Atalanta paid a heavy price for defensive distractions, as Serhou Guirassy and Maximilian Beier gave Borussia Dortmund a 2-0 first leg lead in the Champions League play-offs.

La Dea had been on the verge of direct qualification to the Round of 16, until back-to-back defeats to Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise. Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori were both ruled out for at least a month this week, but Gianluca Scamacca returned to the starting XI. Borussia Dortmund had drawn 4-4 away to Juventus, but crumbled with one point from the last three against Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham and Inter. They won their last six Bundesliga ties in a row, despite missing Filippo Mane, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Nicklas Sule, so 18-year-old Italian Luca Reggiani got his Champions League debut.

Kick-off had to be delayed by 15 minutes because the Borussia Dortmund team bus was caught in traffic on their way to the stadium.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took under three minutes for the hosts to take the lead, as Julian Ryerson whipped in a cross from the right and Serhou Guirassy comfortably leapt over Odilon Kossounou for the towering header.

Serhou Guirassy leaps high to head Dortmund into an early lead against Atalanta

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/QuTJrCTGkV

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Nicola Zalewski drew out the goalkeeper and rolled across from the left, but Daniel Svensson made a crucial block to prevent Mario Pasalic tapping into an empty net from five yards as they came sliding in.

Sead Kolasinac came flying out of defence to set up Zalewski for another dangerous situation, while a ferocious Felix Nmecha strike was charged down by Kossounou and Waldemar Anton’s header was over from a Ryerson free kick.

Borussia Dortmund doubled their advantage just before half-time, as Guirassy completed a give and go with Nmecha to burst down the left and roll across, finding Maximilian Beier unmarked to bundle over the line.

Maximilian Beier doubles Dortmund's advantage

A nice break down the left from Serhou Guirassy has Atalanta on the back foot…

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Z3A1tZYPBz

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Nikola Krstovic tested the goalkeeper from distance, while Julian Brandt blasted over after Marco Carnesecchi parried an in-swinging corner, but Krstovic and Zalewski strikes were charged down.

Krstovic put in a fine cross, but it only grazed the head of Kamaldeen Sulemana in a good position, and Lazar Samardzic’s curler was too close to the goalkeeper.

In stoppages, Ramy Bensebaini made a fantastic sliding tackle to stop Krstovic tapping in the Sulemana low roll across from five yards.

Atalanta have it all to do in the second leg on February 25.

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atalanta

Guirassy 3 (B), Beier 42 (B)

17-02-2026 20:15

Knockout phase play-offs

Westfalenstadion (Signal Iduna Park)

Dortmund

Atalanta

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Serhou Guirassy (Assist: Julian Ryerson)		3'
Luca Reggiani		18'
		40'		Odilon Kossounou
		40'		Berat Djimsiti
Maximilian Beier (Assist: Serhou Guirassy)		42'
		45+1'		Gianluca Scamacca

2nd half

Waldemar Anton

48'

Match statistic

44

Possession %

56

9

Total shots

7

2

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

2

3

Blocked shots

2

3

Corners

2

1

Offsides

1

11

Fouls

13

Dortmund

Atalanta

Starting lineups

1

Gregor Kobel

Goalkeeper

24

Daniel Svensson

Defender

26

Julian Ryerson

Defender

49

Luca Reggiani

Defender

5

Ramy Bensebaini

Defender

3

Waldemar Anton

Defender

8

Felix Nmecha

Midfielder

83'

10

Julian Brandt

Midfielder

70'

7

Jobe Bellingham

Attacker

14

Maximilian Beier

Attacker

70'

9

Serhou Guirassy

Attacker

83'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

46'

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

72'

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

63'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

82'

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

2

Yan Couto

Defender

6

Salih Özcan

Midfielder

33

Alexander Meyer

Goalkeeper

31

Silas Ostrzinski

Goalkeeper

42

Almugera Kabar

Defender

47

Elias Benkara

Defender

40

Samuele Inácio

Attacker

45

Danylo Krevsun

Midfielder

27

Karim Adeyemi

Attacker

70'

17

Carney Chukwuemeka

Midfielder

70'

20

Marcel Sabitzer

Midfielder

83'

21

Fábio Silva

Attacker

83'

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

45

Dominic Vavassori

Midfielder

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

46'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

46'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

63'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

72'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

82'

Pierre Kalulu insists Juventus cannot hide behind alibis after their 5-2 defeat to Galatasaray, and wants to put the Alessandro Bastoni incident behind him. ‘It’s a pity.’

The Bianconeri had been leading 2-1 at half-time in the first leg of this Champions League play-off, with a Teun Koopmeiners brace overturning the early Gabriel Sara goal.

They went 3-2 down and a man down after the restart, crumbling to a 5-2 loss that gives them a mountain to climb in the second leg on February 25.

