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In Italia, una “meteora” è quel giocatore che vive un breve periodo di gloria, prima di tornare nuovamente nell’anonimato. I Mondiali sono pieni di storie del genere, di giocatori che
Forza Azzurre! The Italians That Made It to World Cup
There is one Italian National Team that made it to the football World Cup, even if we will have to wait one year to see it. Girl power restored our battered national pride yesterday as the Azzurre wrapped a sensational qualification to Women’s World Cup 2019 in France by beating Portugal 3-0, with goals by Cristiana Girelli, Cecilia Salvai, and Barbara Bonansea.
Emery from Missing Panini Sticker to Arsenal Coach
Football fans debate every summer about the potential new signings for their clubs, and whether they are good or not. But this was something completely unknown to Arsenal fans, at least for what concerns their manager, until Arsène Wenger decided to step down after 22 seasons. His substitute Unai Emery was once famous as a player for his Panini sticker being very hard to find.
Torres and Iniesta, Hasta Siempre Campeones!
Last Sunday marked the end of an era for Spanish football. Fernando Torres and Andrés Iniesta played their last games for their respective clubs. Torres said goodbye to his Atlético fans by scoring two goals in the beautiful new home of Los Colchoneros, the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. Iniesta received his last homages from Barcelona supporters at the Camp Nou.
Meanwhile In Moscow: No Love In Russia for Ibra
The World Cup is getting close, and even if we Italians may still be in denial about the fact that the Azzurri will be watching it from home, the greatest show on Earth will still take place. In our "Meanwhile In Moscow" column, Swedish correspondent Arjun Sethi reminds us about some other big name who will not go to Russia: Zlatan Ibrahimović, or simply Ibra.
The Grass Is Greener: Real Madrid’s Road to Kiev
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, they say. We may be in love with Italian calcio, but there’s more to football than what happens south of the Alps. As the Champions League Final approaches, The Cult of Calcio’s Spanish correspondent Carlos Molano takes a look at Real Madrid’s road towards Kiev, mixing personal memories with the club’s recent history.
Take-It-All Juventus Win Fourth Coppa Italia In a Row
Juventus and their coach Massimiliano Allegri are like the Asso Pigliatutto (Ace-take-it-all), the key point in a popular Italian card game, which enables its holder to capture all the cards on the floor. The dominant Bianconeri didn’t leave anything to their opponents this year either, as they wiped out Milan 4-0 last night in a one-sided Coppa Italia final, to conquer their fourth domestic cup in a row.
Assi di Coppe: Roma Exit UCL With Heads Held High
All Roma fans could hope for yesterday was an entertaining match, conscious that coming back from three goals should be an exception, not the rule. Still, the Giallorossi went as close as possible to another sensational comeback, prevailing over Liverpool 4-2 in the second leg of a Champions League Semifinal. The Reds advanced on a 7-6 aggregate score, but Roma left the Stadio Olimpico with their heads held high.
Assi di Coppe: Roma Wake Up Late, Liverpool Rule
Liverpool had to score five times, led by a sumptuous Mohammed Salah, before Roma finally woke up and remembered they were playing a Champions League semifinal at Anfield Road. Late goals by Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti saved the Giallorossi’s face, leaving a feeble qualification hope alive, but it will take another remuntada for Eusebio Di Francesco to come back from last night’s 2-5.
Koulibaly Disrupts Juve Plan, Battle for Scudetto Is Still On
Napoli has a new hero, and his name is Kalidou Koulibaly. With just one minute to go, silence fell over the Allianz Stadium as the Senegalese center back pushed the ball past Gianluigi Buffon to give the Azzurri their first win in Turin in 10 years, disrupting Massimiliano Allegri’s perfect plan. Napoli closed the distance, the gap with Juventus now reduced to one point only, with four matches to go.
Benevento Don’t Give Up! Epic Win In San Siro
The good news for Milan and Gennaro Gattuso is that they will never have to face Benevento again. The spell cast by Roberto De Zerbi’s Witches over the Rossoneri in the first leg continued to have effect, as the Giallorossi earned a stunning 0-1 win in San Siro last night, thanks to a lone goal by Pietro Iemmello. Benevento continued to fight against mathematics, and pushed relegation a few more hours away.
Serie A Round 33 Recap: It All Changed In 6 Minutes!
For six minutes, Serie A 2017-2018 virtually ended in the hands of Juventus last Wednesday, as Massimiliano Allegri’s band were all set to increase their gap versus pursuing Napoli to nine points. But then, the unexpected happened in Round 33, with the Bianconeri conceding a shocking equaliser at Crotone, and Maurizio Sarri’s Azzurri managing to come from behind with Udinese.