Sports

Napoli’s Nightmare Continues After Crumbling At Torino

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

Napoli plunged deeper into crisis on Sunday after crashing to a 3-0 defeat at Torino which ended with fiery protests from fans and humiliation for the troubled Serie A champions.

Furious supporters launched flares onto the pitch at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino during the latest embarrassing loss which left Napoli languishing in ninth place.

Last season’s historic Scudetto has now been forgotten as Napoli sink further into the abyss with each passing week, their third defeat in four matches in all competitions fully deserved after a shambolic display in Turin.

Without Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, Walter Mazzarri’s side failed to score for the fourth straight match and are completely unrecognisable from the team which charged to title glory last term.

“We have to apologise to the fans for the performance… we’re trying to find ways to stimulate the team and get back to some sort of normality,” said Napoli’s sporting director Mauro Meluso.

Meluso spoke to DAZN after a series of post-match summits with Mazzarri and the team, and insisted that the coach — who was suspended for Sunday’s match — would not be sacked.

“I, the club and the team have total faith in the coach, so we’re not having thoughts in that direction,” he added.

Mazzarri was brought in to clean up the mess left by predecessor Rudi Garcia but Napoli are now a full 20 points behind league leaders Inter Milan and closer to the relegation zone than the top of the table.

Antonio Sanabria got the ball rolling two minutes before the break when he scored from close range, and things went from bad to worse in the 50th minute when debutant Pasquale Mazzocchi was sent off for a wild challenge on Valentino Lazaro.

Mazzocchi, who signed from Salernitana on Friday, had only been on the field since the start of the second half and two minutes later Nikola Vlasic doubled Torino’s lead with a brilliant low strike from outside the area.

Napoli were all over the place and they should have been three down just after the hour mark when Sanabria hit the post and Duvan Zapata somehow didn’t finish on the rebound.

However Alessandro Buongiorno made sure of an emphatic victory in the 66th minute when he thumped a bullet header past Pierluigi Gollini.

– Milan cruise –

A sumptuous early strike from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Olivier Giroud’s 31st minute penalty set third-placed AC Milan on the way to a 3-0 win at Empoli which was sealed by Chaka Traore with two minutes remaining.

Missing a host of players to injury and the Africa Cup of Nations, Milan took advantage of their closest rivals for the top four dropping points.

Stefano Pioli’s team are six points ahead of fourth-placed Fiorentina who lost 1-0 at Sassuolo on Saturday, and a further point in front of Bologna in fifth following their draw at Genoa.

Milan have had a bumpy campaign riddled with injuries and questions over Pioli’s future but Sunday’s win was their fifth in six matches in all competitions.

“We went through a bit of a difficult period… We never listened to what other people were saying, we got down to hard work and that’s why we won today,” said Theo Hernandez, who was again deputising at centre-back.

France international Hernandez is a buccaneering left-back by trade but has been forced to move to the centre of defence by an injury crisis which has left Pioli without defenders Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw and Pierre Kalulu.

“It’s in the difficult moments that you learn if people have given up on you, and that wasn’t the case here,” said Pioli.

“When things don’t go well we stay together and we give each other a hand.”

Milan trail city rivals Inter by nine points and are four behind second-placed Juventus, who play Salernitana later on Sunday.

Lazio warmed up for their midweek derby with Roma in the Italian Cup quarter-finals by winning 2-1 at Udinese and moving up to sixth.

Sports

WAFCON: Ihezuo Strikes Late As Nigeria Edge Botswana To Reach Quarter-finals

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

Substitute Chinwendu Ihezuo came off the bench to score a dramatic 89th-minute winner as Nigeria sealed a 1-0 win over Botswana in their Group B clash at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Thursday.

Nigeria looked set for a frustrating evening until Ihezuo met a low cross from Esther Okoronkwo and tapped home at the back post for her second goal of the tournament.

The result, secured at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, confirmed the Super Falcons’ place in the quarter-finals.

Despite being overwhelming favourites, the nine-time champions struggled to break down a resilient Botswana side and their outstanding goalkeeper, Sedilame Boseja.

The Super Falcons were wasteful in front of goal for much of the contest, with Asisat Oshoala and Toni Payne both missing first-half chances. Botswana came close to a shock lead through Balothany Johannes and Laone Moloi, whose efforts tested Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Sports

Oliseh Urges Osimhen To Choose Premier League Over Galatasaray Return

Published

3 days ago

July 9, 2025

Editor

Former Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh, has issued a strong word of advice to Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen amid mounting speculation linking the Napoli forward with a surprise return to Turkish giants Galatasaray.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Oliseh warned that the 26-year-old striker is at a pivotal stage in his career and must carefully consider his next move to avoid future regret. He wrote, “Victor Osimhen is at a very delicate crossroad. He needs to find his way to the Premier League in a hurry or he risks so much regret! Man. United and Arsenal need this player if only…..”

Oliseh’s comments come amid reports that Osimhen is preparing for a permanent switch to Galatasaray, where he previously starred during a loan spell, scoring 26 goals to lead the club to the Turkish Super Lig title. However, the Nigerian legend believes a move to England’s top flight would better suit Osimhen’s development and global standing.

Now 26, Osimhen’s age is reportedly becoming a factor in transfer negotiations, with some Premier League clubs cautious about making a high-value investment. Delaying a move to England any further could reduce his appeal in the competitive Premier League market, insiders suggest.

Despite being contracted to Napoli until 2026, Osimhen’s future remains uncertain. The striker was expected to return for pre-season training, but reports in Italy claim that new head coach Antonio Conte has no intention of including him in his plans and could relegate him to the youth team.

Sports

Liverpool Return To Training In Wake Of Jota death

Published

3 days ago

July 8, 2025

Editor

Liverpool’s stars returned to training on Tuesday for the first time since the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota.

The Premier League champions postponed the start of pre-season training after Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in northern Spain last Thursday.

Manager Arne Slot and a number of the Liverpool squad, led by captain Virgil van Dijk, attended Jota’s funeral in his home town of Gondomar, near Porto, on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo were among the players pictured arriving at the training ground.

Salah said in his tribute to the Portuguese international that he was frightened to go back to Liverpool to face the reality of Jota’s passing.

“Teammates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back,” Salah posted on Instagram.

A site of remembrance has been set up at the club’s iconic Anfield stadium where hundreds of bouquets of flowers, shirts, scarves and pictures have been left by fans and former players in recent days.

Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly is scheduled for Sunday away at Championship side Preston.

But ticket sales for that match have been suspended pending a final decision on whether the match will go ahead.

Liverpool are then due to go on an Asian tour, playing AC Milan in Hong Kong and Japanese side Yokohama Marinos before the end of the month.