Tag: Champions League

Temples of The Cult: The San Paolo Stadium In Napoli

Italian Football, Napoli, San Paolo, Serie A, Temples of The Cult 3 comments
It is quite common to see Napoli play in international cups nowadays, but that has not always been the case. Since Diego Maradona’s doping ban, Napoli have had many ups and downs (more downs, actually…) and even went through a re-foundation of the club back in 2004. One thing, however, always stood there, firmly, in all its glory: The San Paolo Stadium.
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On Her Majesty’s Service: Roberto Di Matteo’s Managerial Greatness

Champions League, Chelsea, England, On Her Majesty's Service
Roberto Di Matteo was an understated player. Through Chelsea’s resurgence in the 1990s, he was at the heart of it. But it is as a manager that he achieved true greatness, leading Chelsea to lift both the Champions League and FA Cup trophies in a few months, in what was possibly one of the greatest managerial turnarounds in modern Premier League history.
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Assi di Coppe: Atalanta Silence Agnelli In Historic UCL Night

Assi di Coppe, Atalanta, Champions League, European Cups, Italian Football
In what is an amazing underdog story from this season’s Champions League, Atalanta became the first team to book a place in the Quarter-Finals of the competition. A 4-3 win over Valencia embellished by a haul by Josip Ilicic was all the Bergamo club needed to make history. Their win was even more important given Juventus President Andrea Agnelli's recent rant.
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Assi di Coppe: Atalanta Travel To Valencia as UCL Show Goes On

Assi di Coppe, Atalanta, Champions League, European Cups, Italian Football, Valencia
After squeezing through to the knockout stages, Atalanta’s Champions League debut is gathering pace. After a stellar performance at home by the hugely talented Italian side, they seem poised to go through. It would take a feat of epic proportions for Valencia to overturn the 4-1 advantage in a second leg which will be played behind closed doors due to coronavirus.
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Assi di Coppe: Juve Too Bad To Be True, Lyon Win UCL Clash

Assi di Coppe, Champions League, European Cups, Italian Football, Juventus, Lyon
Juventus lost 0-1 to Lyon in the first leg of their Champions League knockout stage game, writing another chapter of their tormented relationship with the top European competition. The Bianconeri still have plenty of chances to qualify, but it will take a different attitude to see them past the French side in two weeks. Maurizio Sarri’s lineup was frankly a pity to watch.
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Assi di Coppe: Mertens Deludes Napoli, Griezmann Saves Barca

Assi di Coppe, Barcelona, Champions League, European Cups, Italian Football, Napoli
In their first visit to the temple that once belonged to Diego Armando Maradona, Lionel Messi and Barcelona were put to the ropes by a convincing Napoli side in a Champions League Round of 16 first leg. The Partenopei, however, failed to knock Quique Setien’s squad out after Dries Mertens’ opener and saw their lead canceled by Antoine Griezmann’s equalizer.
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Assi di Coppe: Inter Miss UCL Knockout Stages Train

Assi di Coppe, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Champions League, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Italy, Juventus, Liverpool, Napoli
This weeks’ Champions League roundup sees three Italian sides through the knockout stages but perhaps not exactly the teams you’d expected. Inter went into the game against Barcelona knowing that only a win would aid them in their attempts to progress, but a weakened Spanish eleven offered no solace to the Nerazzurri's hopes of European qualification.
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Assi di Coppe: Atalanta’s Champions League Masterpiece

Assi di Coppe, Atalanta, Champions League, European Cups, Italian Football
Two infinite minutes. That’s how long it took for the referee to check Alejandro Gomez’s position on a pass by Robin Gosens, before ruling that El Papu was not in offside when he served Timothy Castagne an assist for the goal that propelled Atalanta into history. La Dea qualified to the Champions League knockout stage after trailing Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0.
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Assi di Coppe: Napoli Secure UCL Progression as Ancelotti Is Sacked

Assi di Coppe, Champions League, European Cups, Italian Football, Napoli
After a valiant performance at Anfield where Ancelotti’s men held on for a hard earned point, Napoli secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League in emphatic style at home to Genk. Hours later Carlo Ancelotti was out of a job, his dismissal immediately overshadowed by President Aurelio De Laurentiis' swift appointment of Gennaro Gattuso.
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Assi di Coppe: A Roundup of Italian Champions League Efforts

Assi di Coppe, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Champions League, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Italy, Juventus, Liverpool, Napoli
In Champions League Round 5, Juventus beat Atletico Madrid to cement their place in the knockout rounds, while Inter grabbed the win they needed to remain in contention for qualification. Atalanta dispatched of Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, whereas Liverpool and Napoli settled for one point which still leaves the Partenopei with hope of snatching top spot.
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Assi di Coppe: A Tale of Two Napolis In Liverpool

Assi di Coppe, Champions League, European Cups, Italian Football, Liverpool, Napoli
The story of Napoli this season so far has been somewhat intriguing and difficult to comprehend. In Serie A, they are currently 7th in the table, unable to win against sides battling for survival. In Champions League, however, they are a different team, as they showed on Wednesday by going tooth and nail against defending European Champions Liverpool.
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Assi di Coppe: Will Napoli Mutiny Mark End of Ancelotti Era?

Assi di Coppe, Champions League, Italian Football, Napoli
Carlo Ancelotti’s experience in Napoli may be set to end abruptly as the events following his players’ mutiny against president Aurelio De Laurentiis continue to unfold. Dark clouds gathered over the Azzurri roster last night as captain Lorenzo Insigne and his teammates refused to remain at a training retreat imposed by the club after tying 1-1 against Red Bull Salzburg.
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