Kalulu surprised by Juventus collapse

“Goals keep coming from our own errors, but the most difficult thing to swallow was the second half performance overall,” Kalulu told Sky Sport Italia.

“Even with a red card, we should not have allowed all those scoring opportunities. We need to figure out what happened tonight, but it’s in the past now and in football you must be able to quickly move on to the next match.”

Gleison Bremer limped off with an injury in the first half, while they were also missing Jonathan David, Emil Holm and Dusan Vlahovic. Was the strain of their recent run of big matches to blame for this capitulation?

“No, you cannot hide behind fatigue when dealing with a Champions League fixture. That’s just the way it went today, it’s very difficult to work out what went wrong, but we’ve got to lift our heads and do better in future.”

Kalulu was in all the Italian headlines this week after his red card in the 3-2 Serie A defeat to Inter, as the second yellow was for a Bastoni simulation.

“Obviously, I was very irritable after that incident, but it is better not to talk too much, because sometimes it doesn’t really help. I just have to focus on the pitch, there are others who can talk about these matters.”

Inter defender Bastoni made a public apology today for exaggerating the contact to get Kalulu sent off, but above all for loudly celebrating the dismissal.

“I didn’t see what he said,” replied Kalulu.

“That match is in the past now, we’ve got to look to the future and not think about it anymore. All I will say is that it’s a pity.”

Luciano Spalletti admits Juventus ‘took three steps back’ in their 5-2 Champions League play-off defeat to Galatasaray, warning they are ‘always at risk of conceding goals.’

The Bianconeri had managed to turn around an early Gabriel Sara goal with the Teun Koopmeiners brace to go into half-time leading 2-1 in Istanbul.

It all fell apart after the break, when Juan Cabal replaced Andrea Cambiaso because the Italian was on a yellow card, but he made two crucial errors for goals and then received a red card.

Juve crumbled down to 10 men, as Noa Lang scored twice, plus Davinson Sanchez and Sacha Boey for the 5-2 result.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus

Spalletti does not hold back on dire Juventus performance

“We ended the first half badly, tried to get back into shape and changed a few things, but we really dropped off in terms of character,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

“It was not one step back, but three steps back this evening. Clearly, Cambiaso risked a second yellow card at the end of the first half, in these games when you have someone on a card, it is wise to do something with the substitutions.

“However, we received two more yellow cards in the first 15-odd minutes, then we did further damage to ourselves by not recognising the danger in those situations.”

Is it a problem for Juventus that they consistently concede so many goals, especially in Europe?

“I am convinced that we can lighten the load on the defence if we manage to play football. If we set up barricades and go on the counter, we don’t have players suited to that sort of approach, we don’t have those solid enough to let nothing through,” noted Spalletti.

“So I believe attack is the best form of defence, taking the front foot. If we drop below our standards of quality, then we are always at risk of conceding goals.”

The first, fourth and fifth goals came from giving the ball away and not playing it effectively out from the back, so should Spalletti encourage his defenders to just clear it when under that kind of pressure?

“I want them to play the ball in normal situations, but when there is extreme danger, you kick it away. I want us to create something going forward, not just breaking up the play. Not every situation is the same, sometimes you kick it away and release some pressure. I like to play the ball in general, but there are different situations.

“When down to 10 men, that’s a difficult situation, we made the substitution to take pressure off one player and his replacement receives two yellow cards in 20 minutes, that makes everything tougher.

“Quite apart from the cards, the whole team took a few steps back in various ways today.”

Juventus now have a huge mountain to climb for the second leg of the Champions League play-off, as they need a 3-0 result just to force extra time.

“Of course we’ll try to climb that mountain, try to organise a comeback. Clearly, we must take on responsibility for what happened and for the decisions we take during the match,” noted Spalletti.

“From now on, it’s pointless saying lots of words if we don’t back it up with action. We do some things well recently, but always manage to create problems for ourselves too.

“When it comes to recognising certain situations, we weren’t at the top yet anyway, and today managed to make it worse. The red card added to the difficulties, but we still have to respond and do our duty to a group of fans, a whole city, and a club.”

Gleison Bremer limped off during half-time with a muscular issue, so is there any news yet on his condition?

“We have to evaluate Bremer, as he might have some problems.”

Atalanta’s Champions League play-off with Borussia Dortmund has seen kick-off delayed by 15 minutes after the hosts got stuck in traffic and were late to the stadium.

It was meant to kick off at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

However, that has been moved to 20.15 GMT (21.15 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Galatasaray-Juventus on the Liveblog.

The second leg for a place in the Round of 16 will be on February 25.

Dortmund traffic surprises Borussia squad

Borussia Dortmund ought to know the traffic in their own city on match days, but evidently were surprised by the situation they ran into on their way to the arena.

They were delayed so much that the kick-off time had to be put back by 15 minutes.

