SERIE A
LIVE – Three days to King Charles’ coronation in England, will Nigeria’s Osimhen and teammates at Napoli be crowned tonight in Italy?
Napoli is Champion of Italy. Third Scudetto in the history of the Azzurri that thanks to the 1-1 of the Dacia Arena arithmetically conquer the title with 5 days in advance.
22:37 – ENDS HERE!!!
90′ – The referee grants 3 minutes of recovery.
85′ – Second substitution for Napoli: Lozano takes Kvaratskhelia’s place.
81′ – Ehizibue can’t do it: Ebosele enters in his place. Samardzic also leaves, replaced by Thauvin.
80′ – Physical problem for Ehizibue who collapses to the ground: game stopped, the Juventus medical staff on the pitch.
78′ – Another substitution at Udinese: the author of the goal Lovric comes out and Arslan enters.
73′ – Udinese substitution: Udogie comes out, Zeegelaar in his place.
71′ – ZIELINSKI Spooned in the area by Elmas for the Pole, who kicks on the fly but finds a great reflex of Silvestri.
68′ – On the continuation of the ball is Osimhen to put the ball inside, but after a foul: game already stopped.
67′ – Kvaratskhelia dances on the ball on the left-handed lane. On his cross by a whisker Elmas misses the impact with the ball.
63′ – First change for Napoli: Zielinski comes on in place of Ndombele.
60′ – Becao’s attempt from outside after a nice combination with Lovric: right-footed angled, but Meret is well placed and blocks.
56′ – Napoli fans go crazy at the Dacia Arena. Napoli now in possession of the ball and looking for the second goal.
63′ – First change for Napoli: Zielinski comes on in place of Ndombele.
60′ – Becao’s attempt from outside after a nice combination with Lovric: right-footed angled, but Meret is well placed and blocks.
56′ – Napoli fans go crazy at the Dacia Arena. Napoli now in possession of the ball and looking for the second goal.
60′ – Becao’s attempt from outside after a nice combination with Lovric: right-footed angled, but Meret is well placed and blocks.
56′ – Napoli fans go crazy at the Dacia Arena. Napoli now in possession of the ball and looking for the second goal.
52′ – GOOOOOOL DEL NAPOLIIIIII!!!!! Anguissa receives in the box, does not kick and supports Kvaratskhelia. Round shot, Silvestri rejects. On the retort, however, there is Osimhen, who places with his right and signs the 1-1!
51′ – Start of the second half in line with what we saw in the first half: Udinese well organized, Napoli struggles to find spaces.
47′ – No change at half-time: on the pitch the same twenty-two of the first half
The first fraction of the Dacia Arena closes on the score of 1-0. So far, Lovric’s goal in the 13th minute was decided. Teams in the locker room.
21:32 – HALF ENDS
46′ – Kvaratskhelia comes in for Olivera, who first strikes: Lovric makes good guard.
45′ – The referee awards one minute of recovery.
44′ – Udinese continue to attack and Napoli struggles to find the right synchronisms. Not a great first half for the Azzurri.
42′ – Good track for Anguissa, who at the time of the cross, however, completely smoothes the ball.
37′ – On the development of a corner for Udinese, Bijol dunks a header but the ball rises over the crossbar.
35′ – Tempers are ignited on the pitch. Kvaratskhelia gasps to the left but is stretched out. For Abyss everything is regular, protests from the bench.
32′ – OSIMHEN! Cross from Di Lorenzo’s three-quarters to look for the Nigerian who detaches on Bijol and impacts with a header: the ball comes out of a breath to the left of Silvestri.
30′ – LOVRIC! Pereyra recovers the ball and serves Lovric who kicks from outside: Meret is alert and rejects.
28′ – Napoli struggles to kick on goal, Udinese always arrives first on the second balls.
24′ – OSIMHEN! On the developments of a set piece Osimhen anticipates everyone in the area: angled corner, Silvestri deflects into the corner. However, the flag is raised, offside of the Nigerian.
22′ – Kvaratskhelia ends up on the ground in the box after a clash with Becao. For the referee everything is regular.
9′ – Napoli cannot find spaces at this stage. Very good Udinese in man-on-man duels.
16′ – Olivera’s central serpentine goes past Ehizibue who spreads it: foul and yellow.
13′ – UDINESE SCORES! Udogie supports in the box for Lovric who, guiltily left alone by the Napoli defense, kicks a precise right that slips into the second post.
