SERIE A – Page 47 – Football Flame

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Malaga and Cadiz interested in Udinese striker Darwin Machis

Despite thirteen appearances in Serie A, including the final minutes in the loss to Parma in the last round,  Darwin Machis could find his future away from Udinese.There is strong interest from Malaga and Cadiz in the player and both clubs have already had conversations with Udinese. The talks will continue and the final decision on the future of Machis will come next week.                                             
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Milan boss Gattuso says Higuain wants to leave San Siro

Ac Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso has disclosed that Chelsea target Gonzalo Higuain desire to leave San Siro this month.The Argentine striker has struggled to match the form displayed for Napoli and Juventus since arriving in Milan five months ago, scoring six times in 15 Serie A games this season.Higuain is currently on loan with Ac Milan from Juventus until the end of the season, which has complicated a potential transfer to Chelsea.Maurizio Sarri has worked with the striker at Napoli and is keen on a reunion before the end of the January window, but the Blues must negotiate terms with both Milan and Juventus.Gattuso has confirmed that, despite his best efforts, Higuain would prefer to play his football elsewhere in the second half of the season, he said: "When a player makes up his mind it...
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Josip Ilicic score hat-trick to help Atalanta grab 6-2 win over Sassuolo

Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic came off the bench to score a hat-trick in the last 20 minutes to give his side 6-2 rout away victory over Sassuolo on Saturday.Duvan Zapata headed Atalanta in front from an Alejandro Gomez free kick in the 19th minute and Gomez himself added the second with a deflected shot three minutes before halftime.There were three goals in a seven-minute spell early in the second half as Alfred Duncan pulled one back for Sassuolo, Gianluca Mancini restored Atalanta's two-goal lead and then Duncan struck again.Ilicic was brought on in the 63rd minute and the Slovenian became the first player to score a hat-trick in Serie A from the substitutes' bench since 2011.He opened his account with an angled shot in the 74th minute, added a second with three minutes left following ...
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Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Sampodoria to seal new record for Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals for Italian champions Juventus to end 2018 with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria giving the Italian champions a new record of 53 points before the winter break. Ronaldo curled in the opener after just two minutes in Turin adding a second from the penalty spot after 66 minutes, putting the Portuguese top of Serie A's scoring charts with 14 goals. Fabio Quagliarella pulled Sampdoria level with a penalty after 33 minutes, with the visitors having a late Riccardo Saponara goal ruled offside after consultation with the VAR (video assistant referee).Juventus open up a 12-point lead at the top of Serie A ahead of Napoli who can reduce the gap when they host Bologna later on Saturday.The seven-time reigning champions also have a record number of points before the three-w...
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Cristiano Ronaldo shines in Serie A as he help Juventus maintain their unbeaten run

Portuguese forward  Cristiano Ronaldo has stepped up when his team required him the most and delivered against all odds. And after years of popping up for his team at the much needed hour, And he does it again to salvage a 2-2 draw for his new team against Atalanta.It was a rare occasion as Ronaldo was rested as Juventus went on to face Atalanta. With Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, Juventus struggled to put the ball into the net as Atlanta were leading the match 2-1 for major halves of the game and Juventus were with a man less on the pitch after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off. It was in the 65th minute when a 10-men Juventus finally turned to the saviour.And with 13 minutes to go, Cristiano repaid their faith to salvage a 2-2 draw. It was from a corner which was going into...
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Napoli plans to make Arsenal loanee David Ospina transfer to Italy permanent

According to report in Italy, Napoli could activate their option-to-buy in the winter window, despite having until the summer to make a decision. The €3.2m option in Ospina’s contract with the club becomes compulsory if the Colombian makes 25 appearances, which means he only has 10 left to go between now and the end of the season before the Serie A side have no choice anyway. Napoli have found Ospina to be absolutely reliable, aside from one mistake against Liverpool. He convinced both the club and the fans to want him beyond the end of this season.
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Torino plans to make Chelsea loanee Ola Aina deal permanent

Torino have made the permanent signing of defender Ola Aina a top priority ahead of the January transfer window.  According to report, Torino have been impressed with Aina since he joined the club and are eager to tie him down to a long-term deal.The report claims that Torino have an option to sign him for €10m, which they are set to exercise in the coming weeks. Aina impressed at Hull in the Championship last season and made 46 appearances for Nigel Adkins’ side in all competitions.So far this season Aina has played in 14 of Torino’s 16 Serie A matches, starting 10 of them. Maurizio Sarri does not see Aina in his future plans and sanctioned the deal in the summer, with Cesar Azpilicueta Chelsea’s first-choice right back.Despite representing England at five different yo...
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Juventus beat Inter milan 1-0 to maintain their unbeaten record