La Dea had been very close to going directly into the next phase as one of the top eight teams in the league table, but fumbled it with defeats to Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Both Charles De Ketelaere and January signing Giacomo Raspadori are out for at least a month with injuries sustained at the weekend, so Gianluca Scamacca makes his return to the starting XI.

There are some surprises in defence, as Giorgio Scalvini and Isak Hien are both on the bench.

Juventus were leading 2-1 with a Teun Koopmeiners brace, but a disastrous performance from Juan Cabal with red card and Noa Lang double create a Champions League play-off mountain to climb.

The Bianconeri made the trip to Istanbul without Jonathan David, Emil Holm, Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik, but Khephren Thuram returned after missing the controversial 3-2 defeat to Inter. Weston McKennie was turned into a surprise False 9, flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao. The hosts had Mario Lemina suspended, but could count on former Serie A stars Victor Osimhen, Mauro Icardi, Noa Lang and Lucas Torreira. The second leg in Turin is on February 25.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

A Yunus Akgun scorcher flashed just wide, as did the deflected Kenan Yildiz effort at the other end, but Kenan Yildiz was caught napping on a throw-in, so Lucas Torreira laid it off for Gabriel Sara to bend the left-foot finish into the far bottom corner.

Gabriel Sara FIRES Galatasaray ahead @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/bHZKDXTwjM

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

However, the Galatasaray celebrations were still in full swing when Juventus equalised less than a minute later. Andrea Cambiaso surged forward from the kick-off and floated a cross for Pierre Kalulu’s header, which was only parried into the path of Teun Koopmeiners to turn in the rebound.

Koopmeiners responds immediately and Juventus are level@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/PbUwwBUCsR

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Cambiaso was booked and will be suspended for the second leg, while Osimhen’s half-volley flashed over the bar and his header was well saved by Michele Di Gregorio.

Both Gleison Bremer and Kenan Yildiz were carrying knocks, but Juve managed to turn the game around to lead with another from Koopmeiners. The Dutchman burst through the centre, completed a give and go with McKennie, and blasted into the roof of the net with his left foot.

Koopmeiners puts Juventus in front with a brilliant strike @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/oyvbz6AKcd

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

After several minutes of trying to continue, Bremer was forced off with a thigh issue, replaced by Federico Gatti.

Francisco Conceicao curled off target from a counter-attack and Di Gregorio got down to palm away the Yunus Akgun daisy-cutter.

Former Palermo man Roland Sallai should’ve equalised on the stroke of half-time, but ballooned over at the back post after surprising Cambiaso on a Lang corner.

They did make it 2-2 straight after the restart, as Di Gregorio got a glove to the Baris Alper Yilmaz angled drive, but could do nothing on Lang’s tap-in for his first goal since the January move from Napoli. Substitute Juan Cabal had tried to double up marking elsewhere, leaving Yilmaz alone.

Noa Lang brings Galatasaray right back into it @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/LEdmFZ5OQn

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Galatasaray turned it around once more, Gabriel Sara’s ferocious free kick taking a mere glance off Davinson Sanchez to wrong-foot Di Gregorio from close range.

REMARKABLE TURNAROUND BY GALATASARAY @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/V9Qhm0MfpT

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Cabal had given that free kick away with a foul on Baris Alper Yilmaz for a yellow card, and received his second for another failed attempt to stop the Galatasaray captain, reducing Juventus to 10 men after a nightmare performance off the bench.

Juan Cabal sent off after coming on at half-time! @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/EFFzs9QlpC

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Things went from bad to worse, as Thuram and Lloyd Kelly were too sluggish playing out from the back, allowing Osimhen to steal it inside the box and find Lang for another tap-in.

Noa Lang gets his second of the night! @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/oXcAsUUJqn

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Ex-Torino winger Wilfried Singo drilled just wide from distance, but the fifth arrived when Osimhen battled with Lloyd Kelly to send substitute Sacha Boey down the right, blasting into the far top corner with a powerful finish.

Boey adds a fifth for Galatasaray @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Dgbswx8PZR

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2026

Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus

Gabriel Sara 15 (G), Koopmeiners 16, 32 (J), Lang 49, 75 (G), Sanchez 60 (G), Boey 86 (G)

Sent off: Cabal 67 (J)

17-02-2026 17:45

Knockout phase play-offs

Türk Telekom Arena (Ali Sami Yen Stadium)

Galatasaray

Juventus

5 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Gabriel Sara		15'
		16'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Pierre Kalulu)
		18'		Andrea Cambiaso
		32'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Weston McKennie)
Gabriel Sara		43'

2nd half

Noa Lang (Assist: Barış Alper Yılmaz)		49'
		59'		Juan Cabal
Davinson Sánchez (Assist: Gabriel Sara)		60'
		67'		Juan Cabal
Noa Lang (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		75'
Sacha Boey (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		86'