11′ – Elmas gives the ball to Udinese outside the box. Walace recovers high and kicks: Rrahmani makes wall.
8′ – On the developments of the corner Di Lorenzo takes the lead, no problem for Silvestri who blocks.
7′ – Di Lorenzo scoops in the box for Ndombele, Perez touches the ball and puts it in the corner.
6′ – The script is clear: Napoli manages the ball possession, Udinese is well closed.
2′ – Immediately clash between Kvaratskhelia and Becao. The Georgian remains on the ground, but it is nothing serious.
20:45 – GO! START THE MATCH
20:42 PM – The teams are on the field: there is very little left to the kick-off.
20:37 – Cristiano Giuntoli, sporting director of Napoli, before the match with Udinese spoke to the microphone of DAZN: “It’s a very delicate and beautiful moment, there is one last centimeter to do and you have to be concentrated. After so many years, having the gratitude of the Neapolitan public is a source of great pride and satisfaction”.
Does Spalletti consider him so much in love that he has no doubts about staying? “We didn’t talk about it, I know he’s in love with the city, the team, the people and he gave his all in this project. Then we’ll see.”
20:34 – Pierpaolo Marino, director of the technical area of Udinese, before the match with Napoli spoke to the microphone of DAZN: “I feel the one who sowed, from my idea with the help of the Coppola family Castel Volturno was born, in a few months. I sowed from scratch, in three years we went to Da Luz to play for Benfica. It is as if it were a grandson that you find, the base was built solid. I said that I had gone to sow in the desert and today, thanks to the path taken by De Laurentiis and all the technical collaborators who succeeded me, after 2009, the year of my release, now the sowing is harvested”.
Who is Napoli’s key player? “Kvaratskhelia at the start of the season gave that leap in quality, imagination, technique that Maradona needed. It is what enhances the DNA of the Neapolitan public”
Has De Laurentiis already asked you about Samardzic?” They are very attentive to our players, we have a very good relationship. There is Giuntoli who has an eye of great professionalism, he is a talent hunter and here there are. Now the market has not yet begun, but a couple of our players are being watched.”
20:24 – Amir Rrahmani, Napoli defender, before the match with Udinese spoke to DAZN: “We saw Lazio-Sassuolo together, but we know we keep the situation in hand and now we want to close it tonight because there is a whole people waiting. We will see a Napoli that wants to win the Scudetto, we would be very happy even with a draw.”
20:23 – Walace, Udinese midfielder, speaks to DAZN before the match against Napoli that could deliver the Scudetto to the latter: “We know that Napoli is here to win, but we play at home in front of our fans and we have our motivation to do well today”.
How did you prepare for the match?
“With a high attitude from the beginning and a great sense of belonging. They are strong but we are not far behind.”
20:09 – There will not be the eventual crowd bath in the city for the Napoli players returning from Udine, whether the Scudetto arrives tonight or not. Sky informs that the blue program provides for overnight stays in the Friulian capital, with the team that will return to the city tomorrow although at the moment it is not clear in which airport it will land.
20:00 – Creepy atmosphere at Maradona for the streaming broadcast of Udinese-Napoli that could be worth the Scudetto to the Azzurri. Stadium already almost full, transformed into a real disco by the deejay Decibel Bellini. It looks like a pre-match of a Champions League final, the stadium is missing only the team that will play at 20.45 at the Dacia Arena.
19:37 PM – The formations of Udinese-Napoli are official, a match valid for the 33rd day and which could deliver the arithmetic Scudetto to the Azzurri. Luciano Spalletti made two changes from the 1-1 home draw against Salernitana: Ndombele replaced Zielinski and Elmas replaced Lozano. For the rest all confirmed. Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo and Olivera on the wings with Rrahmani and Kim in the centre of defence. Midfield with Lobotka, Anguissa and Ndombele, while in attack the trident formed by Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia and Elmas.
UDINESE (3-5-1-1): Silvestri; Becao, Bijol, Perez; Ehizibue, Samardzic, Walace, Lovric, Udogie; Pereyra; Nestorovski. All. Sottil.
NAPLES (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Ndombele; Elmas, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia. All. Spalletti
18:55 p.m. – The expectation is growing in Udine for the match between Udinese and Napoli scheduled at 20.45, which could give the Scudetto to the Neapolitans. Long queues at the entrance of the guest sector of the Dacia Arena, with some fans already wearing the shirt of Italian champions.