Mario Mandzukic in the 66th minute  led Juventus to a 1-0 win over Inter Milan Friday in the first installment of the Derby d’Italia in Turin.The win kept The Juventus unbeaten record in Serie A intact, while Inter Milan failed to gain any ground on Napoli in second. In fact, Napoli could pull farther ahead of Inter as they host Frosinone Saturday. Regardless of how AC Milan does this weekend against Torino, Inter will remain in third-place heading into next weekend.Inter controlled  and had its best chances in the early stages of the first half, especially with Gagliardini’s efforts off a ball from Icardi inside the area.But, after that, Juventus turned up the heat as Mandzukic nearly put the Bianconeri on the board with a header that was pushed away by Samir Handanovic in the 3...
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Mauro Icardi named Serie A player of the year

Mauro Icardi may not have won the France Football Ballon d’Or award but he did win the Italian Ballor d’Or given by the Gran Gala del Calcio.The Argentina man, who managed to score 29 goals in 34 Serie A matches was given the award on Monday. He became the first player not of Juventus to win the award since Zlatan Ibrahimovic won it in 2011 while playing for AC Milan.A back heel goal against his former club Sampdoria last season also won him goal of the year.
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Inter Milan prepares for Serie A clash against Frosinone at San Siro

Inter Milan will welcome Frosinone at San Siro on Saturday 24th November with the aim of bouncing back after losing 4-1 at Atlanta before the International break.The only previous meeting in Milan was on 22 November 2015 and it ended with Inter winning 4-0. Biabiany, Icardi, Murillo and Brozovic were the players on the scoresheet.Frosinone are enjoying a good moment of form and are unbeaten in their last four. They currently sit in 19th with one win, four draws and seven defeats, having scored ten and conceded 25.
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Cristiano Ronaldo helped Juventus grab win over Ac Milan

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Juventus bounced back from their midweek Champions League defeat by Manchester United with a 2-0 win over 10-man AC Milan in Serie A, as Gonzalo Higuain missed a penalty before being sent off for the hosts.Mario Mandzukic headed in the opener in the eighth minute at the San Siro on Sunday with Ronaldo adding a second on 81 minutes as Juventus maintained their six-point cushion ahead of the international break.This win got Juventus back on track after a disappointing first defeat of the season by Manchester United following two late goals despite Ronaldo’s stunning volley.Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri said:“Winning tonight was the only way to put aside what happened in the final five minutes of the Champions League game.“It was important to...
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Napoli grab 2-1 victory in rain-delayed Genoa clash

Napoli came from behind and claimed 2-1 win at Genoa in Serie A on Saturday. Christian Kouame gave Genoa a half-time lead. But, after play was halted for around 10 minutes early in the second half until the rain stopped, Fabian Ruiz levelled and then Genoa's Davide Biraschi put through his own net.It was a great win for Napoli who displayed tremendous character and adapted impressively to a pitch where the ball repeatedly got stuck in pools of water.Napoli moved into second place with 28 points from 12 games, three behind leaders Juventus who visit AC Milan on Sunday.Meanwhile, Cagliari scored two late goals to claim a 2-2 draw at SPAL. Andrea Petagna and Mirko Antenucci put the hosts 2-0 ahead, but Leonardo Pavoletti and Artur Ionita replied for Cagliari in the 73rd a...
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Ac Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain set to miss Real Betis clash

Gonzalo Higuain has been ruled out for AC Milan's Europa League trip to Real Betis on Thursday as he continues to be troubled by a hip injury.Higuain walked out of last weekend's 1-0 victory over Udinese in Serie A with the problem and head coach Gennaro Gattuso is not ready to risk the striker in Europe, with one eye on Sunday's clash with Juventus.Patrick Cutrone started in Udine alongside Higuain and he is hoping his strike partner will not be sidelined for too long as Milan look to extend their three-game winning run.Cutrone told Sky Sport Italia:"I'm waiting for Higuain, we all know how important he is, we're all waiting for him. We're a very close-knit group."Milan sit second in Group F, a point behind Betis after losing to the Spanish side at San Siro two weeks ago.
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Cristiano Ronaldo helped Juventus to maintain their six-point lead at the top of Serie A after thrashing Cagliari 3-1

