Donyell Malen on Monday scored in each half as AS Roma beat Cagliari 2-0 to stay in touch with the chasing pack at the top of Serie A.
Leaders Inter are eight points clear of city rivals AC Milan and nine ahead of reigning champions SSC Napoli. Roma are three points further back along with Juventus.
Dutch centerforward Malen had scored only once in four appearances since joining on loan from Aston Villa last month, but he proved his worth on Monday with two excellent finishes.
Photo: Reuters
He ran on to a clever through-ball from Gianluca Mancini and his deft chip over the goalkeeper was equal to the set-up pass.
His second was more of a poacher’s effort as he got on the right side of a packed defense to turn in a low cross 20 minutes after halftime.
The result served as a confidence booster ahead of the weekend’s crunch tie at Napoli.
Cagliari, who were seeking a fourth consecutive Serie A win for the first time in more than a decade, remained 12th.
Atalanta BC moved to within two points of the European places after beating US Cremonese 2-1.
Atalanta are unbeaten in seven league matches and in seventh spot, two points behind Como, and seven behind Roma and Juventus.
Nikola Krstovic put Atalanta ahead after 13 minutes when he got on the end of a nice cross from Giacomo Raspadori. Davide Zappacosta made it 2-0 minutes later with a neat individual goal.
Atalanta’s Lazar Samardzic and Berat Djimsiti also came close as they bossed the first 45 minutes.
Krstovic missed the best chance of the second half and Berat Djimsiti had a goal disallowed in stoppage-time as Atalanta continued to dominate.
Morten Thorsby’s last-minute consolation for Cremonese gave the scoreline a more respectable sheen than the action suggested.
Cremonese are without a victory in 10 games and sit 16th, just five points above the relegation zone.
Fenerbahce on Thursday earned a rare 2-1 win in England, but were still knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. Forest entered the second leg with a healthy 3-0 lead from the opener in Istanbul — where Vitor Pereira made an impact in his first game in charge — and that proved enough to advance to the round-of-16 with a 4-2 aggregate score. The result was a boost for Forest, struggling at 17th place in the Premier League, in their return to Europe after three decades. They next face Real Betis Balompie or Kerem Akturkoglu gave Fenerbahce
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
RSS