Tag: Inter

Is Weston McKennie dating an Inter player’s sister?

There’s no confirmation yet, but there’s an awful lot of smoke

Weston McKennie has been in the headlines in Italy lately, which isn’t unusual for a key player at Juventus. But many stories about McKennie recently have had little to do with his ability to kick a soccer ball.

The Italian press, boosted by some obsessive social media sleuths, recently started noticing the Juventus midfielder exchanging likes on social media with Chiara Frattesi, a model and the sister of Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi.

The talk started to heat up earlier this month when Frattesi was spotted in the stands for Juventus’s match against Fiorentina. Frattesi has been known to frequent Inter games to support her brother, but what would bring her to a Juventus match? Did she simply want to see Max Allegri’s 3-5-2 system in action?

But then, more smoke: Frattesi posted a picture of herself with two dogs on Instagram that several astute observers pointed out looked an awful lot like McKennie’s dogs.

Finally this weekend, there was more. McKennie posted a picture of a Lego model of the Eiffel Tower on Instagram with the caption: “Finally finished.”

Minutes later, Frattesi posted a picture of the very same Eiffel Tower from a slightly different angle.

McKennie and Frattesi have not come out publicly with any confirmation that they are a couple, so for now, they can only be considered two people in one other’s orbit.

But they do seem to be orbiting pretty closely at present.

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Pulisic, Musah can do little as Inter beats AC Milan to clinch Serie A title

The USMNT pair was subdued as Inter clinched its 20th Serie A title

Inter clinched the Serie A championship in the most satisfying way possible, defeating arch-rival AC Milan 2-1 on Monday to lock up the title.

The destination of the Scudetto hasn’t been in doubt for months, as Simone Inzaghi’s side has enjoyed a commanding advantage atop the table for most of the season.

The Rossoneri at least wanted to prevent their rivals from clinching the title in the derby though, but could do little to slow down the Nerazzurri at the San Siro.

U.S. duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started the match for Milan in unfamiliar positions. Pulisic played wide left in the place of Rafael Leão, who started at striker. Musah, meanwhile, occupied Pulisic’s typical role out wide right.

Both had quiet games, especially Pulisic, who could hardly make an impact on the night as Inter’s league-best defense did well to bottle the American up.

Inter took the lead 18 minutes in after some disastrous Milan set-piece marking left Francesco Acerbi unmarked for a header on the doorstep.

The lead would be doubled minutes after the break, after a well-struck shot from Marcus Thuram beat Mike Maignan at his near post.

Fikayo Tomori gave Milan a lifeline with a close-range finish in the 80th minute, but the Rossoneri couldn’t find the second they needed to avoid watching their rivals kick off wild celebrations in front of their eyes.

The end of the match was marred by two separate clashes between the teams that resulted in a total of three red cards. Theo Hernández and Davide Calabria were sent off for Milan and Denzel Dumfries saw red for Inter.

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Inter sporting director confirms interest in Balogun

Arsenal reportedly values Balogun at around €58 million

Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio has confirmed his club is interested in Folarin Balogun, adding that the Arsenal man isn’t the only striker on the club’s list.

“We are looking for someone who can score goals,” Ausilio told Sport Mediaset on Tuesday.

When asked about Balogun, Ausilio replied: “He is one of the opportunities, but not the only one we are tracking.”

One name Ausilio was ready to rule out is Romelu Lukaku, who played for Inter last season on loan from Chelsea. Inter was reportedly interested in bringing Lukaku back this season but ended its pursuit upon learning he had been in talks with rival Juventus.

“I’m not interested,” Ausilio said when quizzed on the Belgian.

Inter has been widely reported to have an interest in U.S. national team striker Balogun, who scored 21 Ligue 1 goals on loan at Reims last season.

Monaco is aiming to bring Balogun back to Ligue 1 this season, with Arsenal turning down a bid from the principality side this week, according to ESPN. The Gunners reportedly value Balogun at around €58 million.

Balogun has said if he leaves Arsenal, he would prefer a permanent move ahead of another loan. Despite his standout loan campaign last season, the 22-year-old appears to be behind Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah on the club’s striker depth chart.

The striker was not in the squad for Sunday’s Community Shield win over Manchester City as he continues to battle a foot injury.

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Man City! Treble dreams complete with Champions League triumph

Man City made history in winning the Champions League

Manchester City has, at long last, claimed the elusive Champions League title.

Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Inter 1-0 on a second half strike from Rodri, before riding their luck as the Milanese side put their goal under siege late on.

Man City held on though, getting their hands on Europe’s biggest prize. The Champions League joins the Premier League and FA Cup in their trophy case, making Man City one of just 10 European clubs to ever manage a treble.

In truth though, Man City had been expected to dominate Saturday’s final over an Inter team that finished 18 points off the pace in Serie A. Instead, Simone Inzaghi and the Nerazzuri frustrated Man City for long spells, and then created chance after chance in the game’s final 20 minutes.

