ROME: Take note, Manchester City: the bigger the match, the bigger the performance from Lautaro Martinez lately.
After scoring key goals against Benfica and city rival AC Milan to help secure Inter Milan a spot in the Champions League final, Martinez netted twice as the Nerazzurri produced a 2-1 comeback win over Fiorentina to defend the Italian Cup trophy on Wednesday.
It’s the second trophy that Inter has won this season after also beating Milan in the Italian Super Cup in January — when Martinez also scored.
After a couple of matches to finish up Serie A, Martinez and Inter will be aiming for one more trophy when they face City in the Champions League final on June 10 in Istanbul.
“In all honesty, I am moved, because for a couple of years we have been bringing trophies to this great club and we’ve got to continue this way,” said Martinez, who also played a big role when Inter won Serie A in 2021. “I want to keep contributing for Inter, because that’s what matters.”
Martinez now has a career-best 27 goals across all competitions for Inter this season, having also helped Argentina win the World Cup in December. He’s also the only player to have appeared in all 54 of Inter’s matches this season.
The match at the Stadio Olimpico was lively from the start as Nicolas Gonzalez put Fiorentina ahead three minutes in following a lapse by Inter’s defense. A cross from Jonathan Ikone was allowed to float across the area for Gonzalez to knock in at the far post.
Then Martinez took over to put Inter ahead before the break.
First, a perfectly placed through ball from Marcelo Brozovic set up the equalizer as Martinez ran onto the pass and scored with an angled shot into the far corner for his 100th goal with Inter. Then Martinez produced an acrobatic volley to redirect in a pass from Nicolo Barella.
Martinez also nearly produced another goal when he set up Edin Dzeko with only the goalkeeper to beat but Dzeko’s shot sailed high over the bar.
Fiorentina will play West Ham in the Europa Conference League final on June 7.
It’s the ninth Italian Cup title for Inter, while Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi has now won seven of his eight finals as a manager.
“We started poorly and had the wrong approach, which is rare for us, but the guys did well to stay in the game anyhow and then turn it around,” Inzaghi said.
By reaching the final, Inter and Fiorentina had each already qualified for next season’s expanded Italian Super Cup, which will feature four teams that also include Serie A champion Napoli and the league runner-up.
Lautaro Martinez scores 2 as Inter beats Fiorentina 2-1 for Italian Cup title
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Lautaro Martinez scores 2 as Inter beats Fiorentina 2-1 for Italian Cup title
- It’s the second trophy that Inter has won this season after also beating Milan in the Italian Super Cup in January — when Martinez also scored
’We’ll see:’ Messi unsure about 2026 World Cup
- For now, Messi said he is focused on the 2024 US-hosted Copa America tournament
- Messi reiterated his disappointment with not having received sufficient “recognition” at his former French club Paris Saint-Germain after holding aloft the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina captain Lionel Messi has said he is unsure about his participation in the next World Cup to be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026, when he will be 39.
“I don’t know if I will get there,” he told Argentine media personality Miguel Garrados in an interview broadcast on YouTube Thursday. “I don’t think about it yet because it is far away.”
For now, Messi said he is focused on the 2024 US-hosted Copa America tournament.
“After the Copa America we’ll see, it will depend on how I feel,” he said. “There are still three years left.”
Messi led Argentina to victory against France in the World Cup final in Qatar last December.
In the interview, he reiterated his disappointment with not having received sufficient “recognition” at his former French club Paris Saint-Germain after holding aloft the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He claimed he was the only one of his Argentine team mates “who got no recognition” from his club.
“It was not what I expected but I’ve always said that things happen for a reason,” Messi said of his Paris years, adding he “wasn’t well there.”
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner had already stated on numerous occasions that he was unhappy at PSG before moving to Florida to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Liverpool fight back again to edge LASK on Europa League return
- Romelu Lukaku earned last year’s beaten finalists Roma a 2-1 victory at Sheriff
- Bayer Leverkusen crushed Swedes Hacken 4-0, Rennes cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in France, Spaniards Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece
PARIS: Liverpool fell behind for the fourth time in five matches this season but fought back to beat LASK 3-1 in Linz in the Europa League on Thursday.
Elsewhere in the early matches in the first round of the group stage of the second-tier European competition, Romelu Lukaku earned last year’s beaten finalists Roma a 2-1 victory at Sheriff.
Bayer Leverkusen crushed Swedes Hacken 4-0, Rennes cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in France, Spaniards Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece.
