MILAN: Atalanta’s bid for a first Serie A title continued on Saturday with a club-record 10th straight league win, 1-0 at Cagliari, which was followed by closest challengers Napoli staying on their heels with a 3-1 win at Udinese.
Nicolo Zaniolo made sure Atalanta stayed top of Serie A this weekend with the goal which decided a hard-fought encounter in Sardinia, the Italy international forward stroking home the winner from Raoul Bellanova’s cut-back in the 66th minute.
Atalanta, guided by veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini, have emerged as genuine Scudetto challengers for the first time in their history and stay two points clear at the top of the league.
However, Gasperini was not happy with his players’ performances as, after impressing in Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid, they struggled against Cagliari who are 15th and only two points above the relegation zone.
Atalanta, who also struck the post through Ademola Lookman almost straight after Zaniolo’s winner, only came away with all three points thanks to a brilliant performance between the sticks from Marco Carnesecchi.
Goalkeeper Carnesecchi pulled off three sensational stops in the six minutes before the break and saved the win in stoppage time by keeping out Leonardo Pavoletti’s header.
“A good chunk of this team, not everyone, needs to grow up a bit and get the same mentality as the core group of the squad,” said Gasperini. whose decision to make three substitutions at half-time was a sign of his dissatisfaction.
“We’re up there, but winning 10 matches in a row doesn’t really mean anything.”
Zaniolo’s strike was his third of the season and a further sign of new life after a difficult last few years.
The 25-year-old was once the rising star of Italian football after coming to prominence at Roma, where two serious knee injuries in 2020 stymied his development as a creative playmaker.
He won the inaugural Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022 under Jose Mourinho, but fell out with the Portuguese coach and last year was packed off to Galatasaray, from where he was loaned to Atalanta in July.
Gasperini later criticized Zaniolo for being booked while celebrating his goal, calling “intolerable” him whipping his shirt as it fired up the home crowd.
Zaniolo did the same thing when netting against Roma earlier this month, enraging his former supporters with his behavior.
“We cannot afford that every time he scores a goal he fires up the crows and turns our advantage into a disadvantage,” Gasperini told reporters.
“Cagliari were stunned and we managed to create a situation where the crowd fired them up again... it’s already the second time that he’s done it.”
Napoli, missing injured star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, came back from a goal down to secure the three points at the Bluenergy Stadium where they sealed a historic third league crown last year.
Trailing at the break after Florian Thauvin netted on the rebound from his own saved 22nd-minute penalty, Napoli roared back in the second half to delight their large and loud traveling support.
Romelu Lukaku levelled five minutes after half-time, bursting through to collect Scott McTominay’s pass, holding off Lautaro Giannetti and firing in his sixth Napoli goal.
The unfortunate Giannetti inadvertently put Napoli ahead in the 76th minute when he shinned in David Neres’ miscued shot and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa sealed the points by coolly finishing off a fine team move.
“I said after we lost to Lazio (last weekend) that we’re on the right track,” said Conte to DAZN.
“The team needs to keep playing this kind of football, dictate the game, keep the ball and press when we don’t have it.”
Napoli are four points ahead of Lazio and third-placed Inter, who face off in Rome on Monday night, and Fiorentina with the Viola at Bologna on Saturday.
Juventus are 10 points behind Atalanta ahead of their home clash with bottom club Venezia, Sunday’s late fixture.
Record-breakers Atalanta maintain Serie A lead as Napoli lurk
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Record-breakers Atalanta maintain Serie A lead as Napoli lurk
- Nicolo Zaniolo made sure Atalanta stayed top of Serie A this weekend with the goal which decided a hard-fought encounter in Sardinia
- Atalanta, guided by veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini, have emerged as genuine Scudetto challengers for the first time in their history
Goalkeeper struck by object so Bundesliga teams finish game without attacking
- Patrick Drewes was preparing to take a goalkick at 1-1 in added time when he was hit by an object
- Hofmann added Drewes was being treated by Bochum staff and that he didn’t know his condition
BERLIN: Bochum’s goalkeeper was struck on the head by an object apparently thrown from the stands at Union Berlin and both Bundesliga teams left the field on Saturday.
When the game resumed, they ran down the clock without trying to score.
Patrick Drewes was preparing to take a goalkick at 1-1 in added time when he was hit by an object with a similar size and shape to a cigarette lighter. He sat down and was given medical treatment.
The referee suspended the game and led both teams off the field.
Nearly half an hour later, the game resumed and Drewes was replaced by striker Philipp Hofmann. With about three minutes left of the game, both teams agreed to not try to score.
Players passed the ball around the field, walked and had conversations with opponents while waiting for the referee to declare the game over.
“Our coach and their coach, they discussed it together and the coach told us that we’ll go out there and bring the game to an end, and that’s what we did,” Hofmann told broadcaster Sky.