Here’s how a tense day in Istanbul played out.

Forbes ranks 20 most valuable soccer teams in the world

Valuations of the world’s biggest clubs are sky high

Who are the most valuable soccer teams in the world?

With success being more and more tied to an ability to spend, being a “big” club — at least in financial terms — is the clearest indicator of whether a given team is going to contend for trophies in the world’s top leagues.

That said, what defines value doesn’t necessarily require a team to be in the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, or Serie A. MLS has three teams in the top 20, including LAFC becoming the first club to break the $1 billion valuation barrier.

That said, Europe is still the home of the world’s biggest clubs, and its most valuable. In particular, eight of the top 20 hail from the Premier League, which will not be a particular surprise given the league’s global reach.

Here are Forbes’ 20 most valuable teams in global soccer.

Champions League final 2023: Kickoff time, teams, TV, streaming and more

Manchester City and Inter will face off in Istanbul for the European title

The UEFA Champions League final is on the horizon, with the biggest game in European men’s club soccer taking place in Istanbul this year.

Manchester City and Inter will square off in the showpiece, with City heavily favored to take home its first Champions League crown.

Inter has not been at its best domestically in 2022-23 but Simone Inzaghi’s side has been strong in the Champions League, advancing out of a group that also contained Bayern Munich and Barcelona before keeping clean sheets in five of its six knockout games so far.

City, meanwhile, has been typically dominant, with a +12 goal differential in six group-stage matches followed by a +14 mark in six knockout-round matches.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the Champions League final.

When is the Champions League final?

The 2022-23 Champions League final will kick off on Saturday, June 10 at 3 p.m. ET.

Champions League final on TV and streaming

In the United States, the Champions League final will be available to stream in English on Paramount+. Television information will be forthcoming.

Where is the Champions League final?

The 2022-23 Champions League final will take place at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Istanbul last hosted the Champions League final in 2005, when Liverpool famously defeated AC Milan on penalties after overcoming a three-goal halftime deficit to tie the match 3-3.

Who will play in the Champions League final?

For the first time since its treble-winning 2009-10 campaign, Inter has reached the Champions League final. The Milan side defeated Portuguese opposition in consecutive knockout rounds, getting past Porto and Benfica, before beating arch-rivals AC Milan in the semifinal.

The Nerazzurri will be major underdogs against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side, which is looking to finally win Europe’s biggest club competition for the first time.

City got past Bundesliga opposition in back-to-back knockout rounds, eliminating RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich before knocking out defending champion Real Madrid in the semifinal.

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Inter jumps all over AC Milan in Champions League semifinal first leg

Inter is in charge of the biggest Derby della Madonnina in 20 years

The Champions League version of the Derby della Madonnina was a dream for the blue half of Milan.

Inter scored two first-half goals to down AC Milan 2-0 in the first leg of their semifinal, with Edin Džeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan turning their side’s early dominance into a significant edge at the San Siro.

“It feels very good, especially because it’s a derby. We played away on paper. It’s a great result for us,” Džeko told BT Sport after the match. “Sometimes you get in this difficult moment where the ball doesn’t want to go in. Patience and work always pays off. I was calm knowing the goals would come as always. Today is the proof.”

Playing what is technically their home leg in a stadium the two teams share, AC Milan’s misery began in the eighth minute, with Džeko conjuring up a thunderous volley on an Inter corner kick.

On the positive side for the Rossoneri? UEFA has ditched the away goals rule. However, the negatives cover just about everything else, as Inter’s high pressure appeared to catch them off-guard throughout the first half. With stars Rafael Leão and Zlatan Ibrahimovic watching from the stands, AC Milan offered little threat of a comeback.

Inter made their superiority count, going up 2-0 just three minutes later. Federico DiMarco burst into space on the left before cutting the ball across the top of the box for Lautaro Martínez. The World Cup winner dummied the ball on for Mkhitaryan, who finished the move off with a powerful shot.

Things could have been worse, with Martínez initially winning a first-half penalty kick only for VAR to overturn the initial decision. Later, Inter felt hard done by after Rade Krunić was shown on replay to possibly strike Alessandro Bastoni with a closed fist while defending a set piece. No call was made, and on this occasion VAR didn’t intervene.

This was the biggest Milan derby in 20 years, when these teams met at this exact stage of the 2002-03 Champions League. Back then, AC Milan benefitted from the away goals rule, going through despite a 1-1 aggregate scoreline because their goal came in Inter’s “home” leg.

Despite the chances that they can avenge that particular outcome being high at this point, Džeko rejected the idea that Inter would ease up in the second leg.

“We’re an experienced team. We know what we’ve done today,” said the Bosnia and Herzegovina striker. “Nothing is yet finished. In the Champions League only great teams arrive in the semi-finals, so we have to be careful and concentrate like today.”