Liverpool, playing in the Europa League for the first time since finishing runners up in 2016, changed their entire starting 11 away to LASK and quickly fell behind.
In the 14th minute, Sascha Horvath lobbed a corner to Florian Flecker just outside the Liverpool box. The Austrian midfielder controlled the dropping ball before smashing a rocket shot past Caoimhin Kelleher in the Liverpool goal.
Darwin Nunez levelled with a 55th-minute penalty kick after Luis Diaz was brought down.
After 61 minutes, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp started to replace teenagers with regular starters.
Within two minutes they were ahead when Ryan Gravenberch burst down the right and crossed low for Diaz to score from close range.
Two minutes from the end Mohamed Salah, a second-half replacement, poked home a third.
In Moldova, Leandro Paredes scored four minutes into first-half injury time to give Roma the lead away to Sheriff.
Colombian Cristian Tovar levelled but Romelu Lukaku gave Jose Mourinho’s team a narrow victory.
In the Conference League, Aston Villa, returning to European competition after a 12-year gap, fell behind in the third minute to Legia Warsaw and despite equalising twice lost 3-2.
Pawel Wszolek met a cross from the left with a sliding volley to put Legia ahead.
Jhon Duran levelled after six minutes heading in a rebound after a Nicolo Zaniolo shot.
But the Poles regained the lead after 25 minutes when Wszolek crossed from the right and Ernest Muci scored on the half volley.
Lucas Digne levelled with a deflected shot from the edge of the box after 38 minutes but Muci settled the game with a low shot after 51 minutes.
Croatians Zrinjski Mostar came from three goals down to beat visiting AZ Alkmaar 4-3.
Myron Van Brederode, Sven Mijnans and Dani de Wit put the Dutch side three goals up by half-time.
Zvonimir Kozulj started the comeback after 48 minutes and ended it in the 81st minute, sandwiching goals from Josip Corluka and Aldin Hrvanovic.
Neymar draws blank as Al-Hilal draw with Damac
- Early goal from Malcom put the visitors ahead as Al-Hilal looked to bounce back from a disappointing opening game 1-1 draw in the Asian Champions League with Navbahor
- Nicolae Stanciu lined up a free-kick for Damac and the Romanian’s shot took an awkward bounce as Bounou went down to make the save and it ended up in the net
Neymar is still looking for his first goal in Saudi Arabia as Al-Hilal were held to a 1-1 draw with lowly Damac on Thursday. Despite the dropped points, the Riyadh giants return to the capital as league leaders with 17 points from the first seven games of the season.
An early goal from Malcom put the visitors ahead as they looked to bounce back from a disappointing opening game 1-1 draw in the Asian Champions League on Monday with Navbahor of Uzbekistan. It didn’t quite work out that way as Damac produced a performance that belied their next-to-bottom league standing.
Hilal coach Jorge Jesus fielded a strong line-up containing the club’s big summer signings. Neymar was in attack alongside fellow Brazilian Malcom. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic also started, as did Kalidou Koulibaly in defense and Yassine Bounou between the sticks. Ruben Neves came off the bench at the start of the second half.
By that time the men in white were looking for a bit of a cushion as Damac, still looking for a first win of the season with just three points from the opening six games, had their moments.
Malcom fired the opener after just nine minutes but there was much to thank Neymar for. The former Barcelona star had dropped deep — as he did on numerous occasions — to pick up possession. He then threaded a pass through two defenders on the left for Salem Al-Dawsari to get to the byline — to pull back for the Brazilian to smash the ball high into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
Al-Hilal wanted a second, and almost immediately from the restart, attacked down the same side but this time Al-Dawsari’s low ball, with Neymar waiting in the middle, was cut out.
Damac almost levelled after 14 minutes. Abdulaziz Al-Bishi blocked a poor clearance, and after pushing Bounou out of the way on the right side, could not curl the ball into the empty net from the tightest of angles. It was a let-off for the 18-time champions.
There was another warning on the half-hour. Assan Ceesay looked like he was going to give Damac the lead as he shot from inside the area but Bounou was quick off his line to make the save.
Then Neymar should have scored. With eight minutes of the first half remaining, Malcom drew a number of defenders on the right side and then slipped the perfect pass into his fellow Brazilian, unmarked near the penalty spot. Neymar shot toward the bottom corner but was denied by the heel of Sultan Faqihi.