He indicated more than one lighter had been thrown around the time of the incident. Hofmann added Drewes was being treated by Bochum staff and that he didn’t know his condition.
“It’s not acceptable. No matter how hard he was struck, whether he’s bleeding or not, it’s just not appropriate,” he said.
Bochum chief executive Ilja Kaenzig said his club would file a formal protest over the result of the game, arguing that the referee should have it called after the incident. Union are likely to face disciplinary action over their hosting of the game, too.
Bochum had already made substitutions at three different points in the game, meaning it would not have been possible to bring on another goalkeeper to replace Drewes. Bochum finished the game with nine players because of Drewes’ absence and an earlier red card.
Union were 12th and Bochum last in the 18-team Bundesliga.
Saudi Jockey Club hosts inaugural Crown Prince’s Cups at Riyadh Racing Season
RIYADH: The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hosted on Saturday the inaugural Crown Prince’s Cups, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The prestigious event, part of the 66th Riyadh Racing Season, featured high-stakes races for locally bred horses and internationally classified entries in the “produced and imported” open-grade category.
Held at the King Abdulaziz Equestrian Square, the competition brought together the Kingdom’s elite horses over a distance of 2,400 meters, vying for a total cash prize of SR2 million ($532,000).
Yemken, ridden by Silvestre de Sousa won the race for locally bred horses.
In the Crown Prince Cup (Listed) event, Wootton’Sun took the glory under jockey Ricardo Sousa.
Prince Bandar bin Khalid, chairman of the Equestrian Authority and the JCSA, thanked the crown prince for his support of Saudi equestrianism. He highlighted the leadership’s commitment to developing horse racing as a sport of both national pride and global significance.
“The crown prince’s patronage is a tremendous honor for the equestrian community and reflects the leadership’s vision to elevate Saudi Arabia’s role in global horse racing,” he said.
He added that the Cups would serve as critical benchmarks for future competitions and reinforce the Kingdom’s position as a major player in the international horse racing arena.
Ziad Al-Mugrin, CEO of the JCSA, echoed those sentiments, emphasizing the transformative progress in Saudi horse racing enabled by the crown prince’s support.
He said the JCSA’s forward-looking strategy aimed to further solidify the Kingdom’s status as a hub for equestrian excellence.
Mainz hand Bayern first league loss under Kompany
- Lee scored in each half against an uncharacteristically poor Bayern, who are now just four points clear after Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 win at Augsburg
- Injuries meant Kompany was unable to call on several first team regulars including Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Joao Palhinha
MAINZ, Germany: Two goals from Jae-sung Lee took Mainz to a shock 2-1 home win over Bayern Munich on Saturday, handing coach Vincent Kompany his first league loss.
Lee scored in each half against an uncharacteristically poor Bayern, who are now just four points clear after Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 win at Augsburg.
Injuries meant Kompany was unable to call on several first team regulars including Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Joao Palhinha.
Kane’s absence was particularly telling in the first half, with the league leaders dominating possession but unable to convert any of their half chances into a goal.
Mainz boasted a better-than-expected home record against the German giants, having won three of their past four home league games over Bayern.
The home side struck shortly before half-time, Lee taking advantage of a poor clearance from his South Korea teammate Min-Jae Kim to hammer home.
Even with the knowledge that Leverkusen were ahead in Augsburg, Bayern came out poorer after half-time, lacking precision and energy.
Mainz soon capitalized through Lee again. Armindo Sieb threaded a clever cross goalwards for Lee to collect before blasting home on the spin.
Leroy Sane tapped in a deflected Joshua Kimmich shot in the 87th minute to give the league leaders hope, but Mainz held firm for a famous home win.
The result moved Mainz, who battled relegation last season, up to sixth.
Defending champions Leverkusen continued their recent resurgence, winning comfortably 2-0 at Augsburg, their seventh victory in a row.
Martin Terrier put Leverkusen in front 14 minutes in, curling the ball home with his first touch after a lovely low cross from Jeremie Frimpong.
Florian Wirtz added a second in the 40th minute when he controlled the ball, sold the Augsburg defense a dummy before skipping a shot across the grass and into the bottom corner.
Union Berlin drew 1-1 at home against last-placed Bochum in a game suspended by around half an hour after the visiting goalkeeper was hit by an object thrown from the crowd.
Bochum, were reduced to 10 men when Koji Miyoshi was red carded 13 minutes in, took the lead through Ibrahima Sissoko despite the deficit 10 minutes later.
Union levelled things up through Benedict Hollerbach in the 33rd minute, but were unable to take advantage against their undermanned opponents.
With the game in stoppage time and Union pushing, Patrick Drewes was hit by what appeared to be a cigarette lighter, with the referee ordering the players off the pitch.
When they returned, both sides kicked the ball between themselves until the clock wound down, apparently in agreement not to attack after the incident.