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Antonio Candreva asks, why put it in the mixer when you can just score?

Just a typical 90th minute equalizer scored from the touchline

What do you do when it’s the 90th minute, you’re down 1-0, and you’re stranded out on the touchline?

For most players, the answer is going to be one of two options: get it in the mixer, or beat your defender and get to the endline. The former has a century or so of use as a method, while the latter provides the possibility of a cutback, modern soccer’s preferred mode of chance generation from out wide.

If you’re Antonio Candreva, you have other options. The 36-year-old was in fact out on an island along the touchline in the 90th minute of Salernitana’s clash with Inter on Friday. Candreva’s a wily old veteran, but given that he has more appearances for Inter than any other club in his career, the Milan giants should know what tricks he has in store.

And yet, Candreva still conjured up a new solution. Who needs a cross or a cutback when you can just score yourself?

With Federico DiMarco standing well off of him, presumably out of fear of Candreva cutting inside on the dribble, the veteran sized the situation up. He bought some real estate first, hinting at an intention of crossing early before taking one more touch down the line to leave DiMarco too hesitant to close the space.

From there, Candreva repeated the movement, but this time he struck what Inter probably believed was going to be a cross…until it wasn’t.

Candreva’s ball in floated over André Onana, who on the play seemed to anticipate a cross, then shuffled right because Candreva could have just fired towards the near post with power.

While that was playing out with Onana, Candreva’s choice was to go back post, with a swirling delivery that dipped down at the last moment to get under the crossbar, inside the post, and give Salernitana a dramatic equalizer.

Candreva’s goal notable for both clubs

The goal may have a big impact at both ends of the Serie A table. For Salernitana, it secured a fifth straight draw, which is both strange and also probably just enough to make sure they won’t fall into the relegation scrap. They’re 15th in the 20-team league, but thanks to their recent run of avoiding losses (their last non-draw was, helpfully, a win), they have a 10-point cushion keeping the out of the drop zone.

The lost points are far more of a problem for Inter, who saw their winless run extend to six games. In that span, they’ve been passed in the table by AC Milan, and they could well find themselves out of a Champions League place by the end of the weekend. Roma trails both Milanese clubs by a point with a game in hand, while Atalanta would pass Inter with a win over Bologna on Saturday.

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Champions League draw: Real Madrid, Chelsea paired up in quarterfinals

Some enticing pairings are in place for the last-eight

UEFA has conducted the draw for the rest of the 2022-23 Champions League, charting a course from the quarterfinals onward.

The last two tournament winners, Real Madrid and Chelsea, were paired in one quarterfinal, while Manchester City and Bayern Munich were put together for another titanic clash. An all-Serie A battle between Napoli and AC Milan also came out of the pot, while Benfica will face Inter in the round’s final match-up.

The Champions League will play out over the next three months, with the quarterfinals set for mid-April. The semifinals will take place in mid-May, while the Champions League final is scheduled for June 10 in Turkey.

Here are the quarterfinal pairings:

Robert Lewandowski said ‘not today,’ made Champions League history with stunning last-second tying goal

“There is only one thing we say to elimination: Not today,” Lewandowski probably

Wednesday was an eventful day in the Champions League group stage.

Already on the brink in Group C behind Bayern Munich and Inter, Barcelona entered Wednesday’s matchup with, ironically, Inter (+575) needing at least a tie to stave off an unfortunate (and probably unforeseen) relegation to the Europa League. And after roughly 63 minutes of play, matters weren’t looking promising for the “Blaugrana.”

With Barcelona fighting for its life, Inter got off to what seemed like a commanding 2-1 lead following goals from Nicola Barella and Lautaro Martinez. A relegation seemed all but inevitable for Xavi’s talented and a little bit flawed bunch.

But then, in the 82nd minute … my goodness, that’s Robert Lewandowski’s music!

What a strike and what a moment for Barcelona. While a win would certainly make things easier on it as it would still control its own destiny, it’d still take hanging on for the tie in the final few minutes.

That’s when Robin Gosens buried the apparent dagger in the 89th minute to give Inter a 3-2 lead:

Oh, man. What a brutal way to be relegated.

(Holds hand to earpiece)

Is that the prolific Lewandowski again?

What a pass, and what an even better finish from one of the greatest goal-scorers in the history of soccer. With his heroic two-goal effort to (temporarily) keep Barcelona from being relegated, Lewandowski also made some Champions League history.

He officially joined Cristiano Ronaldo (140) and Lionel Messi (127) as the only players to ever 90 at least goals in the Champions League:

Unfortunately for Lewandowski, his individual prowess probably only staved off Barcelona’s inevitable relegation. If Inter defeats Viktoria Plzen at home later this month, Barcelona will officially step down to the Europa League.

For now, Lewandowski played hero and once again reminded everyone he’s one of the all-time best in the goal box.