Match statistic

62

Possession %

38

22

Total shots

7

9

Shots on target

3

7

Shots off target

2

6

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

5

1

Offsides

2

8

Fouls

18

Galatasaray

Juventus

Starting lineups

1

Ugurcan Cakir

Goalkeeper

42

Abdülkerim Bardakci

Defender

77'

6

Davinson Sánchez

Defender

4

Ismail Jakobs

Defender

83'

8

Gabriel Sara

Midfielder

34

Lucas Torreira

Midfielder

53

Barış Alper Yılmaz

Attacker

77'

77

Noa Lang

Attacker

83'

7

Roland Sallai

Attacker

45

Victor Osimhen

Attacker

11

Yunus Akgün

Attacker

70'

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

46'

3

Bremer

Defender

34'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

80'

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

70'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

81'

Substitutes

23

Kaan Ayhan

Midfielder

20

Ilkay Gündogan

Midfielder

12

Batuhan Sen

Goalkeeper

21

Ahmed Kutucu

Attacker

19

Günay Güvenc

Goalkeeper

22

Yaser Asprilla

Midfielder

10

Leroy Sané

Midfielder

70'

90

Wilfried Singo

Defender

77'

9

Mauro Icardi

Attacker

77'

93

Sacha Boey

Defender

83'

17

Eren Elmali

Defender

83'

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

34'

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

46'

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

70'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

80'

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

81'

Atalanta are forced to make big changes for the Champions League play-off, so Gianluca Scamacca is supported by Nicola Zalewski against Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham.

It kicks off at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Galatasaray-Juventus on the Liveblog.

The second leg of this play-off for a place in the Round of 16 will be on February 25.

La Dea had been on the verge of direct qualification for the Champions League Round of 16 after a great run of four wins in the first six games, including victories over Chelsea, Olympique Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt.

However, back-to-back defeats to Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise proved costly.

Raffaele Palladino is forced into changes, as both Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori will be out of action for at least a month.

It means Gianluca Scamacca rushes his return from injury to start, supported by Nicola Zalewski and Mario Pasalic.

Ederson and Marten de Roon bring their experience to pull the midfield strings.

Borussia Dortmund are missing Filippo Mane, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck and Nicklas Sule for the first leg due to injury.

They too had been flying a lot higher in Europe, including a 4-4 draw away to Juventus, 4-1 victory with Athletic Club and 4-0 win over Villarreal, but crumbled with one point from the last three against Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham and Inter.

Dortmund won their last six Bundesliga matches on the bounce.

Guirassy is their top scorer with 15 competitive goals this season, followed by Julian Brandt on 10, Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier with seven each.

With so many defenders missing, 18-year-old Italian Luca Reggiani gets his Champions League debut.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta line-ups

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Reggiani, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, F Nmecha, Bellingham, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy

Dortmund bench: Ostrzinski, Meyer, Yan Couto, Salih Ozcan, Chukwuemeka, Sabitzer, Fabio Silva, Adeyemi, Inacio, Kabar, Krevsun, Benkara

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Kolasinac, Djimsiti, Kossounou; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi; Pasalic, Zalewski; Scamacca

Atalanta bench: Rossi, Sportiello, Hien, Bakker, Musah, Sulemana, Samardzic, Bellanova, Scalvini, Vavassori, Ahanor, Krstovic

Ref: Gozubuyuk (NED)

17-02-2026 20:15

Knockout phase play-offs

Westfalenstadion (Signal Iduna Park)

Dortmund

Atalanta

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Serhou Guirassy (Assist: Julian Ryerson)		3'
Luca Reggiani		18'
		40'		Odilon Kossounou
		40'		Berat Djimsiti
Maximilian Beier (Assist: Serhou Guirassy)		42'
		45+1'		Gianluca Scamacca

2nd half

Waldemar Anton

48'

Match statistic

44

Possession %

56

9

Total shots

7

2

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

2

3

Blocked shots

2

3

Corners

2

1

Offsides

1

11

Fouls

13

Dortmund

Atalanta

Starting lineups

1

Gregor Kobel

Goalkeeper

24

Daniel Svensson

Defender

26

Julian Ryerson

Defender

49

Luca Reggiani

Defender

5

Ramy Bensebaini

Defender

3

Waldemar Anton

Defender

8

Felix Nmecha

Midfielder

83'

10

Julian Brandt

Midfielder

70'

7

Jobe Bellingham

Attacker

14

Maximilian Beier

Attacker

70'

9

Serhou Guirassy

Attacker

83'

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

46'

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

72'

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

63'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

82'

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

46'

Substitutes

2

Yan Couto

Defender

6

Salih Özcan

Midfielder

33

Alexander Meyer

Goalkeeper

31

Silas Ostrzinski

Goalkeeper

42

Almugera Kabar

Defender

47

Elias Benkara

Defender

40

Samuele Inácio

Attacker

45

Danylo Krevsun

Midfielder

27

Karim Adeyemi

Attacker

70'

17

Carney Chukwuemeka

Midfielder

70'

20

Marcel Sabitzer

Midfielder

83'

21

Fábio Silva

Attacker

83'

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

42

Giorgio Scalvini

Defender

5

Mitchel Bakker

Defender

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

45

Dominic Vavassori

Midfielder

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

46'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

46'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

63'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

72'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

82'

Luciano Spalletti admires the ‘incandescent’ Galatasaray atmosphere and ‘complete striker’ Victor Osimhen, but explains how Weston McKennie can be an effective Juventus centre-forward.

