List of All Articles with Tag 'f'

After clawing their way to Istanbul, Internazionale have made one thing clear beyond the fact they have reached a first Champions League final since 2010, and a sixth in their history. Whoever they meet in the Ataturk on 10 June is going to have to fight to lift that trophy. That was one of the grand lessons of this historic 3-0 aggregate win over their great rivals in AC Milan. Such a scoreline may have made it look easy but it came from a combativeness and willingness to rise to the occasion. That’s maybe essential, since Inter are in some way a team drastically rising above where they are as a club right now. A defiance runs through the side: against their league position; against their financial situation; against their profile; against age - even against reputation. It was symbolic that it was Lauturo Martinez who got the clinching goal to make it 1-0 here, given how criticised he’d been for performances in the 2022 World Cup. As in Qatar, though, he refused to give in. So did his team. There is a persistence and battle resilience about Simone Inzaghi’s side that has shades of Jose Mourinho’s in 2010. Only shades, though, since this doesn’t have the quantity of players in that final prime season of their careers. It does have a lot of good individuals that can lift it, though. It is why they eliminated Milan here and why pose more of a threat to either Real Madrid or Manchester City. The invitation is obviously to conclude that the eventual winners will come out of that other semi-final but that could be an even greater mistake than the passiveness Milan displayed here. Inter have a fine goalkeeper in Andre Onana. They have two top-class defenders in Alessandro Bastoni and Milan Skriniar, the latter of whom again didn’t play. They have proper midfield industry in Nicolo Barella and Federico Dimarco. They also have a wide enough array of big-name attackers to give any opposition side a variety of problems. Edin Dzeko was again seemingly everywhere without actually moving that much. Romelu Lukaku came on to again show he has returned to previous levels. Martinez meanwhile did what happens so often in football in offering some personal redemption, while perhaps setting up something greater. They then have a manager in Simone Inzaghi who is capable of the right gameplan and right motivation for seemingly any occasion. Inter are really the ultimate cup team, now going to the ultimate stage. It created another European occasion that was only to be experienced. The noise was already deafening before it became one of those defining nights for this old ground. The famous red girders shook along with everything else, first to greet the teams, then when Martinez forced the ball past the otherwise impermeable Mike Maignon, finally in the glorious moment of victory. Javier Zanetti celebrated wildly on the pitch with everyone else, his hair still unruffled by all the embraces. Milan, so meekly trying to go about their processes, just never looked like forcing it. They even had Maignon to thank for keeping them in it for that much longer. This is why he is now being described as one of the best goalkeepers in the world - and perhaps even Milan’s most important player beyond Rafael Leao. The return of the forward did nevertheless give Stefano Pioli a bit his team had been badly missing in the first leg. That was never more obvious than when he totally undid Francesco Acerbi with his footwork, only for the remaining gap to full fitness to become apparent with a shot that went just wide. It was still a piece of individual brilliance, with the profiles reversed as Inter instead offered some flowing collective moves. It was one of those that brought a first brilliant save from Maignan. Dzeko showed his everlasting class with a touch inside then a fine pass to Dumfries. He cut back for Nicolo Barella, only for the goalkeeper to stay firm. Maignan surpassed himself minutes later. Dzeko was seemingly everywhere for a veteran who had to conserve his movements, and his thunderous header forced Maignan into acrobatics. Maignan couldn’t keep managing to keep Inter out, though. Martinez eventually found a way, the ball fittingly squirming under the goalkeeper’s body. It fits how Inter have made their way to Istanbul. Read More Being confronted by fans and returning star driving AC Milan bid to reverse history Milan derby creates thrilling sensory overload that shows how football should be AC Milan vs Inter Milan LIVE: Champions League semi-final result and reaction Inter vs AC Milan player ratings as Lautaro sends Nerazzurri to final Sheikh Jassim makes bigger last-ditch bid in Man United takeover saga Forest fined over pitch invasion after 2022 play-off semi against Sheff Utd

Lautaro Martinez provided the finishing touch as Inter Milan cruised into the Champions League final with a 3-0 aggregate win over AC Milan. Martinez fired the only goal of a stop-start second leg to add to their 2-0 victory in last week’s opening instalment and Inter will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in Istanbul on June 10. Argentina’s World Cup winning-striker, who was outstanding throughout, pounced in the 75th minute as Inter clinched an eighth successive win in front of a crowd of 76,000 at the San Siro. It secures their first Champions League final since 2010 – when Jose Mourinho masterminded the treble before leaving to join Real Madrid – and keeps alive hopes of lifting a fourth European crown. Aware of the need for urgency in the 237th derby between the city rivals, Milan started fast and in the 14th minute they were presented with a chance to blow the tie wide open. Sandro Tonali skilfully created the space for Brahim Diaz to have a clear shot at goal but the Spain forward’s attempt lacked conviction and keeper Andre Onana made a simple save. Rafael Leao flashed a shot across the face of goal and if Milan were taking heart from their opportunities, that was offset by Inter’s own threat with Martinez going close on two occasions. On the second of those only a stunning reflex save by Mike Maignan kept out a dangerous header to keep Milan in the hunt. The importance of Milan’s missed chances was underlined when the second half opened with Inter taking charge of the ball, frustrating opponents who appeared to have run out of ideas. A sly off-the-ball stamp by Francesco Acerbi on the foot of Tonali incensed Milan’s players but referee Clement Turpin declined to act. Inter’s position was beginning to look unassailable and shortly after Romelu Lukaku stepped off the bench, the Belgian combined with Martinez to confirm their place in the final. Lukaku held the ball up in the corner of the area and when the right moment came, he threaded a pass to his team-mate who produced a fine first touch before beating Maignan at the near post. Martinez’s moment of brilliance was a rare highlight of a second half that became increasingly niggly, resulting in a spate of yellow cards, and Milan had nothing left to offer. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid unfazed by airport delay before Man City clash Man City remember club great as Real Madrid check in – Tuesday’s sporting social Nick Kyrgios on track to be fit for grass-court season and Wimbledon bid