18:31 PM – The atmosphere is already warm outside the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, where tonight there will be over fifty thousand watching the giant screens Udinese-Napoli. The event set up by the blue club for the occasion has been sold out and the queues at the turnstiles are already very long, open from 18 pm, obviously with the blue to dominate.
18:00 – Aurelio De Laurentiis is back in Naples. The president has decided to see Udinese-Napoli from Maradona, along with the five thousand and more who will populate him. In these hours he landed in the city and was sighted, as reported by Rai News, at the central station in the afternoon.
17.00pm – Latest training directly from Sky Sports in view of the match that tonight could deliver the Scudetto to Napoli. Luciano Spalletti in Udine will play with the best possible formation. Lozano favoured over Elmas who could have a chance in midfield in place of Zielinski. Trident completed by Osimhen and Kvara.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Udinese (3-5-2): Silvestri; Becao, Bijol, Perez; Ehizibue, Samardzic, Walace, Lovric, Udogie; Nestorovski, Pereyra
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Sold out at Maradona. Tickets are sold out to attend tonight’s special event with the giant screens positioned on the edge of the playing perimeter that will broadcast the match in Udine. The turnstiles of the Maradona Stadium will open at 18 pm
Paul Pogba can return to competition with the end of his 18-month doping ban on Tuesday, with the 2018 world champion hoping to leave behind three cataclysmic years also marked by injuries and a kidnapping case of which he was the victim.
The long penance of the French international (91 caps), one of the biggest stars in the world of football, is coming to an end and the midfielder will be able to draw a line under what seems like a slow descent into hell.
Suspended for four years after testing positive for non-endogenous testosterone metabolites (DHEA) at the end of the Juventus-Udinese match on August 20, 2023, Pogba saw his sanction reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the CAS considering that the “ingestion” of the substance “was not intentional and resulted from taking a food supplement prescribed by a doctor in Florida.”
Based in Miami, the native of Lagny-sur-Marne, east of Paris, is now ready to bounce back, his Instagram account still very popular (62.7 million followers) multiplies photos of intensive training, with a few fashion shots, another of his passions. Sign of his return, at least in the media, while waiting to be able to resume the thread of his prestigious career.
His ultimate dream remains the 2026 World Cup, but he would first have to find a club. La Pioche (32 years old on March 15), whose contract with Juventus Turin that ran until 2026 was terminated last November, “is training 1000%, he is in good spirits, he has received many offers”, assures a member of his entourage. He is also in regular contact with the coach of the Blues Didier Deschamps, “one of his advisors for sporting decisions”, according to one of his close friends.
But who could be interested in a player whose last match was on September 3, 2023 with Juve?
During one of his rare public appearances, on AmineMaTue’s Twitch channel in January, he explained that he had received ” proposals, not very interesting stuff”, such as “going to play in Russia, but that’s not the goal “.
A contract, he admitted, ” doesn’t depend on me, but on many other things.”
– Strength of character –
David Beckham’s Inter Miami could be a solution. Pogba lives in the Florida metropolis where he bought a house, he was in the stands for the Roses’ first MLS match of the season, against New York City (2-2), on February 23, and he is fine-tuning his fitness with the fitness coach of Lionel Messi, the team’s star.
Olympique de Marseille also sounded him out, and football director Medhi Benatia played with him at Juventus. But OM did not want to take the risk of signing a player whose fitness is surrounded by too many questions.
In any case, morale seems to be at its highest, with Pogba having always maintained his legendary strength of character even in the worst of storms.
“I ‘ve had a difficult year, so I have this rage, this desire to play football and enjoy it until the end of my career,” he said on Al Jazeera channel, just before his positive test.
Also badly affected by the kidnapping case of which he was the victim in 2022, he can now also try to forget this sordid episode with the end of the trial of his attackers at the end of 2024, his brother Mathias and five of his childhood friends having been sentenced to terms of up to eight years in prison.
“I can finally turn the page on this extremely difficult period. This conclusion is an opportunity for everyone to focus on the future. Now that the judgment has been delivered, I can fully concentrate on my return to professional football ,” he wrote to AFP after the verdict.
” That he can rediscover the pleasure of playing on the pitch, that’s all I wish for him because humanly he’s really a good person ,” said Didier Deschamps in 2024.
