4 h. ago Spurs and Postecoglou face moment of truth on Bodø/Glimt’s plastic pitch

Tottenham are without key players for the Europa League semi-final second leg against opponents who have beliefEuropean football has provided Tottenham with a sanctuary during this most confusing of seasons. Their Premier League campaign has been a disaster but they have turned into a different team against continental opposition. They have veered away from the wilder excesses of Angeball during their run to the Europa League semi-finals – their quarter-final win over Eintracht Frankfurt was achieved with a crafty, gritty performance in the second leg – and silverware will be within reach for the first time since 2008 if they can hold their nerve at the Aspmyra Stadium.Freeze in the Arctic Circle, though, and the ice that Ange Postecoglou has been skating on since January will finally crack. This is the moment to move away from the modern Tottenham’s history to sort of dare, not quite do and fall short when the pressure rises. Postecoglou has railed against the club’s reputation as ...

Politics

9 h. ago Fearless Lamine Yamal leaves his mark to give Barcelona hope for the future

Teenager was a revelation across an incredible semi-final tie and Spanish side have much to be proud of in defeatOn the afternoon before the most extraordinary Champions League semi-final anyone could remember, Lamine Yamal said he had left fear behind in the park in Mataró years ago. Everything else he left behind at Montjuïc and San Siro, a statement stronger than any he had delivered in the press room. If that line was a promise, a demonstration of personality, it was kept, but Barcelona couldn’t reach their first final in a decade so he made another. “We won’t stop until this club is where it deserves to be: at the summit,” he wrote in the dark moments after defeat.Here Barcelona had been stopped within touching distance. Lamine Yamal departed the pitch in silence holding Marcus Thuram’s shirt, Inter’s players coming to embrace this boy they had survived, a child born every 50 years in the words of their manager, Simone Inzaghi. There has been something revelatory about the 17-y...

Politics

13 h. ago Simone Inzaghi hails Inter Milan for ‘two monstrous performances’ to reach final

Inter sealed a 7-6 aggregate victory over Barcelona.

Politics

15 h. ago ‘Goodbye epic!’ Spanish newspapers react to Barcelona’s crushing Champions League defeat to Inter Milan

Barcelona lost 7-6 on aggregate to Inter in one of the great Champions League ties, with Simone Inzaghi’s side progressing to the final to face PSG or Arsenal

Sport

24 h. ago Simone Inzaghi hails Inter for beating ‘best two sides in Europe’ on way to final

Inter defeat Barcelona after seeing off Bayern in quartersInzaghi: ‘Arsenal or PSG, it’s going to be a great final’Simone Inzaghi claimed that his Inter team had beaten “the best two sides in Europe” on their way to the club’s seventh European Cup final.Inter beat Barcelona 4-3 in extra time here, and 7-6 on aggregate in a spectacular semi-final. Inzaghi’s side also put out Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, and although the Inter heard coach was wary of the threat posed by Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal, he was also keen to recognise the scale of their achievement so far. Continue reading...

Politics

26 h. ago Simone Inzaghi 'saved from suspension' by Inter star after storming onto pitch during extra

Inzaghi charged onto the park and had to be 'protected' from suspension

Events

60 h. ago ‘The real Inter’ prepare for Champions League showdown with Barcelona | Nicky Bandini

Simone Inzaghi dreamed of a quadruple but European success is now the Nerazzurri’s best chance of silverwareThe Inter team that lined up to face Verona on Saturday was so heavily rotated it even included a back-up manager. OK, their first-choice boss Simone Inzaghi was technically suspended, but seeing his assistant Massimiliano Farris trot out for the pre-game interview only reinforced a feeling that we were not about to watch the real thing.For months, Inter had tried to compete at full focus on every front, Inzaghi speaking of the ambition to win a quadruple. Then they lost three games in a week, falling behind Napoli at the top of Serie A and suffering elimination from the Coppa Italia by neighbours Milan. Suddenly their most ambitious target, the Champions League, looked like it might be their most realistic shot at claiming any silverware. Continue reading...

Sport

6 d. ago Arsenal legend reveals where Mikel Arteta went wrong with PSG gameplan

Gunners need a huge second-leg performance in Paris to reach first Champions League final for 19 years

Sport

6 d. ago Barcelona teenager Yamal praised by friend and foe for performance against Inter Milan

Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi says talents like Barcelona's Lamine Yamal come around only once in a half century

Politics

7 d. ago ‘A phenomenon’: Inzaghi hails Lamine Yamal after his star turn against Inter

Inter coach says such a talent only ‘born every 50 years’Hansi Flick calls 17-year-old ‘a genius’ after 100th outingThe Inter head coach, Simone Inzaghi, called Lamine Yamal a phenomenon that only comes along every 50 years after the teenager led Barcelona’s comeback against his team at Montjuïc.Inter led the Champions League semi-final first leg 2-0 after only 21 minutes but, on his 100th professional appearance for the club, the 17-year-old scored an outrageous goal to get Barcelona back in the game and produced a performance that suggests it is not that he will become the best player in the world – he already might be. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Serie A matches and Italy’s Women’s Six Nations game move due to pope’s funeral

Serie A leaders Inter will now host Roma on SundayItaly v Wales in Women’s Six Nations to be rescheduledSerie A has postponed Saturday’s three fixtures due to Pope Francis’ funeral being held that day in Rome. Meanwhile, Italy’s Women’s Six Nations match against Wales is also set to be rescheduled as the country prepares to pay its respects.Earlier media reports in Italy had suggested that Serie A might make an exception for Inter’s clash with visitors Roma to allow Simone Inzaghi’s side additional rest time before their midweek Champions League semi-final at Barcelona. However, the league has confirmed that the game at San Siro will now kick off at 2pm (all times BST) on Sunday. Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago Serie A title playoff a tantalising prospect as weary Inter stumble | Nicky Bandini

Champions looked leggy in defeat at Bologna but fatigue could lead to a rare and dramatic finale with Napoli“The season does not end here,” repeated Simone Inzaghi at full time: to Sky Sport, to Dazn, to anyone who would listen. An undeniable truth, seeing as there are still five rounds to go, yet the more he said it the more you started to wonder who he was trying to convince. Himself? His players? Beppe Bergomi back in the studio?Why should he even be troubled by this idea? His team were still top of the table. A 1-0 loss to Bologna meant Inter finished the weekend level on points with Napoli, but officially they remained ahead courtesy of Serie A’s second tie-breaker. Both head-to-head meetings ended in 1-1 draws, but the Nerazzurri’s goal difference is far superior. Continue reading...

Culture