It kicks off at the Ali Semi Yen in Istanbul at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

This is the first leg of the play-off for a place in the Champions League Round of 16, and the second is on Wednesday February 25.

Spalletti makes Juventus changes in Istanbul

“Everything seems incandescent, like it’s ready to burn,” said Spalletti on Sky Sport Italia looking around the legendary stadium.

“What matters now is not what we want to become, but what we are now, because we need the right courage.”

The Bianconeri are still smarting from the controversial 3-2 Serie A defeat to Inter, which saw Pierre Kalulu sent off before half-time.

“My players have shown they are real men, who become a real team, so that is the best thing a coach can ask for.

“We have already left what happened in the past, because we are challenging for our future with tonight’s game, not what happened the other day.”

Jonathan David and Emil Holm joined Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik on the treatment table, but Khephren Thuram has shaken off a bruise for his return to the starting XI with McKennie unexpectedly as a False 9.

“The fundamental issue is how we press and how we emerge from their press, that is the key. Pressing limits the spaces on the pitch for the opponents and forces them to make decisions quickly,” explained the coach.

“Playing out from the press allows you to create spaces and use your quality. That’s when it all becomes crucial for the result.”

There are plenty of familiar faces in the Galatasaray squad, even if Mario Lemina is suspended, as ex-Napoli players Victor Osimhen and Noa Lang both start, with former Inter centre-forward Mauro Icardi on the bench.

Lucas Torreira, Wilfried Singo, Roland Sallai and Kaan Ayhan also have history in Italian football.

“Osimhen has these great flourishes of pace, determination and physicality, he is a complete striker, but we have centre-backs who can counter him,” concluded Spalletti.

No Italian team has beaten Galatasaray in Istanbul during the Champions League, as the last to win here was Milan when it was still the European Cup in 1963.

Kenan Yildiz admits it is ‘exciting’ as a Turkiye international to play Galatasaray in Istanbul, and scoring for Juventus here ‘would be a dream. All I can say about their fans is wow.’

It kicks off at the Ali Semi Yen in Istanbul at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

This is the first leg of the play-off for a place in the Round of 16, and the second is on Wednesday February 25.

Kenan Yildiz excited by Galatasaray test

“I feel great, when you are in this stadium with these fans, it’s exciting, but we are fired up for a good performance,” Kenan Yildiz told Sky Sport Italia.

Juventus are fresh off a controversial 3-2 Serie A defeat to Inter, where Pierre Kalulu was sent off before half-time for a highly-contentious second bookable offence.

“The last match was very difficult for us after the red card, but I still think we had a great performance down to 10 men.”

Kenan Yildiz was born and raised in Germany, then moved to Italy for Juventus as a teenager, so this is his first time playing in Istanbul as an opponent.

“We’ll do everything today to get a victory. Scoring would be a dream, but let’s play and then see. This is a very difficult match, as Galatasaray are such a great team, and all I can say about their fans is wow.”

Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella is in the stands to watch the game.

Juventus adopt a surprising False 9 approach to Victor Osimhen’s Galatasaray in the Champions League play-off, with Weston McKennie flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao.

It kicks off at the Ali Semi Yen in Istanbul at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

This is the first leg of the play-off for a place in the Round of 16, and the second is on Wednesday February 25.

The Bianconeri had a dismal start to their Champions League campaign, improving considerably once coach Luciano Spalletti took over from sacked Igor Tudor.

They are fresh off a controversial 3-2 defeat to Inter in Serie A at the weekend, with Pierre Kalulu sent off and therefore suspended for the next league game.

Khephren Thuram missed that match through injury, but has fully recovered and returns to the starting XI.

Jonathan David did not make the trip, but rather than start Lois Openda upfront, Spalletti opts for a surprising new McKennie role as the False 9, flanked by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao.

Along with David, Emil Holm, Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik remain the long-term absentees.

Galatasaray had started quite strong with wins over Liverpool, Bodo/Glimt and Ajax, but then managed one point from the last four Champions League ties, losing to Union Saint-Gilloise, AS Monaco and Manchester City without scoring, around a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.