–Le360/AFP
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Ademola Lookman was again on target as Atalanta stunned Juventus in a 4-0 away win on Sunday to strengthen their grip on third place in Serie A while snapping the hosts’ five-game winning streak in the league.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side moved to 58 points, three behind leaders Inter Milan, while Juventus remain fourth on 52.
It was Juventus’ first home defeat in Serie A by a margin of at least four goals since 1967, leaving frustrated fans at the Allianz Stadium jeering their team after a night to forget.
“This is football. You go from victories to defeats, you have to consider the whole journey, Juve were coming from a series of victories,” Gasperini told DAZN.
“It was an unimaginable result for many, but it was the perfect performance from us.”
Both teams had chances to break the deadlock early on, as Khephren Thuram shot just over the crossbar with the hosts’ clearest chance after eight minutes and Atalanta’s Davide Zappacosta fired wide a minute later.
But it was Serie A’s top scorer Mateo Retegui who opened the scoring with a clinical penalty for his 22nd league goal this season following a handball by Weston McKennie just before the half-hour mark.
Atalanta took control of proceedings and could have increased their lead before the break when Ademola Lookman’s effort hit the woodwork before home goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio pulled off a series of vital saves.
Marten de Roon pounced on a rebound off Juve defender Lloyd Kelly to fire the ball into an open net early in the second half, before Davide Zappacosta made it 3-0, scoring from close-range after a brilliant back-heel pass from Sead Kolasinac in the 66th minute.
Juventus substitute Dusan Vlahovic slipped and lost possession to Lookman, who sealed the rout, netting 13 minutes from time after his shot took a deflection off a Juventus defender before beating Di Gregorio.
“I think today we were up against a team that was eager to capitalise on our mistakes,” Juventus coach Thiago Motta said.
“We gave players like Lookman the chance to take advantage of counter attacks. After a defeat like that, we are certainly sad and disappointed. We will no longer be talking about fighting for the title.”
-Reuters
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Third-placed Atalanta cruised to a 5-0 win at lowly Empoli with Ademola Lookman scoring a brilliant double with a goal in each half on Sunday to reignite their bid for the Serie A title.
A month ago the battle for the Scudetto looked like becoming a two-horse race between Napoli and Inter Milan but indifferent results for both sides have allowed Atalanta to narrow the gap.
Atalanta now have 54 points, three behind leaders Inter and two off Napoli with 12 rounds of matches remaining.
With Napoli suffering a surprise 2-1 loss at Como earlier on Sunday and Inter losing twice in four matches, Atalanta had the chance to keep the pressure on and dominated from the start.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 27th minute with an own goal after Davide Zappacosta delivered a cross from the edge of the box which deflected off Empoli striker Emmanuel Gyasi and looped into the corner of the net.
Atalanta then began to dominate the match with Mateo Retegui doubling the lead six minutes later before Lookman made it 3-0 in the 43rd when he latched onto a through ball, deftly rounded goalkeeper Marco Silvestri and put the ball into the empty net.
Ten minutes after the break Lookman got his second, latching onto a through ball from Marten de Roon, evading the offside trap and firing an angled shot past the keeper after a step-over. Zappacosta completed the rout in the 74th minute.
Zappacosta was hesitant to talk about the title race.
“There’s no point right now thinking of long-term objectives. We have to take it one game at a time,” he told DAZN.
“A victory that gives us fuel and morale after a difficult last week,” he added, referring to being knocked out of the Champions League with a 3-1 defeat by Club Brugge on Tuesday.
LOOKMAN RESPONDS
Lookman’s performance showed the right response following his recent spat with coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who said the Nigeria striker was one of the worst penalty takers he had ever seen after he missed one against Brugge.
Gasperini later downplayed the comment saying he never intended to offend the 27-year-old, who also scored against the Belgian side after coming on at halftime.
Against Empoli, Lookman caused chaos for the home defence, playing a pivotal role in the build-up to Retegui’s goal, and was a stand-out performer in Atalanta’s dominant victory.
Sky Sport Italia asked if he had forgotten Gasperini’s criticism, but Lookman was reluctant to comment.
After a shrug and a glance around, he replied, “Finished?” before shifting the discussion to Atalanta’s display.
“The team won 5-0 today, we put in a good performance, everyone was at a high level and we showed quality,” he said.
The result leaves Empoli third-bottom in the standings on 21 points, two points below the safety zone.
-Reuters
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