Tag: Roma

AC Milan’s trophy hopes dashed as Roma claims Europa League semifinal place

Milan had high hopes for this season, but will end it without even a final after a frustrating loss to Roma

Just like that, AC Milan’s entire season boils down to qualifying for the Champions League.

The Rossoneri’s last chance at silverware ended in frustration on Thursday, as a 2-1 loss at Roma completed a 3-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of the club’s Serie A rivals.

Even an early Zeki Çelik red card wasn’t enough for Milan, who couldn’t solve Daniele De Rossi’s side after falling behind in the game’s opening stages.

“Roma deserved it. They put more quality on the pitch than us,” a downbeat Milan boss Stefano Pioli said in a post-match interview with RAI Sport. “I expected the team to play better and win. I’m not satisfied with tonight’s effort.”

The loss means that Milan — who trail city rivals Inter by a whopping 14 points in Serie A — has little to play for beyond sealing a place in next year’s Champions League.

Atalanta (who also advanced to the Europa League semifinals on Wednesday with a 3-1 aggregate win over Liverpool) knocked Pioli’s club out of the Coppa Italia back in January, and with Roma advancing at the Stadio Olimpico, an all-Italy final may still await.

For Milan, however, this will go down as a strange, disappointing day at the office. Roma’s 1-0 win at the San Siro was already a difficult scoreline to overturn, and the Rossoneri did seemingly everything possible to make the situation worse in the second leg’s early minutes.

Just 12 minutes in, Milan stood by passively as Lorenzo Pellegrini’s curler smacked off the post, then collectively continued to watch as Gianluca Mancini waltzed in to steer the rebound home.

Roma dropped off, but maintained a direct threat that Milan would rue just 10 minutes later. Romelu Lukaku couldn’t make the initial attack count, but again the second phase favored Roma: the loose ball fell to Paulo Dybala for a ruthless finish.

Still, Milan got a lifeline, with Çelik getting a 31st-minute red card after a wild swipe took Rafael Leão out from behind.

Meanwhile, the game descended into odd territory. The rain in Rome turned to sleet, while the teams combined to make three substitutions before halftime. Lukaku left with an injury in the 28th minute, while both clubs made tactical changes due to the red card, the scoreline, and the nature of cup soccer.

Pioli kept throwing numbers at Milan’s problems, and two more halftime substitutions saw a move to a 4-1-3-2 formation with Christian Pulisic playing underneath two out-and-out strikers, while his U.S. men’s national teammate Yunus Musah was stationed at right back.

The problem for Milan? None of this particularly worked, and despite attempting 20 shots, the Rossoneri were unable to truly worry Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.

Only once Milan seemed to have accept defeat did the breakthrough come, though Matteo Gabbia’s 85th minute goal was nothing but a consolation.

Milan’s work this season isn’t over, with the next week including games against Inter and Juventus. However, with Serie A virtually certain to go to the blue half of the city and Milan nearly mathematically sure of a spot in next season’s Champions League, April and May will be as much about sorting out where a promising season went wrong as it is anything else.

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Roma defender Ndicka released from hospital after in-game collapse

The defender was rushed to the hospital after collapsing against Udinese on Sunday

Roma defender Evan Ndicka has been released from the hospital after a frightening collapse during Sunday’s match against Udinese.

Ndicka bent down and fell to the turf during the second half of the match with what Roma later said was a “medical emergency.” The 24-year-old was rushed to the hospital, and the match was abandoned with the score tied 1-1 at Bluenergy Stadium in Udine.

“Evan is feeling better and is in good spirits,” Roma posted on X in the aftermath of the match. “He will remain in the hospital for further observations. Forza Evan!”

On Monday, the club provided another update, saying that test had come out negative for “cardiac pathologies” and that he had suffered a collapsed lung.

According to a club statement:

Following acute precordial pain and atypical alternations in the EKG administered in the first aid room at the stadium, the player Evan Ndicka was hospitalized at the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in Udine.

First and second-level cardiological tests were administered that were negative for cardiac pathologies. In light of the last tests undergone this morning, the medical situation is compatible with a thoracic trauma with minimal left pneumothorax [collapsed lung].

The player was discharged and will undergo additional tests in Rome.

AS Roma wishes to thank Udinese Calcio, referee Mr. Pairetto, the public present at the stadium in Udine and the medical and health staff at the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in Udine for their great professionalism and availability.

In those frantic minutes of apprehension, we all together demonstrated sports values and placed protecting life at first place.

Ndicka was born in Paris, but plays internationally for Ivory Coast after representing France at various youth levels. He joined Roma as a free agent prior to the current season after spending five seasons in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt.

