Inter Milan

M’Bala Nzola has been defeated by an earring. 

The 25-year-old Spezia forward enjoyed a brief 10-minute cameo during a 3-1 defeat to Inter Milan on Friday. The Angola international was subbed on in the 60th minute. Soon thereafter, the referee spotted he wearing earrings and told the player to take them off. By the 70th minute, Nzola was subbed off, apparently unable to remove his earrings. It was Spezia’s fifth and final substitution of the night.

There's the scoreline and then there's reality. 

After Liverpool's 2-0 first leg victory at the San Siro back on Feb. 16, the refrain you constantly heard in the buildup and throughout the opening hour at Anfield on Tuesday was that Inter was still precariously alive in this one — just get the first goal and Anfield would be theirs for the taking!

Saturday’s Milan derby did anything but disappoint as AC Milan defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in an incredibly entertaining game. Olivier Giroud netted two late goals for the Rossoneri to stage a dramatic comeback. The biggest hero of the game might have been goalkeeper Mike Maignan who had several brilliant saves.

Maignan’s finest hour came in the first half when he momentarily halted an Inter counterattack with a slide tackle 20 yards out of his goal. With the ball at his feet Maignan then had the audacity to attempt to chop the ball past both attackers.

ROME - Derby matches have shaped the coaching careers of Simone Inzaghi and Stefano Pioli in the past, but the stakes are higher than ever when the former apprentice and master face off in a crucial Milan meeting on Sunday.

Four points separate leaders Inter from third-placed AC Milan ahead of their San Siro clash, although the champions have a game in hand against Bologna to come.

Heading into what could be one of the biggest years of his career, Weston McKennie is playing superbly right now. The Juventus midfielder has played every second for the club in 2022, including all 120 minutes in the Supercoppa Italia on Wednesday at the San Siro. Though Inter Milan pulled off a 2-1 comeback to take the trophy, McKennie scored a great goal, after which we saw how much his teammates love him — or at least how much they really want an excuse to touch his gorgeous hair. 

LONDON - Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku was left out of the squad to face Liverpool at home on Sunday after saying he was dissatisfied with his role at Stamford Bridge.

The 28-year-old, who signed from Inter Milan in the close season for a club-record $132 million, told Sky Italy recently that he was unhappy with manager Thomas Tuchel's system. Lukaku also said he would like to return to Italy at some point in his career.

Asked about the Belgian international's comments ahead of the Liverpool game, Tuchel said they were "not helpful."

Inter Milan has terminated midfielder Christian Eriksen's contract, the Italian Serie A club said on Friday, after the Denmark international was suspended from playing in Italy because of his cardiac device implant.

Eriksen, 29, has not played since suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark's opening game of the European Championship against Finland in June and receiving life-saving treatment on the pitch.

Paris St Germain will face Real Madrid in a titanic clash in the last 16 of the Champions League while Manchester United take on Atletico Madrid after UEFA declared the original draw void due to a technical error in the process on Monday.

Earlier, United were mistakenly drawn with Villarreal, even though both teams had already faced each other in the group stage while the Premier League side's ball was not added to the bowl as a potential opponent for Atletico Madrid.

Round of 16 draw ✔️