MILAN: Juventus trail Serie A leaders Inter Milan by nine points after being held 2-2 at relegation-threatened Verona, as a 1-1 draw with Genoa left champions Napoli deep in crisis.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side had their league title hopes further damaged following an entertaining encounter at the Stadio Bentegodi in which Adrien Rabiot stopped Juve from losing a third consecutive match.
France midfielder Rabiot rifled home second-placed Juve’s leveller nine minutes after the break, moments after Tijjani Noslin had put hosts Verona ahead for the second time in the match.
Michael Folorunsho, whose touch led to Noslin’s goal, had smashed Marco Baroni’s team into the lead early on with a stunning volley only for Dusan Vlahovic to equalize from the penalty spot in the 28th minute.
“We should have done more, we’ve dropped points along the way recently. But we started playing too late and it’s those details which make the difference,” said Rabiot.
“But we need to get back on track, regain trust in ourselves and starting winning again.”
The draw didn’t do a huge amount for Verona as they stay just inside the relegation zone, level on points with 17th-placed Sassuolo who are at Atalanta later on Saturday and have two games in hand.
However it was a strong performance for a club that let a raft of players go in January, and it also extended Juve’s winless run to four matches.
That poor form means that Juve are not only watching Inter charge off into the distance, they are now also looking over their shoulders at AC Milan.
A win at Monza on Sunday night would allow Milan, two points behind Juve in third, to snatch second spot from their rivals.
“We need to be realistic,” added Rabiot. “Inter are going their own way and we need to fight to keep hold of second place.”
Napoli’s draw was another heavy blow for the ailing Serie A champions ahead of the visit of Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Cyril Ngonge saved a home point for Napoli in the final minute after Morten Frendrup had given Genoa the lead with a powerful first-time finish just after half-time.
Napoli ran away with the league title last season but are now 27 points behind Inter in ninth spot meaning their chances of a place in next season’s revamped Champions League are increasingly slim.
Six points separate Napoli from fourth-placed Atalanta and that gap could easily be extended to nine.
“The players do what they can but things just don’t go our way,” said Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri, whose position is under serious threat after collecting just 15 points from 12 matches since taking over in November.
“The few errors we make we always have to correct because we end up conceding. We try everything but we struggle to score goals. It’s hard to explain.”
Ngonge’s low finish meant Napoli avoided a ninth defeat in all competitions since Mazzarri replaced Rudi Garcia, but being booed off the pitch was awful preparation for their last 16 tie with Barca.
Neither Napoli nor Barca are having stellar seasons but it would have been impossible to imagine how far Napoli would fall so soon after last season’s historic third league title.
Mazzarri said that he “hopes” to have star striker Victor Osimhen back for Wednesday’s first leg in Naples after sitting out Saturday’s defeat.
But Napoli’s goal problems run deeper than Osimhen being at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and they created very little against 12th-placed Genoa, making a result against Barca look like a huge task.
Juve hand Inter nine-point lead as Napoli crisis deepens
https://arab.news/ydw3e
Juve hand Inter nine-point lead as Napoli crisis deepens
- France midfielder Rabiot rifled home second-placed Juve’s leveller nine minutes after the break
- “We should have done more, we’ve dropped points along the way recently,” said Rabiot
UAE golden boy Yahya Alghassani hoping to pay it forward for country’s young footballers
- The Shabab Al-Ahli forward spoke to Arab News about captaining his country at the Arab Cup, childhood inspirations, challenges ahead and helping young Emirati talent blossom
DUBAI: On Nov. 6 this year, Omar Abdulrahman, the golden boy of Emirati football during the 2010s, announced his retirement at the age of 34, to little fanfare.
It was a somewhat sad end for one of the UAE’s great talents, one whose last five years as professional were ruined by injuries.
It may have taken a few years for the Whites to have a new hero on the pitch, but in Yahya Alghassani, 27, the UAE finally have one of their own to take the national team forward.
The Shabab Al-Ahli star recently captained the UAE in two matches at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar and is looking increasingly at ease as the face of Emirati football — on and off the pitch.
Alghassani has in recent years stepped up from being one of the UAE national team’s great hopes to being one of the senior players. With several nationalized foreign superstars vying for places in the squad, that is no mean feat.
Now he is paying it forward. In December, after the Arab Cup, Alghassani hosted a youth tournament to encourage more youngsters to take up a career in football, and indeed to find the country’s newest gem.
“When I was young we used to get a lot of opportunities to show off our talents,” he said at the launch of the Talent Cup at Dubai Police Club Stadium.
“But as the years went by, these opportunities decreased. The avenues to show off our talents decreased. Of course, there should be someone to help them show off (and) display their skills.”
“These kids need outlets for their energy, so instead of wasting it in the wrong places, they could release it via football,” Alghassani added.
“I know football, and I was raised in that environment, so I know what it means to them and what it means to get the same competitions to play in, to in the same way have someone discover their talents.
“All of what we’re doing is for the sake of the kids. In the end we need to give back everything to the society.”
For the more outstanding players present, Alghassani sees real opportunities to find a pathway into the professional game.
“In this competition, I insisted that there be scouts present, both from the local clubs and international ones, especial from the UK. Maybe in the summer they will have special trials for some of these best players, they will get opportunities to play there.”
