Matteo Carnevale, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Verona and Inter Share Spoils In Vibrant Bentegodi Battle

July 9, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2019-2020

Verona and Inter shared the spoils in a vibrant game at the Marc'Antonio Bentegodi Stadium on Thursday night in the last fixture of Serie A Round 31. Miguel Veloso ultimately equalized for the home side after Antonio Candreva's brace had overturned Darko Lazovic's rapid lead, sealing a 2-2 score which was of little use to both sides.

Throwback Thursday: When Inter Were Awarded Four Penalties

July 9, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Serie A, Throwback Thursday

Inter-Verona of September 15, 1991, looked like an average beginning-of-the-season game which ended with an average 2-0 score for the Nerazzurri. Nothing from this match would make it a remarkable occurrence if it weren’t for the fact that it featured four penalties, all awarded to the home side, and that Inter managed to miss three of them.

Milan Stage Stunning Comeback To Score Four To Juventus

July 7, 2020 Matteo Carnevale AC Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Serie A, Serie A 2019-2020

Milan beat Juventus 4-2 to capture their fourth win in five games after the lock-down as the Bianconeri experienced an authentic blackout and gave away a two-goal lead. It was Milan’s first Serie A win over the black-and-whites since four years. Far from saying that Juventus’ claim on the Scudetto is at risk, but Maurizio Sarri’s band suddenly found themselves fragile.

Italian Panelists Discuss Role of Women at World Football Summit

July 6, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Italian Football, Serie A, World Football Summit

Two Italian representatives engaged in an inspiring discussion about the role of women in football today at the World Football Summit. Ornella Desiree Bellia, Head of Professional Football at FIFA, and Magda Pozzo, Strategic Marketing Coordinator of Serie A club Udinese, joined a panel that discussed how women can lead the change in the football world.

Five Things First: Top Stories From Serie A Round 30

July 5, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2019-2020

Serie A Round 30 was split between two days only, with eight games played on Sunday after a Saturday appetizer featuring the Derby of Turin and an interesting Lazio-Milan battle. Stefano Pioli’s Rossoneri savagely dented Lazio’s title ambitions by finding the back of the net three times while Juventus easily saw off their city rivals to place a strong claim on the Scudetto.

From Serie A Winner to Homeless: The Sad Story of Pietro Puzone

June 27, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Italian Football, Napoli, Portraits, Serie A

Pietro Puzone once won the Scudetto with Napoli playing alongside Diego Maradona. Today, he lives as a homeless person in his native town of Acerra. The sad story of this former football player has been making headlines in Italy over the past few days as a video of Puzone living in dreadful conditions circulated in multiple sport media outlets.

Gigi Simoni, The Gentleman Coach Who Mentored Ronaldo at Inter

May 23, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Inter Milan, Italian Football, Portraits, Serie A, Throwback Thursday

For all football fans, he will always remain Ronaldo’s first manager in the Serie A. Luigi “Gigi” Simoni, a football coach and a gentleman, passed away on Friday at 81. His name is mostly linked to the 1997-98 season when he led Inter to win the UEFA Cup but lost his Scudetto chances in a controversial game against Juventus.

Gazzoni Frascara, the Architect of the Bologna Renaissance

April 26, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Bologna, Italian Football, Presidential Portraits, Serie A

Giuseppe Gazzoni Frascara, who passed away on Saturday at 84, was the President of Bologna for 12 years, from 1993 to 2005. Although not properly a calcio lover, he managed to pick up the pieces of a club on the verge of bankruptcy and raise them back to the heights of the Serie A, just one step away from a sensational Champions League qualification.

Italy Lockdown Stops Serie A In Country’s Longest Day

March 9, 2020 Matteo Carnevale AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Brescia, Cagliari, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Italy, Juventus, Lazio, Lecce, Napoli, Parma, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Serie A 2019-2020, Spal, Torino, Udinese

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that Italy will be in a total lockdown until at least April 3 to contain the coronavirus outbreak – extending to the whole country the extreme measures originally announced yesterday for 14 provinces only. The restriction also applies to any sports activity, including the Serie A and lower divisions.

Throwback Thursday: George Weah’s Amazing Coast-to-Coast

January 30, 2020 Matteo Carnevale AC Milan, Hellas Verona, Italian Football, Serie A, Throwback Thursday

When Milan acquired 29-year-old George Weah from PSG in the summer of 1995, many commentators raised their eyebrows. "King George” would, however, prove them wrong and become an iconic player for the Milanese side, remembered for such exploits as the coast-to-coast goal he scored against Verona in the opening game of the 1996-97 season.

Lukaku Brace Wraps Inter First Win at Napoli Since 1997

January 6, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Inter Milan, Italian Football, Napoli, Serie A, Serie A 2019-2020

Napoli-Inter was the radiography of two football sides living diametrically opposed moments, with the final outcome taking a perfect snapshot of the situation. The Nerazzurri easily moved past the struggling Partenopei to capture their first win in Napoli since 1998, thanks to a sumptuous performance by Romelu Lukaku - who is turning Serie A into his personal game reserve.

Throwback Thursday: The Lecce-Udinese Coppa Italia Goalfest

January 2, 2020 Matteo Carnevale Italian Football, Lecce, Serie A, Throwback Thursday, Udinese

Lecce-Udinese was an iconic battle in the 2004-2005 campaign. The Salentini and the Friuliani faced each other four times that season, twice in Campionato and twice in Coppa Italia. The match of November 20th, 2004, in particular, lived up to the craziest show-time expectations, featuring 9 goals and a dramatic last-minute penalty saved by Udinese’s David Di Michele.

Author: Matteo Carnevale