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AC Milan draws Serie A rival Roma in Europa League quarterfinal

The Rossoneri will face a familiar foe in the Europa League last eight.

AC Milan will face a familiar foe in the Europa League quarterfinal.

The Rossoneri were paired with Serie A rival Roma in Friday’s draw, with both sides chasing their only chance at silverware this season.

Milan reached the last eight with a comprehensive 7-3 aggregate win over Slavia Prague, as Christian Pulisic scored in both legs of the tie. Roma, meanwhile, defeated Brighton 4-1 on aggregate in their last-16 matchup.

Milan will host the first leg on April 11 at San Siro, with the second leg taking place on April 18 in the Italian capital.

Roma and Milan have met once this season, with the Rossoneri winning 2-1 in Rome in a Serie A match back in September.

The winner of Milan’s tie with Roma will face either Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham in the semifinal.

The other semifinal will see the winner of Liverpool vs. Atalanta take on the winner of Benfica vs. Marseille.

2023-24 Europa League quarterfinal draw

AC Milan vs. Roma
Liverpool vs. Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen vs. West Ham
Benfica vs. Marseille

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Europa League final referee, family abused by Roma fans at airport

Ugly scenes at the airport as Anthony Taylor attempted to leave Budapest

A Roma fan was arrested by Hungarian police after fans threatened Europa League final referee Anthony Taylor and his family at Budapest’s airport on Thursday.

The arrest comes one day after Roma fans spotted Taylor and his family about to board a flight home, with many loudly chanting at and mobbing the group. Security staff intervened, but not before video showed drinks and a chair being thrown in Taylor’s direction.

A statement from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and local police published by The Mirror said that “Anthony Taylor, the referee of the UEFA Europa League final, was involved in an incident at Ferenc Liszt International (Budapest) Airport yesterday evening. Fans of the losing Roma team recognized the referee in the food court of the airport, where he was waiting for his flight to depart,” before later adding that “the Italian citizen involved in the incident was apprehended by the police and criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of affray.”

Fans react after Mourinho rage

Taylor was the referee for a contentious Europa League final that ended with Roma falling on penalty kicks to Sevilla. The match featured a record 14 yellow cards, and Roma manager Jose Mourinho focused most of his post-game remarks on criticizing Taylor, strongly implying a bias against the Roman side.

Mourinho then followed up his press conference tirade by waiting in the team bus parking lot to call Taylor a “f—–g crook” with enough vigor that a staffer was seen restraining him. Mourinho was, predictably, charged by UEFA for the whole episode.

While it’s easy to write that off as Mourinho being Mourinho — over the last few months alone, he’s called one of his own players a traitor, was sent off for yelling at referees in a loss to Cremonese, jeered children, and wore a wire while coaching — there’s a big difference between harsh words in a press conference or from the touchline compared to physically waiting around to accost a referee in a parking lot.

While there are failures of security involved in sending a referee of a big match to a public food court among fans of the defeated team, the general air around how the game was officiated could have been tamped down by Mourinho and others. Taking the step from disagreement with calls to accusations of outright bias creates an atmosphere where referees are pressured, intimidated, or outright put in danger.

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Mourinho waits in parking lot to tell referee he’s a ‘f—–g disgrace’

The Roma manager didn’t think he got enough face time with Anthony Taylor during the game

José Mourinho was not a fan of referee Anthony Taylor’s performance in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

The Roma manager said so in his post-game press conference after his side fell on penalties to Sevilla following a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

But that wasn’t enough for the Portuguese manager. Mourinho also wanted to again tell Taylor to his face how displeased he was. So he waited outside the Roma team bus to find the referee and tell him that his performance was a “f—–g disgrace” and that the Englishman and his fellow referees were “f—–g crooks.”

Mourinho goes off in press conference

Prior to the parking lot confrontation, Mourinho told the media exactly how he felt about Taylor and his crew.

“The referee seemed like he was Spanish,” Mourinho said. “The result was not fair, and there are a lot of instances to reexamine.”

Some of those instances included Taylor not giving Roma a penalty kick in the second half after an alleged handball, as well as the referee not sending Erik Lamela off for a second yellow card.

“This is a European final, and with this kind of refereeing, it is hard to accept. If we talk about refereeing situations, it’s not two or three: it is many, quite apart from the big decisions. Those of us who have been in football a long time realize immediately what is going on,” Mourinho said.

“[Lorenzo] Pellegrini falls in box and given a yellow card; [Lucas] Ocampos did exactly the same thing and he doesn’t get one. It’s a scandal. VAR called the referee and shames Ocampos, but there’s no card given.

