaching the semi-finals.
Mourinho coached in front of an Inter home crowd for the first time since leaving in 2010, but after being warmly welcomed back by supporters in Milan, Roma limply exited the competition thanks to a goal almost straight from kickoff by Edin Dzeko and Alexis Sanchez’s second-half piledriver.
The win for Inter, who are to meet either AC Milan or SS Lazio in the last four, was the perfect response to losing the derby on Saturday, the tempestuous aftermath of which has led to coach Simone Inzaghi being suspended for the weekend’s huge clash at fellow Serie A title chasers SSC Napoli.
Photo: Reuters
Portuguese Mourinho is a soccer deity for Inter fans thanks to two magical seasons on the Nerazzurri bench that culminated with the treble triumph of Serie A, the Coppa Italia and, most importantly, the UEFA Champions League.
He beat Roma to the league title and cup in a battle of former Chelsea managers with Claudio Ranieri, only seeing off his Blues predecessor to the championship on the final day of the 2009-2010 season.
“I won’t ever hide that my relationship with Inter is one that will last forever, but I came here to win for Roma and my supporters who today are the Roma supporters.” Mourinho said. “We didn’t win, but apart from the first five minutes, I saw a Roma team play well against a team against whom it’s not easy to play well.”
The fans present at the San Siro — in much lower numbers than for the derby — made their feelings very clear about their former boss of bosses.
The hardcore supporters in the Curva Nord unfurled a banner which read “Welcome home Jose” and chanted his name throughout the buildup to kickoff.
Once the teams came out the applause for the home fans hero spread around the stadium, and Mourinho responded by waving and blowing kisses to all four corners of the ground.
Supporters even booed referee Marco di Bello when he booked Mourinho for protesting at the end of the first half.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
RSS