SERIE A
RETURNING IBRAHIMOVIC ON TARGET AS MILAN SEVERELY DENT LAZIO’S TITLE HOPES
Veteran forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, starting his first match since the coronavirus stoppage converted a penalty to help AC Milan to an emphatic 3-0 win at Lazio on Saturday (July 4), severely denting the Serie A football title hopes of their ragged opponents.
Lazio, missing league-leading scorer Ciro Immobile through suspension, dropped seven points behind leaders Juventus (75) with eight games to play after slumping to their first home defeat in the league this season.
The hosts were a far cry from the fluent and confident side which enjoyed a 21-match unbeaten league run from September till their season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in March.
The effort of having to come behind to win their last two games 2-1 seemed to take its toll and the confidence drained out of them after Milan went ahead.
Milan, unbeaten since the season re-start, climbed to sixth although they are still 14 points behind Atalanta (60), who occupy the last Champions League spot.
Lazio’s other main striker, Felipe Caicedo, was also suspended although midfielder Lucas Leiva returned for the first time since a knee operation in April.
“It’s a heavy loss in terms of the standings,” said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi. “We weren’t lucky in the key moments: in the first half, we conceded a goal from a deflected shot and another from a penalty.
“When we could have got back into it, we conceded the third goal which finished the game. But we won’t give up.”
The hosts could have gone in front early on when Jony fired a low ball across the face of the goal but two Lazio players failed to make contact.
Instead, Milan scored from their first real attack in the 23rd minute, as Hakan Calhanoglu’s shot took a wicked deflection off Patric and looped over the stranded Thomas Strakosha.
Ibrahimovic had a goal chalked off for offside but there was no reprieve two minutes later when Lazio defender Stefan Radu conceded a penalty for handball.
The 38-year-old Swede stepped up and, although Strakosha got a hand to it, the ball rebounded off his foot and into the net.
Lazio were wide open at the back and left Ante Rebic completely free to slot the ball past Strakosha in the 59th minute.
Theo Hernandez twice missed a chance for Milan’s fourth, the first after a solo run from near his own area.
-Reuters
SERIE A
Ademola Lookman wins Atalanta’s ‘Player of The Season Award
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ademola-lookman.jpg)
Nigeria’s Super Eagles winger and silver medal winner with the country at the last AFCON 2023 tournament in Cote D’Ivoire, Ademola Lookman, has emerged as the Atalanta Player of the Season.
The pint-size forward has won the converted award Back-to-back with the Bergamo-based side after his exploit in the domestic and European matches for the side.
Atalanta qualified for two finals with the Nigerian International playing an active role in the campaign.
He was instrumental to Atalanta winning the UEFA Europa League beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final with the Nigerian scoring all the goals.
The club announced on its official website on Thursday saying, “It’s him again, Ademola Lookman! The reigning champion defends his title and is crowned straight-a student for the second year in a row after staving off an unsparing competition, to the point of both bringing the contest to an overtime runoff and stepping the pose down up to the Instagram profile after the regular session ended in a tie. Kudos to Mola for his back-to-back Player of the Season!” it noted.
It went further that,” building on his 17 goals and 11 key passes in all competitions (making him the team’s second-best seasonal scorer and wingman) and with the hat-trick scored in the magical Dublin final as his main leg-up, Lookman tips the ItalianOptic branded crown once again,” the web remarked.
Aside from Ademola, the second and third-best positions were also announced as the midfield duo of Jose dos Santo Éderson and Teun Koopmeiners.
The Nigerian had a brilliant AFCON experience with Nigeria where he scored three goals and his exploits so far have put him in strong contention to win the next ‘African Footballer of the Year’ award which will come up before the end of the year at a venue yet to be announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen is the reigning winner of the award alongside Asissat Oshoola who retained the version.
SERIE A
Napoli reduces Victor Osimhen’s value
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Victor-Osimhen.jpg)
Former Serie A champions Napoli are reportedly ready to drop their asking price for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as his future grows ever more uncertain.
The 25-year-old is looking for a move away from Serie A but Napoli’s initial €150M release clause has warned off any potential suitors.
Quoting from another Italian outlet, Calciomercato, Getfootballnewsitaly reports that Napoli are ready to lower the initial valuation to €100M, in the hope that they can free up much needed transfer funds for new boss Antonio Conte, who is understood to be desperate to land Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku this summer.
It is also stated that the English Premier League sides, Chelsea who were understood to be in pole-position to sign the Nigerian international, has never opened any negotiation with the 2023 Serie A champions.
The only avenues open at this time seem to be the Saudi Pro-League, where a reported salary of €40M a season has been offered, or Paris Saint-Germain, with Osimhen not keen on either option, preferring a move to the English Premier League.
SERIE A
Osimhen’s Napoli European hopes end with 0-0 draw against Lecce
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/osimhen.jpg)
If Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen remains in Napoli in the next season, he will not have any action in UEFA competitions.
Napoli lost their slim chances to participate in European competitions next season when they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Lecce in their last Serie A game of the campaign on Sunday.
Last season’s champions Napoli finished 10th on 53 points, level with ninth-placed Torino who were beaten 3-0 at Atalanta in a simultaneous kick off on Sunday.
Despite their loss, Torino can now still earn a Europa Conference League playoffs spot if eighth-placed Fiorentina, who have a game in hand, win the Europa Conference League.
Fiorentina face Greece’s Olympiacos for the title on Wednesday.
Napoli needed a win to maintain their European hopes but despite 24 shots, five of them on target, they ended their disappointing campaign winless in their last seven games.
Substitute Cyril Ngonge had a good chance to give Napoli the lead just after the break but his shot from the edge of the box was saved by Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone.
Jens Cajuste hit the far post with a low strike shortly before Ngonge hit the bar in the 64th minute.
Europa League winners Atalanta, meanwhile, secured at least fourth spot after Gianluca Scamacca, Ademola Lookman and Mario Pasalic were all on target in a 3-0 win against Torino.
They sit fourth on 69 points but can still leapfrog third-placed Juventus, on 71 points, if they beat Fiorentina in their last remaining game next Sunday.
-Reuters
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