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri hailed Cristiano Ronaldo leadership skills as Juventus thrashed Cagliari 3-1 for their 10th win in 11 games to maintain their six- point lead at the top of Serie A on Saturday.Paulo Dybala gave Juve a early goal in first half, with a Filip Bradaric own-goal accounting for Juventus' second after 39 minutes, two minutes after Joao Pedro had pulled the Sardinians level.Ronaldo failed to add to his seven-goal league tally for new club Juventus with the Portuguese superstar hitting the woodwork before next week's Champions League visit by former club Manchester United.But, Ronaldo pass across goal set up Colombian Juan Cuadrado for his first of the season three minutes from time in the Allianz Stadium."He has always been a leader and an extraordinary play...
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Juventus Midfielder Emre Can undergoes surgery

Serie A champions Juventus have announced that Emre Can has underwent a successful surgery on a thyroid nodule, Juventus confirmed on Monday that following specialist medical examinations in Germany, Can has had an operation on the issue.According to Juventus website:"The operation was carried out today in Frankfurt by Professor Vorlaender, in the presence of Dr Claudio Rigo and was a complete success. "The prognosis for the resumption of physical activity will be better assessed in the coming days." Can has made eight Serie A appearances this season having joined on a four-year deal from Liverpool on a free transfer in June.
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Inter Milan appoint Steven Zhang as new President

Inter Milan have named 27-year-old Steven Zhang as their new president replacing Erick Thohir. Zhang is the president of Suning International, the overseas division of the group that owns Inter, and serves as a member of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee.Thohir purchased Massimo Moratti's stake in the club in 2013 and was thanked for his service as a member of the board following the club's annual shareholders' meeting in Milan.Zhang said: "I am extremely proud to lead this club into a new era. I feel the responsibility to satisfy the passion of the millions of fans all over the world and, I am more than ready to accept the challenge of president in this, the 110th year of this prestigious club. "We will continue to make the sports performance the number o...
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Gattuso admitted his focus is to change Milan setback

AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso has revealed he was not concerned about his job, saying his focus was  to change his team setback.The Serie A team suffered  a 2-1 loss at home to Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday, further increasing the pressure on Gattuso.Ac Milan are second in Group F, but they have struggled in the league, winning just three of eight games to be 12th in the table.Gattuso, who became Milan coach in November last year, lash out suggestions he was focused on surviving as coach.Gattuso told news conference :"Do you think in this moment I am thinking about saving my job? I am not worried about my job."I'm only focused on how to sort the problems of my team, if the club will give me the chance to continue here."As I already said after the performance, ...
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AC Milan manager Gattuso reveals squad for Inter Milan clash

AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso has called 24 players for today game against Inter milan at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milano’s San Siro district with kick-off scheduled for 19:30 GMT.It is an expected squad that the Rossoneri coach has selected to play against rivals Inter, Uruguay international Diego Laxalt, has also been called up as has summer signing Mattia Caldara who arrived from Juventus.Riccardo Montolivo, Ivan Strinic, Stefan Simic and long term injured Italian full-back Andrea Conti have all not been called up as expected.AC Milan complete squad:Goalkeepers: Antonio Donnarumma, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Jose Manuel Reina.Defenders: Ignazio Abate, Davide Calabria, Mattia Caldara, Diego Laxalt, Mateo Musacchio, Ricardo Rodriguez, Alessio Romagnoli, Cristian Zapata.Midfielders: Tie...
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Juventus winning run halted by 1-1 draw with Genoa

Juventus perfect start to the season has been abrupted by Genoa, who grabbed a point on their visit to Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. Despite appearing set for a comfortable win, especially after a dominant first half, Juventus failed to press home their advantage and were punished for their lack of ruthlessness. Daniel Bessa struck after the interval to cancel out Ronaldo’s first-half strike, ending Juventus winning run. Juventus dominated the match in the early stages, playing football that was both pleasing on the eye and effective. Cristiano Ronaldo was at his best form, going close with only a few minutes played, controlling Miralem Pjanic ball perfectly but failing to hit the target. The Portuguese striker then hit the woodwork just before the 15-minute mark, head...
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Milan Striker Higuain is proud to be Cutrone Role model

Ac Milan and Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain is proud if Patrick Cutrone look up to him, Higuain moved to Milan on loan from Juventus this summer, and with his goalscoring status he is seen as the perfect role model for his young teammate.Higuain told Milan TV“I don’t consider myself a teacher for anyone, If he sees me as an example that makes me proud, it means I have done well in my career. If I can be useful in coaching him then I am pleased to do it.”
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