Former Serie A midfielder Mario Lemina is suspended for the first leg of this play-off, but there are no major injury concerns.

The star man upfront is ex-Napoli striker Osimhen, who won the Scudetto under coach Spalletti.

There are other familiar faces, including Lucas Torreira, Noa Lang on loan from Napoli and ex-Inter hitman Mauro Icardi.

Juve have not beaten Galatasaray since a 2-1 home result in September 2023, managing one draw in the last three meetings, though the most recent was in December 2013.

Galatasaray vs. Juventus line-ups

Galatasaray: Ugurcan Cakir; Sallai, Sanchez, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Jakobs; Torreira, Gabriel Sara; Baris Alper Yilmaz, Yunus Akgun, Lang; Osimhen

Galatasaray bench: Batuhan Sen, Gunay Guvenc, Icardi, Sané, Eren Elmali, Gundogan, Ahmed Kutucu, Asprilla, Kaan Ayhan, Singo, Boey

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Koopmeiners, Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz

Juventus bench: Perin, Pinsoglio, Gatti, Zhegrova, Boga, Adzic, Kostic, Openda, Miretti, Cabal

Ref: Makkelie (NED)

17-02-2026 17:45

Knockout phase play-offs

Türk Telekom Arena (Ali Sami Yen Stadium)

Galatasaray

Juventus

5 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Gabriel Sara		15'
		16'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Pierre Kalulu)
		18'		Andrea Cambiaso
		32'		Teun Koopmeiners (Assist: Weston McKennie)
Gabriel Sara		43'

2nd half

Noa Lang (Assist: Barış Alper Yılmaz)		49'
		59'		Juan Cabal
Davinson Sánchez (Assist: Gabriel Sara)		60'
		67'		Juan Cabal
Noa Lang (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		75'
Sacha Boey (Assist: Victor Osimhen)		86'

Match statistic

62

Possession %

38

22

Total shots

7

9

Shots on target

3

7

Shots off target

2

6

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

5

1

Offsides

2

8

Fouls

18

Galatasaray

Juventus

Starting lineups

1

Ugurcan Cakir

Goalkeeper

42

Abdülkerim Bardakci

Defender

77'

6

Davinson Sánchez

Defender

4

Ismail Jakobs

Defender

83'

8

Gabriel Sara

Midfielder

34

Lucas Torreira

Midfielder

53

Barış Alper Yılmaz

Attacker

77'

77

Noa Lang

Attacker

83'

7

Roland Sallai

Attacker

45

Victor Osimhen

Attacker

11

Yunus Akgün

Attacker

70'

16

Michele Di Gregorio

Goalkeeper

27

Andrea Cambiaso

Defender

46'

3

Bremer

Defender

34'

6

Lloyd Kelly

Defender

15

Pierre Kalulu

Defender

19

Khéphren Thuram

Midfielder

80'

5

Manuel Locatelli

Midfielder

8

Teun Koopmeiners

Midfielder

22

Weston McKennie

Midfielder

7

Francisco Conceição

Attacker

70'

10

Kenan Yıldız

Attacker

81'

Substitutes

23

Kaan Ayhan

Midfielder

20

Ilkay Gündogan

Midfielder

12

Batuhan Sen

Goalkeeper

21

Ahmed Kutucu

Attacker

19

Günay Güvenc

Goalkeeper

22

Yaser Asprilla

Midfielder

10

Leroy Sané

Midfielder

70'

90

Wilfried Singo

Defender

77'

9

Mauro Icardi

Attacker

77'

93

Sacha Boey

Defender

83'

17

Eren Elmali

Defender

83'

23

Carlo Pinsoglio

Goalkeeper

1

Mattia Perin

Goalkeeper

Jeremie Boga

Attacker

11

Edon Zhegrova

Attacker

17

Vasilije Adžić

Midfielder

4

Federico Gatti

Defender

34'

32

Juan Cabal

Defender

46'

18

Filip Kostic

Midfielder

70'

21

Fabio Miretti

Midfielder

80'

20

Loïs Openda

Attacker

81'

Alisson Santos ‘would’ve been happier’ with his first Napoli goal if they had all three points against Roma, while Alessandro Buongiorno admits he ‘needed to react’ to a recent crisis.

It was a hard-fought and thrilling match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with the Giallorossi twice going in front through Donyell Malen goals, only to be clawed back by a deflected Leonardo Spinazzola strike and late Alisson Santos daisy-cutter.

The January signing seemed very emotional when celebrating his first goal in the Napoli jersey, as the crowd went wild in the stands behind him.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

Napoli refused to give in for thrilling draw

“I am very happy to score and help the team. I would’ve been happier if we won the game, for sure, but I am feeling really good and enjoying scoring at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona,” Alisson Santos told DAZN Italia.

Alisson Santos came off the bench and made a remarkable impact this evening, as he ran at opponents every time and gave them that spark they needed to get back into the game.