A double from Alassane Plea and goals to Robin Hack and Tim Kleindienst took Borussia Moenchengladbach to a 4-1 win over Holstein Kiel.
Gladbach have now lost just one of their past eight league games while Kiel, playing their first season in the top flight, sit second last.
In Saturday’s late game, promoted St. Pauli host Werder Bremen, while Champions League participants Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart and RB Leipzig are all in action on Sunday.
Jota rescues 10-man Liverpool in Fulham draw, Arsenal frustrated
- With just four minutes left at Anfield, Arne Slot’s side were in danger of losing for just the second time in 15 top-flight games this season
- Jota grabbed a valuable equalizer as Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 19 matches
LONDON: Diogo Jota rescued Liverpool as the Premier League leaders recovered from Andy Robertson’s early red card to snatch a 2-2 draw with Fulham, while Arsenal’s title challenge was dented by a goalless stalemate against Everton on Saturday.
With just four minutes left at Anfield, Arne Slot’s side were in danger of losing for just the second time in 15 top-flight games this season.
But Jota grabbed a valuable equalizer as Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 19 matches since a loss to Nottingham Forest in September.
With last weekend’s Merseyside derby at Everton postponed by severe weather, Liverpool have now gone two league games without a win following their 3-3 draw at Newcastle.
The Reds sit five points clear of second-placed Chelsea, who can close the gap with a win against Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Liverpool were rocked in the 11th minute as Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira met Antonee Robinson’s cross with an agile volley that deflected in off Robertson.
The Reds suffered another blow when Scotland left-back Robertson was sent off in the 17th minute for a professional foul on Harry Wilson.
But Slot’s men have made a habit of coming from behind this season and Cody Gakpo equalized in the 47th minute with a stooping header from Mohamed Salah’s cross.
The Dutch forward’s ninth goal in all competitions this season was the prelude to a period of sustained Liverpool pressure.
But Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz delivered a sucker punch as he bundled over the line from Robinson’s cross in the 76th minute.
That set the stage for a dramatic finale as Jota levelled in the 86th minute with a cool finish past Bernd Leno from the edge of the area.
Arsenal failed to take advantage of Liverpool’s rare stumble as the Gunners were kept at bay on a frustrating afternoon at the Emirates Stadium.
The north Londoners have become a force from set-pieces, scoring 23 goals from corners since the start of last season.
But their lack of firepower outside of that route has been questioned this season and once again they were hampered by a failure to turn pressure and possession into goals.
After a second successive league draw, third-placed Arsenal remain six points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand on last season’s runners-up.
Newcastle handed Ruud van Nistelrooy his first defeat as Leicester boss with a 4-0 rout at St. James’ Park.
Former Manchester United striker Nistelrooy had taken four points from his first two games since replacing the sacked Steve Cooper.
But Newcastle ended that encouraging start as Jacob Murphy drilled a clinical finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area in the 30th minute.
Bruno Guimaraes nodded in Newcastle’s second goal in the 47th minute after Lewis Hall headed Anthony Gordon’s free-kick toward the Brazilian.
Alexander Isak bagged the Magpies’ third two minutes later with a close-range finish and Murphy struck again on the hour to leave Leicester two points above the relegation zone.
Jack Taylor’s stoppage-time goal gave Ipswich a priceless 2-1 win over relegation rivals Wolves at Molineux.
Kieran McKenna’s team went ahead through Matt Doherty’s 15th minute own goal after Wolves made a hash of clearing Liam Delap’s cross.
Just as Wolves fans were calling for chairman Jeff Shi and owners Fosun to sell the club, Matheus Cunha grabbed a 72nd minute equalizer as his shot beat Arijanet Muric’s weak attempted save.
But Taylor headed home from a 94th minute corner to seal Ipswich’s second league win since their promotion to the top tier.
Third-bottom Ipswich are just one point adrift of safety, while second-bottom Wolves are three points behind them after an 11th loss in 16 league games piled further pressure on boss Gary O’Neil.
Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa in a battle of top four contenders in Saturday’s late game.
Women’s fencing championship wraps up in Dammam
- 215 fencers from 22 clubs battle it out at Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City
- Gold medals awarded in saber, foil and epee events
RIYADH: The women’s Saudi Fencing Championship ended on Saturday, with the winners of the general and under-14 categories presented with their medals by Saudi Fencing Federation President Ahmed Al-Sabban.
A total of 215 fencers from 22 clubs took part in the contest, which was held at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City in Dammam.
In the general category, Ruba Al-Masri of Al-Ula won the saber competition, with Lamed Al-Marri and Dhay Al-Ameeri, both of Al-Nahda, taking gold in the foil and epee events respectively.
In the under-14s, Zainab Al-Matar of Al-Huda won the saber competition, with Layla Obeid (Al-Hilal) and Salma Al-Muhanna (Al-Nahda) taking gold in the epee and foil events.