Just before the break, Damac came even closer as Farouk Chafai headed against the Hilal crossbar. The hosts continued to push for the equalizer after the break and got back on level terms midway through the second half. It was a deserved goal though slightly soft from the point of view of the visitors.
There didn’t seem to be a huge amount of danger when Nicolae Stanciu lined up a free-kick more than 30 meters from goal, but the Romanian’s shot took an awkward bounce as Bounou went down to make the save and it ended up in the net.
Soon after, Milinkovic-Savic produced a pass of beauty to dissect the Damac defense and while Neymar made his run behind the backline, he could not quite guide the ball between the posts.
Both teams continued to push forward for the winner but neither managed it. It was a second successive disappointing 1-1 draw for Al-Hilal.
Elsewhere, Gina Wijnaldum announced his arrival in Saudi Arabia with a brace as Ettifaq picked up a dramatic 4-3 win at home to Al-Tai.
The former Liverpool star scored the fastest goal of the season so far, after 79 seconds, to give the Dammam men the lead. A hat-trick from Bernand Mensah ensured that Al-Tai were in the game as Moussa Dembele and then a second from Wijnaldum ensured it was 3-3 as the game entered injury time.
With 94 minutes on the clock Dembele struck again to send the team third, just a point behind leaders Al-Hilal.
Al-Taawoun are second after a 2-1 win at home to Al-Raed.
Oman hosts 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth Football in December
- The championship will be held for footballers born in 2008
- The tournament’s draw will take place on November 23, 2023
MUSCAT: The Omani Football Federation will be hosting the 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth in Muscat between December 10 and 20, 2023.
Seven Arab countries including Jordan, UAE, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Yemen, in addition to the host, Oman, will participate in the championship that is being held for footballers born in 2008, said a media statement on Thursday.
The tournament’s draw is scheduled to take place on November 23, 2023, at the West Asian Union Headquarters in Jordan’s capital, Amman, and will be broadcast on its official YouTube page.
The Jordanian national team won the 9th championship which was held in Aqaba City, in Jordan, during the summer of 2022 after winning the final match 1-0 against Lebanon.
Along with the two finalists, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Syria and Iraq participated in the tournament’s ninth edition.
South Korea thump Thailand 4-0 to reach Asian Games last 16
- Hosts China and North Korea also registered second successive wins
- South Korea raced into a 4-0 lead by half-time at the Jinhua Sports Center stadium
HANGZHOU, China: Defending Asian Games men’s football champions South Korea became the first team into the last 16 after a 4-0 cruise past Thailand on Thursday.
Hosts China and North Korea also registered second successive wins and both need only a point from their final group games on Sunday to guarantee a place in the knockout phase.
South Korea raced into a 4-0 lead by half-time at the Jinhua Sports Center stadium via a goal apiece for Hong Hyun-seok, An Jae-jun, Um Wong-san and Lee Jae-ik.
It sparked thoughts that the gold medal winners from Jakarta in 2018 might repeat their 9-0 opening game rout of Kuwait on Tuesday, but the Thais were more resolute in the second half.
China had a sizeable crowd at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium rocking by half-time as they also went 4-0 up before the break against Myanmar.
Two goals from Long Tan and one apiece from Dai Wenjun and Wang Zhenao put them into cruise control and though they peppered the Myanmar goal in the second half they, like the South Koreans, could not add to their score.
Earlier on Thursday, India kept their last-16 hopes alive by edging Bangladesh 1-0 with a goal from 39-year-old striker Sunil Chhetri.
“I feel relief that we gave ourselves a chance to stay in the tournament,” said the veteran.
India lost their opening game 5-1 to China on Tuesday but can still go through from Group A if they beat Myanmar on Sunday.
“It wasn’t easy, playing back-to-back in two days, and in three days we have a game again. There are no excuses though as the other teams are doing the same,” Chhetri added.
“This gives us a chance of going at Myanmar and trying to qualify.”
North Korea, who are playing their first tournament since the Covid pandemic, were pushed hard by Kyrgyzstan but a 20th-minute goal from forward Kim Kuk Jin was enough to give them a 1-0 victory at the Zhejiang Normal University Stadium.
They beat Taiwan 2-0 in their opening match on Tuesday.
North Korea are competing at their first multisport event since the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.
The Asian Games officially open on Saturday but some events have begun their preliminary phase, including football.
Asian Games men’s football squads are made up of under-23 players, with three older players allowed, but the age limit has been extended to under-24 for this edition because the games were delayed by a year.