He even pushed to the very end trying to win it in stoppages, so was named Serie A Man of the Match.

“My relationship with the teammates, the coach and the whole staff is really good.”

Buongiorno stepped back into the starting XI for the first time since his nightmare performance in the 3-2 win at Genoa, where he was directly at fault for two goals and was hauled off by Antonio Conte.

“We fought like lions to the end of the match, so we’ve got to thank everyone here, because we are giving our absolute all,” Buongiorno told DAZN Italia.

“I faced up to my problems and tried to resolve them, I did a lot of work in training and know that if you never give in, you can achieve your dreams.

“I have to thank the fans, my family and my partner for being close to me during this difficult time. There are moments where you fall and you’ve got to get back on your feet.”

Napoli are now out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, but are up to third in Serie A, ahead of Roma and Juventus.

“The only objective we have really is to get into the top four, but we need to take it one game at a time and see what happens.”

Donyell Malen admits Gian Piero Gasperini ‘played a big role’ in convincing him to come to Roma, and is allowing the former Aston Villa striker to flourish. ‘It’s a big club with big ambitions.’

The Netherlands international has had an extraordinary impact in Serie A with five goals in his first five games, and bagged another brace this evening in the thrilling 2-2 draw away to Napoli.

However, he wasn’t happy with the result, having seen the lead twice slip away to a deflected Leonardo Spinazzola strike and late Alisson Santos finish.

Malen made remarkable Roma impact

“To be honest, I am quite disappointed. I think we deserved to win it and had done enough. Obviously, it was a good night personally, but this is football and you want to win,” Malen told DAZN Italia.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

When he arrived from Aston Villa in the January transfer window, on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, was he expecting such a strong start to life in Italy?

“I had a good feeling when I signed for the club. I know what I can do and I know my qualities. In football, you also need a little bit of luck and momentum, so I am very happy to be here.”

Roma coach Gasperini said that Malen is “the ideal striker for my style of football,” so what role did the former Atalanta tactician play in convincing him to choose the Stadio Olimpico?

“Gasperini played a big role, he told me about the position and what he wanted me to do, what he feels I could bring to the team,” replied Malen.

“I believe Roma is a very big club, with big ambitions, and the right place for me to play my football. That’s why I chose Roma.”

Gian Piero Gasperini insists Roma ‘would have a few more points’ if Donyell Malen had arrived earlier in the season, as they have ‘regrets’ at a 2-2 draw with Napoli.

The Giallorossi had hoped they would break their drought of wins in big games, and had twice gone in front with goals from Malen, who has now scored five goals in his first four Serie A games.

However, Napoli fought back both times with a deflected Leonardo Spinazzola strike from distance, and Alisson Santos drilling in from the edge of the area.

Gasperini: ‘Malen ideal striker for Roma’

“We often end these games with young lads who need to grow, gain experience and character. These are fundamental minutes in matches where we need fresh legs, which the younger players do have, but it also means missing out on experience,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.

The January transfer window has certainly changed the options available for Roma, as this evening Malen scored twice, including on an assist from Bryan Zaragoza making his first start for the club.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

“I have always been convinced Malen has the ideal characteristics for my style of football, as he is a complete striker, he can get shots away quickly, is fast, can combine with his teammates. This is a side that needs a striker like him, who is scoring frequently also because we put him in a position to be consistently dangerous.

“He’s only been with us for five games, so we can keep improving I feel, especially if we get Dybala, Soulé or El Shaarawy back to full fitness, we can be more competitive.”

Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy didn’t make the trip, with Matias Soulé and Mario Hermoso not fully fit.

Wesley was seen limping badly and with an ice pack strapped to his left ankle after winning the penalty from Amir Rrahmani, but it was Malen who stepped up, despite not taking many spot-kicks in his career.

“It was a very important penalty, but I had seen him in training, he takes good free kicks as well as penalties. Milinkovic-Savic has saved a lot of penalties, so it was tough, but he hit it hard and precise. Well done,” revealed Gasperini.

This result means both Napoli and Roma surge ahead of Juventus in the standings, now sitting third and fourth, despite not managing to win a single head-to-head clash.

“We’ve had a positive attitude throughout the season, which is why we are fourth in the table. I am not afraid to say that if we’d had Malen in the first half of the season, we’d have a few more points right now, but the overall approach has always been the same,” added Gasperini.

“We went very close to results against the big teams and stumbled at the last hurdle in many of them. It has been better in the second half of the campaign, because we held Milan and now Napoli to draws, leaving both games with regrets that we came so close to victory.”

Antonio Conte believes Napoli deserved more than a 2-2 draw with Roma. ‘It was an English style match, now we’ll see what European competition we qualify for.’

