Lukaku snatches late draw for Inter in fiery Italian Cup semifinal clash at Juve

Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku from Belgium scores a penalty during the Italian Cup semifinal first leg between Juventus and Inter Milan on Tuesday at the "Allianz Stadium" in Turin. (AFP)
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Updated 05 April 2023
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Lukaku snatches late draw for Inter in fiery Italian Cup semifinal clash at Juve

  • Belgium striker Lukaku rolled in from the penalty spot deep in stoppage time to keep both teams level ahead of the second leg in Milan

TURIN: Romelu Lukaku netted a last-gasp leveler in Inter Milan’s dramatic 1-1 draw at Juventus on Tuesday which left their Italian Cup semifinal all square after the first leg.

Belgium striker Lukaku rolled in from the penalty spot deep in stoppage time to keep both teams level ahead of the second leg in Milan later this month, before then being sent off following his celebrations in front of the home fans.

Juan Cuadrado thought he had given Juventus a lead to take to the San Siro in the 83rd minute of an intense match between bitter rivals in Turin which featured few goalscoring chances and ended with both teams at each other’s throats.

Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic were both sent off following the final whistle after a scuffle which continued as the teams went into the tunnel at the Allianz Stadium.

Lukaku’s spot-kick is good news for Inter coach Simone Inzaghi who is under pressure after a poor run of results which has led to them dropping to fourth in Serie A.

Angel Di Maria was unlucky not to put Juve ahead just after kick-off with a low drive which was brilliantly tipped away by Mattia Perin.

Inter grew into the game and were probably the better team after the break, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan dragging a great chance a whisker wide in the 64th minute after a spell of pressure from the away side.

Juve should however have taken the lead in the 77th minute when Arkadiusz Milik somehow failed to poke home Cuadrado’s mishit shot with the goal at his mercy.

Cuadrado then found what he thought was the decisive goal when he collected Adrien Rabiot’s diverted cross and finished well past Handanovic before doing a victory jig on the sidelines.

But then Gleison Bremer gift-wrapped a chance for Lukaku to score his sixth goal of a troubled season at Inter with a silly handball, after which all hell broke loose.

On Wednesday struggling Cremonese try to secure what would be a shock cup final spot when they host in-form Fiorentina.


Tottenham Hotspur sack manager Frank with relegation dogfight looming

Updated 11 February 2026
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Tottenham Hotspur sack manager Frank with relegation dogfight looming

  • Pressure on Thomas Frank had been mounting and Tuesday’s 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle United left his team in 16th place

LONDON: Tottenham ‌Hotspur have sacked manager Thomas Frank after nine months in charge, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, after a woeful run of results left the north London club hovering five points above the relegation zone.
Pressure on Frank had been mounting and Tuesday’s 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle United left his team in 16th place with 29 points from 26 matches and looking over their ‌shoulder at the ‌relegation zone.
“Thomas was appointed in ‌June ⁠2025, and we have ⁠been determined to give him the time and support needed to build for the future together,” Spurs said in a statement.
“However, results and performances have led the Board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is ⁠necessary.”
Frank, who joined Brentford in 2018 ‌and established them as ‌a top-flight club after gaining promotion, has struggled to replicate ‌those methods at last season’s Europa League ‌winners Tottenham.
The writing looked to be on the wall for the 52-year-old after Tuesday’s defeat by Newcastle United — their 11th of the league campaign.
Supporters left no doubt ‌about their feelings with jeers ringing out around the club’s stadium and chants ⁠of “You’re getting ⁠sacked in the morning” directed at Frank.
It was Tottenham’s seventh league defeat at home in the Premier League this season and they have won only two of their 13 league games in front of their own fans.
Tottenham supporters were also singing the name of former coach Mauricio Pochettino, who got them to the 2019 Champions League final, on Tuesday. The Argentine is currently manager of the US men’s national team.