Inter have made a statement with suspending the Belgian but they should have been more diligent before paying €24m plus two quality players for his servicesRadja Nainggolan crashed his car on the day he came to Inter. A tyre burst on his Ferrari Lusso as he was making the drive north from Rome to Milan for pre-season training, causing him to veer into a motorway guardrail. The accident was not his fault and yet, looking back now, it does feel like an omen for everything that was to come. Related: Magical Marco Reus sends Dortmund racing clear to crown his golden 2018 Related: Andros Townsend, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and a one-step penalty – Football Weekly Chievo 1 Internazionale 1; Empoli...
Before the unconvincing win over Genoa, banners and posters appeared all over the city telling Roma’s president to ‘go home’It is sometimes said, in a sporting context, that winning cures all ills. But not in Italy’s capital city. Roma beat Genoa 3-2 at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday night, their first victory in six games across all competitions. They were jeered at the final whistle, all the same.It had not been a compelling performance. Roma trailed twice to opponents who have not won a game themselves since September. Genoa appeared to have taken the lead for a third time at the start of the second half, but Darko Lazovic’s strike was ruled out after a VAR review. They ought to...
Truth be told, this was a weekend of high drama but only modest consequence for most of Serie AThis was not a good weekend for those Serie A fans who prefer to leave a game early and beat the traffic. Cagliari salvaged a point at home to Roma with a goal in the 95th minute. Fiorentina left it even later away to Sassuolo, Kevin Mirallas dragging them level in the 96th. That was the same minute in which Lazio took a 2-1 lead at home to Sampdoria. Somehow, they finished all square as well.The timing of those goals offers only a glimpse of the drama. Cagliari had trailed 2-0 to Roma as late as the 84th minute. Even after Artur...
A baffling decision not to review a clear foul on Nicolò Zaniolo cost Roma a penalty and added to frustration with technology“There’s nothing to say,” lamented Francesco Totti. And then he said it anyway. “We’re all here asking ourselves how the guys in the VAR booth didn’t see [a foul on Nicolò Zaniolo inside the penalty area]. It’s an embarrassment. What are they doing?”The incident occurred shortly after the half-hour mark in Roma’s game at home to Inter. Receiving a pass with his back to goal on the edge of the box, Zaniolo turned and weaved past Danilo D’Ambrosio. The defender stuck out a foot and brought him down. Related: Nagelsmann and Tedesco fly flag for Bundesliga's young and reckless...
In the summer, the midfielder said he did not want to play for Inter again. On Saturday, he was at the heart of their 5-0 winJoão Mário sounded so certain. Interviewed by Gazzetta dello Sport at the start of June – just after he had completed a successful six-month loan at West Ham, and shortly before the start of a World Cup in which he would feature in all four matches played by Portugal – the midfielder insisted he would not return to Inter.“I do not want to try again,” he said of life at his parent club. “I would not have the right motivation. That experience is over now. Zero doubts.” Related: Barcelona’s late comeback denies Rayo, Bayern Munich...