“Lamela — who, by the way, scored one of the penalties — deserved a second yellow but didn’t get it. And let’s not even talk about the big decisions. That’s just the small details.”

Taylor did award 14 yellow cards in the match, a new record for a Europa League final.

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No one loves anything like Sevilla loves the Europa League

Sevilla did what they do, winning the Europa League for a seventh time

Sevilla, as is seemingly always the case, won the Europa League, triumphing in a penalty kick shootout after a 1-1 extra time draw with Roma.

It’s Sevilla’s seventh Europa League title, by far the most of any club (even if you include winners from the tournament’s former life as the UEFA Cup). Remarkably, all of those triumphs have come since 2006, and represent over half of the club’s major trophies.

It also makes clear which unusual phenomenon, between Sevilla’s invincibility in the Europa League and Jose Mourinho’s perfect record in European finals, is more powerful. Mourinho had won all five of his previous finals, winning in this competition, the Champions League, and even the Europa Conference League. Until Wednesday, Mourinho’s sides hadn’t even given up a goal in a final since the 2002-03 UEFA Cup.

However, Sevilla’s astounding history in the Europa League continued after an own goal got the Spanish side level in a dour, attritional final. Sevilla survived a Chris Smalling header that clipped the bar in the 11th minute of stoppage time in extra time, before showing more nerve in a penalty kick tiebreaker.

Roma — who have been less than stellar from the spot during the 2022-23 season — had to watch Sevilla go four-for-four in the shootout, while Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibañez saw their shots saved by Yassine Bounou.

The reactions, predictably, were over the top.

Jose Mourinho loves all his former teams — except Tottenham

Getting sacked a week before a cup final can leave a bitter taste

José Mourinho has said he has fond feelings for every club that he’s managed in his career, except for one: Tottenham.

Mourinho was in charge in north London from November 2019 to April 2021. The Portuguese said that his lack of love for Spurs stems from the majority of his games being played without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the timing of his sacking.

“Look, the reality is — I hope the Tottenham fans don’t get me wrong — but the only club in my career where I still don’t have a deep feeling with is Tottenham,” Mourinho told reporters.

“Probably because the stadium was empty (during) Covid time. Probably because Mr. Levy didn’t let me win a final and win a trophy.”

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy made the decision to sack Mourinho one week before the club was due to face Manchester City in the 2021 Carabao Cup final. With Ryan Mason in charge as interim manager, Spurs fell 1-0 to Pep Guardiola’s side at Wembley Stadium.

Mourinho has coached Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United, among others in his illustrious career. He is currently in charge at Roma.

“In all other clubs, there has always been a solid bond because people are not stupid,” Mourinho added. “It’s not about winning or losing. Fans understand that I fight for them every day. In my case, I am Romaista, Madridista and Interista and it’s a mutual thing. I will forever be tied to Roma and the other clubs I’ve coached.”

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Mourinho wore a wire during Roma’s draw with Monza, because of course he did

Completely normal behavior from Mourinho

If you had to pick the one person in soccer who is most likely to have wear a wire out of paranoia over a referee, you’d pick Jose Mourinho, right?

When it comes to pioneering new ways for top-level soccer to be strange and acrimonious, the Special One never disappoints, and sure enough he was out there reenacting “Donnie Brasco” during Roma’s 1-1 draw with Monza on Wednesday.

“I’m not stupid, you know,” Mourinho — in extremely predictable fashion — said to reporters after the match. “Today, I went to the game with a microphone. I recorded everything. From the moment I left the locker room to the moment I returned. I protected myself.”

Photos of Mourinho from the game bear this out, with the Portuguese manager seen clearly wearing a microphone clipped to the top of the zipper of his hoodie.

(Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)

According to Mourinho, the rationale for this reasonable and definitely not at all overblown choice was a mistrust of referee Daniele Chiffi, who Mourinho declared “the worst referee I have met in my life.”

Chiffi has officiated 13 Serie A matches this season, and 86 in his career. This year, he experienced some personal firsts, including officiating a UEFA Conference League match and an international friendly between Hungary and Greece.

‘He is the worst’

“Technically he’s horrible. Zero empathy. Zero communication. Zero awareness,” said Mourinho as he railed against the 38-year-old referee, who sent Zeki Çelik off late in stoppage time. “He is the worst.”

“A second yellow to a guy who slips in the 96th minute,” said an exasperated Mourinho. “I stopped [talking to him] 20-30 minutes from the end because I knew he would give me a red card for anything. I didn’t give him the opportunity, I decided no, that’s enough.”

