Trailing Lazio 1-0 at halftime at Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday night, AC Milan was witnessing the crushing end of its Serie A title chase.
If the result held, Inter would stay top of the table with a game still in hand, and you wouldn't be on the Nerazzurri messing up twice in their final five matches with the most difficult test being a trip to 12th-place Udinese.
When people ask me why I love soccer, I usually talk about how no sport allows players the freedom of creativity like the beautiful game. Maestros can move the ball around the pitch the way an artist moves her paint brush. Registas can pull the strings the way a master violinist plays a solo. Finishers can bring a crowd to its feet faster than the Pope.
But also, I just love all the wacky shit that happens, like the bizarre own goal that proved to be the difference in Galatasaray’s 1-0 win over Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday.
MILAN, Italy - AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimović scored on his return from a four-month injury layoff as they comfortably defeated Lazio 2-0 at San Siro on Sunday to continue their perfect start to the Serie A season.
The 39-year-old Swede, who had not featured since sustaining a knee injury against Juventus in May, tapped in Milan’s second after 67 minutes, seven minutes after he came off the bench.
60': Subs on
67': Scores ⚽
Ciro Immobile is on pace to statistically be one of Europe's best strikers for another season.
The 31-year-old helped Lazio breeze past Spezia in early-season Serie A action with a wonderful hat trick on Saturday. Having also scored in the curtain-raiser against Empoli, Immobile has four goals to his name thus far in 2021/22.
Mention the phrase "Italian center back" and the first thought that will come to the minds of most football fans is the indomitable pairing of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
The veteran duo just led Italy to its first European Championship since 1968 and provided a masterclass in defending against some of the continent's best attacking talents.
But in recent days, another Italian center back has been drawing his share of attention on the internet, but not for his performances on the pitch.
Despite 119 international caps to his name, Goran Pandev has rarely experienced success with North Macedonia.
The North Macedonian record-holder for both appearances and goals, Pandev made his international debut back in 2001 during a 3-3 draw against Turkey in World Cup Qualifying. It took more than three years after that day for the center forward to win his first competitive fixture with his country — a 3-0 victory over Armenia.
ROME - Inter Milan did not think they would need to replace Antonio Conte this year, but in successor Simone Inzaghi, they hope to have found a natural heir.
Conte terminated his deal by mutual consent in May over frustration at Inter's plans to cut costs and sell key players due to financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ROME — A Serie A season like no other heralded a changing of the guard at the top of Italian football.
In his second year in charge of Inter Milan, Antonio Conte masterminded a superb league campaign that ended his club's 11-year wait for the title.
| SIAMO NOI
Buonanotte così, #InterFans pic.twitter.com/dmW1WPy1OV
As domestic leagues across Europe enter the final weeks of their seasons, not only are league titles at stake, but qualification for next season's Champions League is also yet to be resolved.
Only 11 of the 26 automatic qualification spots for the UCL group stage have been officially determined, and more than half of the 55 playoff spots are up for grabs.
With so many bids up for grabs across the continent, tracking the qualification process can be very difficult.
ROME - The great-grandson of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini has signed his first professional contract with Serie A soccer team Lazio.
Romano Floriani Mussolini, 18, was called up to the Roman club’s Under-19 team in February and has featured in four of their last five matches, earning a three-year deal.
The teenager, son of Alessandra Mussolini, a former member of the European parliament for the Forza Italia party, posted a picture of himself signing a contract on his Instagram page, where he goes by the name Romano Floriani.