The Toronto Blue Jays complained to the league office about Yankees star Aaron Judge, and the positioning of New York's assistant coaches.After Aaron Judge hit two home runs in a New York Yankees win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, the loser took issue. Judge appeared to know wh...

NFL Rumors: Will the Raiders sign Marcus Peters?Marcus Peters is on the wrong side of 30 years old, and despite putting up big interception numbers and being named to the NFL's All-Pro team just a few seasons ago, he remains available this offseason.For the Las Vegas Raiders, this represe...

Big 12 football fans are only going to have to wait a few months to see this puppy play out.The league may be going through a state of major transition, but what if I told you the Big 12 is actually operating from a vantage point of strength?Outside of the Big Ten and the SEC, the Big 12 loo...

The Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has raised his bid for Manchester United by making a fourth and last-ditch offer for the club, which is understood to be closer to £5 billion. The businessman has made a late intervention after the lifelong United fan, and petrochemicals billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe had submitted his third bid which valued United at a higher figure. As with all of Sheikh Jassim’s previous proposals, he is trying to buy 100 percent of the club, where the Glazer family are current majority shareholders. The Qatari has also pledged to clear United’s debt of £536 million and has promised a separate fund directed at the club and the community. Ratcliffe’s most recent bid allowed Joel and Avram Glazer, two of the six siblings whose father, Malcolm, bought the club in 2005, to retain a stake while aiming to complete a takeover in the next few years. The American merchant bank the Raine Group are overseeing the process for the Glazers. There have been three previous rounds of bids, without seeming to meet the Glazers’ valuation, though Ratcliffe had emerged as the favourite to complete a deal. Read More You’re asking the wrong person – Emma Hayes not interested in title permutations Ed Woodward accepts first job since Man Utd departure West Ham won’t consider any Declan Rice bids until season is over

The latest NBA rumors have Chris Paul drawing interest from the Lakers, James Harden from the Suns and everyone else from Dwight Howard in Taiwan.In the past few days, as the NBA world prepared for the opening of the conference finals, the NBA rumor mill caught fire. The Suns might trade Chris P...

The Cleveland Guardians start an early week series against the Chicago White Sox in a battle of a pitching mismatch.Shane Bieber is beginning to build a formidable Cy Young case, posting a 2.61 ERA through over 51 innings that spans across eight starts. The Guardians right hander will face the W...

New Jersey’s casinos, racetracks that accept sports bets and their online partners won over $462 million in April, an increase of 9.5% from a year earlier

Victor Wembanyama is the consensus No. 1 pick, the prize for winning the NBA Draft Lottery. What makes him so special?Tonight's NBA Draft Lottery will see the draft order but it will also, almost certainly decide which team Victor Wembanyama plays on next season. The 7-foot-5, 19-year-old F...

Inter Milan are on course to reach the Champions League final after taking a two-goal lead in their semi-final tie against local rivals AC Milan. A strong first-half performance saw Simone Inzaghi’s side secured their advantage thanks to goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. As both teams play their home matches at the San Siro tonight’s encounter is an almost carbon-copy of the first leg. The difference being that most of the crowd inside the San Siro will be Inter fans as they are the designated hosts this evening. Based on their performance in the first leg AC Milan have serious work to do. Though they improved in the second half Milan were short of threat in front of goal all evening and with them needing to cut a two-goal deficit they cannot afford to be as wasteful tonight. Stefano Pioli will be overjoyed by the return of Rafael Leao. The forward has been passed fit to play after recovering from injury and will be required to play a key role if his side are to reach the European showcase. Follow all the action as Inter and Milan clash in the Champions League semi-final: Read More Being confronted by fans and returning star driving AC Milan bid to reverse history Glorious Milan derby proves football does not need Super League Aymeric Laporte says treble-chasing Manchester City ‘deserve many things’

Yankees star slugger Aaron Judge's wandering eyes have become the center of controversy. Did he cheat against the Blue Jays or not?On Monday night, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge shifted his eyes to his team's dugout before a Blue Jays pitch in the eighth inning, and he subsequently...