In the least shocking item in this article, this is not Mourinho’s first run-in with Serie A referees since joining Roma. Mourinho was sent off during a shock loss to Cremonese, and was then given a two-game suspension and a fine after storming into the referees’ locker room after the match to continue his arguments.

Among Mourinho’s claims at the time was that referee Marco Serra had a bias towards Juventus, and that he would consider legal action against the fourth official (as of now, that threat has not turned into any sort of lawsuit).

This is also not Mourinho’s first clash with Chiffi. In September, Chiffi sent the veteran manager off during a 1-0 Roma loss to Atalanta. Mourinho ended up having to be restrained before just barely leaving the pitch and setting up shop as close as possible to Roma’s bench.

During the 2022-23 season, Mourinho has not just focused on referees. He’s also gone after children, showing up at an under-14 match to jeer Lazio players. Roma players have also had to deal with his…unique style, with  defender Rick Karsdorp accused of being “a traitor” after a draw with Sassuolo.

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Dutch federation to abandon matches over fan trouble after Klaassen struck by lighter

It’s been an ugly year in the stands for Dutch soccer

The KNVB has had it with unruly supporters.

The Dutch soccer federation had to face down yet another example of terrible fan behavior after Davy Klaassen was left bleeding after being hit by a lighter thrown by a Feyenoord supporter in Ajax’s 2-1 KNVB Cup semifinal win on Wednesday. Klaassen initially tried to play on after the incident, but eventually asked for a substitution.

The BBC reported that Dutch police had arrested a man in connection to the incident, along with 21 other fans who attended a match that had already been marred by anti-Semitic chants and smoke bombs that delayed kickoff at De Kuip.

For the federation, this latest incident was apparently a red line. The KNVB issued a statement on Thursday announcing new guidelines for referees to deal with crowd trouble at Dutch matches. In essence, the guidelines will make it much more likely that referees abandon matches should conditions become unsafe.

“With these steps, potential perpetrators will hopefully no longer dream of attacking the main players on the field,” read the KNVB statement. “We’re done with that.”

The new regulations specifically address objects being thrown on the field, and supporters entering the field. For objects, whether they’re as dangerous as the lighter that hit Klaassen or not, the KNVB says referees must stop play and direct the teams off the pitch for a spell.

If play resumes and more objects are thrown onto the field, referees are to abandon the game immediately. That’s also what they’re to do if an object strikes a player, even if it’s the first object thrown from the stands.

With supporters entering the field, the rules are the same. One fan coming onto the pitch means stopping the game temporarily, while a second means abandoning the match. If, as happened when a PSV fan tried to punch Sevilla’s Marko Dmitrović in the Europa League, a supporter attempts to attack a player, the match will be abandoned on the spot.

KNVB not alone in taking action

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte decried the Klaassen incident as “intolerable,” with a government investigation apparently being considered. For their part, Feyenoord said they will close the section of De Kuip that the lighter was thrown from for their Europa League quarterfinal against Roma on April 13.

The situation over that match was already tense. Per Reuters, Italian authorities had banned Dutch fans from attending the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico over damage done to the historic Fontana della Barcaccia when Feyenoord last faced Roma back in 2015. UEFA issued a corresponding edict to ban Italian fans from attending the first leg at De Kuip.

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Jose Mourinho on USMNT job: ‘Everyone loves me but nobody calls me’

The legendary Portuguese coach was linked with the USMNT job in January

If U.S. Soccer is interested in José Mourinho as its next U.S. men’s national team head coach, he hasn’t heard anything about it yet.

Mourinho was linked with the USMNT job earlier this year, though the origin of that report made it somewhat dubious.

And as it turns out, Mourinho himself has now said he’s heard nothing from U.S. Soccer about potentially filling the role.

The current Roma boss was asked by Fox Sports Mexico about the reports, and in typical Mourinho fashion he responded: “Everyone loves me but no one calls me.”

The 60-year-old added that the only national team job he’s ever been offered is his home country Portugal — but he was unable to accept.

“Every week someone loves me,” he continued. “Be it a club, be it a national team but the only one that has called me has been the Portuguese team, which I have not been able to accept.”

Mourinho, who took over Roma prior to last season, has a contract with the Giallorossi through the 2023-24 campaign.

The USMNT is currently being guided on an interim basis by Anthony Hudson, who is likely to be in charge through the summer as U.S. Soccer looks to hire a sporting director before a USMNT head coach.

Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired at the end of 2022, and the federation continues to insist he is in the mix for a new contract despite the scandal that exploded into public view in January.

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