“And the local coaches will be able to scout freely, I don’t interfere in these matters,” he said. “From my side, if I see a good player, a player who deserves to be in a local team, I will help him. All of us are here to help the local players.”
With the help of several entities, Alghassani’s work extends beyond the training pitch. “One of the things I like to be involved in is charity work.” he said.
“I now work with Al-Jalila Foundation, who provide me with a lot of support. I am also an ambassador for Dubai Sports Council, and I am proud to work with such government organizations.”
“There are companies like Red Bull and Whoop that support me personally, as well as Nike. They all help me and I in turn provide all my resources to help the kids so that they receive the highest level of training and get the best chance of being discovered.”
Alghassani remembers those who helped him become the player he is today. “I used to train at Al-Furjan before joining Al-Ahli (now Shabab Al-Ahli). I was 14 years old.
“To be honest, progress wasn’t easy, but there were a lot of opportunities to show your talent. Al-Furjan has somewhat disappeared now, so we are trying to bring it back. This is a positive thing for the community.”
He also credits his brothers for being an inspiration and regrets that they did not become professional footballers. “But I was lucky that God helped me to make it, so in the end I have to give back to the community. This is the most important thing for me.”
As Alghassani took his first steps in club football, his inspirations where two of the UAE’s most prominent members of the Golden Generation that blossomed under Emirati Mahdi Ali.
“Ali Mabkhout and Amoory (Omar Abdulrahman),” he said without hesitation.
“They were very passionate about their way of playing, their way of thinking, their way of being in the field. I was fortunate to play with them for a while, and I hope to play with them again. Especially Omar Abdulrahman.”
The former Al-Ain, Al-Jazira, Shabab Al-Ahli and Al-Wasl superstar may have officially retired, but Alghassani believes there could still be one final twist in his tale.
“Amoory is one of the talents you can’t deny, he is a very positive person on the team, and he likes to help the players around him,” he said. “I don’t think he is retired completely.
“There could still be a return on the cards, and I think he will be back soon, God willing.”
After his youth team stint at Al-Ahli, Alghassani signed with Abu Dhabi’s Al-Wahda Club in 2018, before moving back in January 2021 to current club Shabab Al-Ahli in Dubai, where his career overlapped with Abdulrahman’s. His international debut came a year later.
“You can’t describe the feeling of being in the national team,” Alghassani said. “Nothing else you do can compare to it, to represent your country and have all your people supporting you.
“I have been with the national team for a long time now. Honestly, the pressure is very high, it is not easy. But we have to embrace this pressure with pride because we are representing our nation.”
Alghassani is delighted to have the extra pressure of captaining the UAE national team. “If you are a professional football player and you don’t welcome the pressure with a smile, you won’t be able to continue.
“I always say that I have to welcome the stress and the pressure, because they are what keeps the player focused and calm at the same time.”
In the absence of goalkeeper Khalid Eissa, Alghassani assumed national captain duties for the Arab Cup matches against Algeria and Morocco. Emirati fans must have been proud to witness him give last-minute team talks as players went into a huddle seconds before kick-off.
“It is one of my duties,” he said.
“If I am the captain, I have to give these instructions. Of course these players have helped me a lot. They give me this platform to give them advice, and they accept my advice. We are all equal, there is no one leader on the pitch. We are all captains and everyone helps each other.”
After the UAE’s progress ended in the Arab Cup following a 1-0 loss to Morocco, the third-place play-off against Saudi Arabia was abandoned due to bad weather.
“We are thankful to God that we were awarded (joint) third place with the Saudi team,” Alghassani said.
“Honestly, I expected to do even better. It’s true no one expected us to reach this level, but personally I felt that we could reach a higher level. We have to see the Arab Cup as an experience. It will help us in the future.”
Despite not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Alghassani is already looking to some major challenges ahead. “We will now focus on this championship (AFC Asian Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia),” he said.
“This is our sole focus now. Unfortunately, the World Cup is gone. It is a very important tournament for us, and I hope we will produce positive results.”
Alghassani has already scored in that competition — against Hong Kong in 2023. And if he needs any inspiration, he could cast his mind back to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and the heroics his childhood heroes performed in Australia.
“I remember the penalty kick by Ismail Ahmed,” he said, recalling the winning spot-kick against Japan in a memorable semifinal in Sydney.
“His was the decisive penalty. I also remember Amoor’s ‘Panenka’ kick, I remember all of them. But when Ismail Ahmed scored I ran out of the house. I was happy. It was an indescribable feeling as a fan.”
A Panenka kick refers to a technique where the player chips the ball softly down the center of the goal, relying on the goalkeeper diving to one side, named after Czechoslovakia player Antonin Panenka who first used it to win the 1976 European Championship final.
After that 2015 Asian tournament, in which the UAE finished third, there was genuine interest in Abdulrahman and Mabkhout from European clubs, though a move never materialized for either.
Would Alghassani be willing to take that step? “Of course, I always welcome the idea of a professional career abroad,” he said confidently.
“It is always in my mind. I welcome any idea, but I have to respect my contract with Shabab Al-Ahli. If they need me, I will be there. And if they support a move abroad for me, I will go, why not. This is the dream of every professional player.”
