Juventus’ shock loss at Monza raises doubts over Allegri

Monza’s Christian Gytkjaer scores their first goal past Juventus’ Mattia Perin in their Serie A match on Sunday. (Reuters)
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Updated 19 September 2022
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Juventus’ shock loss at Monza raises doubts over Allegri

  • Allegri was already under pressure after Juventus lost their second straight Champions League match midweek

MILAN: Two of the top Serie A coaches are already feeling the pressure after Juventus and Inter Milan surprisingly lost on Sunday.

Promoted Monza probably didn’t expect their first-ever Serie A win to come against Juventus but it managed to beat Massimiliano Allegri’s side 1-0. Juventus played most of the match with 10 men following Ángel Di María’s red card.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter side were earlier beaten 3-1 at Udinese, for their third loss of the season.

Allegri was already under pressure after Juventus lost their second straight Champions League match midweek. It was unbeaten in Serie A but had only won two of their opening six matches.

The Bianconeri were perhaps expecting an easier match at Monza, which was winless and had conceded 14 goals in its six games.

However, Juventus had barely a sight of goal and their chances of getting a morale-boosting win diminished when Di María was needlessly sent off in the 40th minute for elbowing Monza defender Armando Izzo forcefully in the chest.

And the home fans went wild in the 74th when Patrick Ciurria whipped in a cross from the right and Christian Lund Gytkjær volleyed in at the near post.

Monza is owned by former AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.

GIANTKILLERS

Udinese continued its surprising start to the season as it recorded their fifth straight win.

Nicolò Barella curled in a fantastic free kick in the fifth minute to get Inter off to the perfect start but Udinese leveled in the 22nd when Roberto Pereyra’s free kick went in off Milan Škriniar for an own-goal.

Udinese hit the post before Jaka Bijol headed in a corner with three minutes remaining and Tolgay Arslan made sure of the points in stoppage time with a diving header.

MOURINHO TO MISS INTER

Roma coach José Mourinho will miss the match against his former club Inter after being sent off in the defeat to Atalanta.

Mourinho was shown a red card in the 57th minute after going onto the field to remonstrate with referee Daniele Chiffi who had awarded a free kick to Atalanta rather than what Mourinho thought should have been a penalty for his side. Mourinho became even more infuriated and had to be held back by a member of his staff.

Roma’s next match is at Inter after the international break. Mourinho steered Inter to the treble of the Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup in 2010.

Teenage defender Giorgio Scalvini scored the only goal of the match at the Stadio Olimpico, firing into the bottom right corner in the 35th minute.

Also, Lazio won 4-0 at Cremonese and Fiorentina beat Hellas Verona 2-0.


Real Madrid, Zalgiris headline adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi

The finals in May will be staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four in the Greek capital. Supplied
Updated 26 February 2026
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Real Madrid, Zalgiris headline adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi

  • 8 top under-18 teams compete for place in Athens final in May
  • Tournament is at city’s Space42 Arena from Feb. 27 to March 1

RIYADH: Abu Dhabi will have Europe’s brightest young basketball talent this week at the adidas NextGen EuroLeague tournament. 

Eight of the continent’s leading under-18 teams will compete from Feb. 27 to March 1 at Space42 Arena, with a place at the finals in Athens on the line. The finals in May will be staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four in the Greek capital.

Defending continental champions Zalgiris Kaunas and five-time title holders Real Madrid headline the Abu Dhabi qualifier, which forms part of the 2025–26 adidas NextGen EuroLeague season.

The eight teams have been divided into two groups of four and will play in a round-robin format. The winners of each group will advance to Sunday’s championship game, while placement fixtures will determine the remaining standings.

The Abu Dhabi event follows the Ulm qualifier, won by U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, who have already secured their place in Athens. The winners of upcoming tournaments in Bologna (March 13–15) and Belgrade (March 20–22) will complete the finals lineup.

Group A features Real Madrid alongside U18 Aris Thessaloniki, U18 Dubai Basketball and U18 AS Monaco.

Aris enter their third season in the competition, having finished seventh at the Munich qualifier last year with a 2–2 record after placing sixth in Abu Dhabi the previous campaign.

Dubai Basketball are also competing in their third NextGen season. The UAE side finished eighth in Ulm last year with a 0–4 record but claimed a notable win over U18 Mega Super Belgrade at the NextGen Finals. 

However, they missed another victory against U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan to finish 1–2 overall. Dubai previously hosted a 2024 qualifier, ending with a 1–3 record.

Monaco make their second appearance after an eighth-place finish in Paris in 2024. 

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be aiming to reassert their dominance after an uncharacteristic third-place finish at last season’s Munich qualifier ended a streak of 11 consecutive qualifying tournament victories. 

The Spanish powerhouse had also won 19 straight NextGen games dating back to the 2022 finals in Belgrade before falling to Zalgiris in the group stage last year.

Real are the competition’s most successful club with five continental titles (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024) and are competing in their 19th consecutive season since 2007–08.

Group B has reigning champions Zalgiris Kaunas take on U18 London Lions, U18 Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi and U18 Valencia Basket. London Lions make their tournament debut as the club continues to expand their European presence.

The Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi compete in their fifth season and second under head coach Dogus Balbay, a two-time EuroLeague champion. He is assisted by former Italian international Massimo Bulleri and Kheeryoung Rhee.

Valencia Basket are making their 10th appearance in the competition and their eighth in succession. The Spanish side have twice reached the finals, in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2019 and as hosts in 2021, and finished runners-up in Munich last season after three consecutive fifth-place finishes. 

Zalgiris, one of the most storied names in the tournament’s history, are appearing in their 24th edition — having featured in every NextGen season since its inception.

The Lithuanian club won the inaugural event in 2003, added another title in 2007 and lifted the trophy again last summer in Abu Dhabi. They also reached the championship game in 2005, 2006 and 2011, underlining their pedigree at youth level.