RIYADH: The day before Inter Milan and Lazio face off in Supercoppa Italiana’s semifinal in Riyadh, Internazionale’s coach Simone Inzaghi confirmed that his team are fully focused on winning the Italian Super Cup.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday ahead of the second semifinal in the competition, officially known as the EA Sports FC Supercup, Inzaghi said winning the cup “takes the most focus,” especially since the tournament is played in a knockout system.
He added: “This makes it necessary for the technical staff to choose the participating players carefully, especially considering the strength of Lazio, which are ranked fourth in the Italian Serie A.”
According to Inter’s coach, the course of the clash remains in the balance, especially against a “distinguished team” like Lazio.
Inzaghi said: “In order to coach or be a player at Internazionale, you must get used to pressures and have great aspirations. On a personal level, we ask our fans in Saudi Arabia to support us like they did last year.”
The 36th Supercoppa Italiana kicked off on Thursday evening with Napoli playing against Fiorentina in the first semifinal.
This year marks the fourth time the Kingdom has hosted the event, and it is the first time it has featured both the winners and runners-up of Serie A and the Coppa Italia, rather than just the champions of each.
Inter Milan’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan said: “Competing in the Super Cup with the participation of four clubs is something special, and to keep the trophy in our closet requires us to double our efforts.
“Rewinning the title will make our fans happy and will be a motivation for other competitions. The confrontations against Lazio are always difficult, given that they have a strong group of players.”
Commenting on Saudi football, Mkhitaryan said: “What Saudi sports have been doing is a great thing. The arrival of many international players will contribute to the development of the Saudi Pro League.”
Meanwhile, Lazio’s head coach Maurizio Sarri has pointed out the importance of not making mistakes against Inter, and to play in a manner that can achieve the desired result against a team considered one of Europe’s strongest.
The arrival of star names in the SPL is of interest to Sarri, who hopes that the Kingdom continues to develop in the sport.
Lazio’s Italian striker Ciro Immobile said: “It is a cup with two finals, and there is not enough time to prepare for all matches. Currently, I somehow lack sharpness after three weeks of absence. Our last match with Inter was a real test, and we must focus to avoid the negatives that happened and reinforce the positives.”
The Supercoppa Italiana’s two semifinals and final, which takes place on Monday, are hosted at Al-Awwal Park, the 25,000-capacity home ground of SPL side Al-Nassr.
Internazionale are focused on winning EA Sports FC Supercup in Riyadh
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Internazionale are focused on winning EA Sports FC Supercup in Riyadh
- Inter’s Simone Inzaghi looks for the support of ‘our fans in Saudi Arabia’
- Lazio’s Maurizio Sarri keen to eradicate mistakes against one of Europe’s strongest clubs
Saudi Arabia edge Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in AFC U23 Asian Cup opener
- Al-Nassr’s Rakan Al-Ghamdi struck in the 88th minute as 2022 champions Saudi Arabia got off to a winning start
JEDDAH: Rakan Al-Ghamdi struck late as Saudi Arabia edged a plucky Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in their AFC U23 Asian Cup Group A opener on Tuesday.
Debutants Kyrgyzstan, reduced to 10 men in the 34th minute, looked on course for a point after goalkeeper Kurmanbek Nurlanbekov had saved Musab Al-Juwayr’s penalty but Al-Nassr’s Al-Ghamdi struck in the 88th minute as 2022 champions Saudi Arabia got off to a winning start.
Both sides went on the offensive from the start with Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Radif sending his effort from outside the box high as early as the second minute, while Beknaz Almazbekov had his shot from distance blocked two minutes later.
The hosts began to assert their dominance before suffering a setback in the 13th minute when captain Abdullah Radif was subbed off due to injury with Majed Abdullah taking his place.
However, his absence failed to deter the 2022 champions’ resolve as they almost took the lead in the 15th minute after Abdullah pounced on a stray pass from Anton Polev, only to see his low drive from inside the box saved by Nurlanbekov.
The Central Asian side’s exuberance suffered a dent in the 34th minute when Arsen Sharshenbekov received his marching orders for stamping Abdulaziz Al-Elewai’s ankle, following a VAR review.
Saudi Arabia, however, failed to trouble Nurlanbekov despite the numerical advantage with Kyrgyzstan still very much in the game going into the break.
Nurlanbekov continued to frustrate Saudi Arabia in the second half with the FC Dordoi Bishkek keeper foiling Faris Al-Ghamdi from distance in the 48th minute.
Saudi Arabia almost found the opener just after the hour mark when Yaseen Al-Zubaidi and Abdulaziz Al-Elewai exchanged passes with the latter breaking into the box, only to see his shot from a difficult angle closed down by Nurlanbekov.
Spurred on by their passionate home support, Saudi Arabia’s pressure earned them a penalty in the 74th minute after Arslan Bekberdinov’s handball but Nurlanbekov judged correctly to deny Al-Juwayr from the spot with his outstretched right-handed save.
Saudi Arabia finally found a way through in the 88th minute after Al-Juwayr’s clever pass found Al-Ghamdi, who rifled his shot past Nurlanbekov to seal the victory.
Saudi Arabia will meet Jordan on Friday while Kyrgyzstan will aim to bounce back against Vietnam.