There was a long and touching banner in the stands before kick-off that sent a strong message to Conte and the Napoli players during their injury crisis. ‘We don’t know what our destiny will be, but we’ll be by your side to the end. Despite the many difficulties, you are honouring the shirt and the city,’ it read.

“It is only right that we thank the fans, because it is by no means to be taken for granted that they would recognise what we are doing this season,” Conte told DAZN Italia.

“The fact they recognised we are fighting for Napoli, honouring the shirt and not giving in, that is a wonderful message for the lads. I know what they’ve been dealing with and how we’ve managed to get through the last few months.”

Conte saw English style clash for Napoli and Roma

It was another hard-fought battle at the Stadio Maradona, but the Partenopei refused to give in and twice fought back from Donyell Malen goals to earn a 2-2 draw.

Leonardo Spinazzola’s strike took a deflection off Nicolò Pisilli to loop over Mile Svilar, while late on January signings Giovane and Alisson Santos combined for the latter’s emotional equaliser.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

“Fighting back twice to hold Roma was also no mean feat, and I think if this was a boxing match, we’d have won it on points,” insisted Conte.

“It was an entertaining game played at a high level of intensity, there were difficulties playing because the pressing was so high from both teams. It was an English style match. We’ve got to continue, knowing that we are building our future in the next 13 games, so what we have next season will depend on what we do in these 13 games, and what European competition we manage to qualify for.

“It won’t be easy, as the other teams in the race are well-drilled and have resources, but we are pushing beyond our boundaries.”

Alisson Santos arrived in the January transfer window and made a big impact off the bench today, scoring a goal, but also repeatedly running at opponents.

“Both Giovane and Alisson are young players that the club signed in January, because we had those transfer limitations and had to sell first in order to buy to balance the books,” noted Conte.

“They have not even been training with us for two weeks, so they need to understand our movements. Alisson is better at taking men on than Giovane, whereas Giovane is more of a striker. They have made a massive change in their careers, but they have showed humility and are ready to take that time to understand how we do things here.”

There was mixed news from the treatment table, as while Amir Rrahmani seemed to sprain his ankle during the penalty incident, Billy Gilmour made his first appearance since early November.

“I honestly don’t know how Rrahmani is doing, but it won’t make much difference at this point,” shrugged Conte.

“We can’t always talk about injuries, otherwise it becomes stupid. We should focus on what we have at our disposal for the next match, if he is ready then we’ll be happy, if not then we’ll find a solution, as we have been doing in every single game.”

Napoli fought their way back twice from Donyell Malen goals to hold Roma to a thrilling 2-2 draw with Leonardo Spinazzola and Alisson Santos, on a big night for January buys.

Both sides were forced into changes by an injury crisis. Scott McTominay joined Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne and suspended Juan Jesus in the stands, but Matteo Politano returned to the starting XI after a Coppa Italia penalty shoot-out defeat to Como midweek. Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy didn’t make the trip, with Matias Soulé and Mario Hermoso not fully fit either, so Bryan Zaragoza got his first start.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took just seven minutes to break the deadlock, as the two January buys combined down the right with Zaragoza rolling across for Malen to come sliding in with the right foot from seven yards. This was the ex-Aston Villa striker’s fourth goal in five Serie A games.

Donyell Malen silences the Maradona

Roma race free and into an early lead against Napoli!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/z6OokMQkEG

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

Rasmus Hojlund felt he was dragged down by Evan Ndicka in a promising position, but the referee waved play on, while Stanislav Lobotka’s half-volley was straight at Mile Svilar.

Malen scuffed just wide after shrugging off Amir Rrahmani to push forward from the centre-circle, while Nicolò Pisilli also drilled past the near post and Wesley’s effort was charged down after controlling a long ball.

Napoli equalised after a long passing move, as Leonardo Spinazzola’s screamer from outside the area took a deflection off Pisilli to loop up and over a helpless Mile Svilar. It was a special goal for the former Roma player.

We're back level in Naples

Leonardo Spinazzola has a pop from range, which deflects over Mile Svilar and into the back of the net!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/4LMcRGjxIj

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

Soulé came on for the restart, but Napoli came out fighting and Spinazzola’s control and strike forced a tricky save out of Svilar.

Wesley sprinted down the left and in a desperate bid to run after him, Rrahmani bundled into the back of the Brazilian for a penalty, a tangle of legs that saw both players injured. Malen converted into the top corner with a short run-up to complete his brace and beat Milinkovic-Savic.

Donyell Malen outwits Vanja Milinković-Savić again, this time from twelve yards to restore Roma's lead in Naples

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/eGjaspWJbd

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

Alisson Santos cut inside to test Svilar and Billy Gilmour made his comeback for the first time since early November 2025.

The January signing made an immediate impact, as he gathered the Giovane through ball and drilled a ferocious strike into the near bottom corner from the edge of the area. Alisson Santos was visibly emotional at his first goal for Napoli.

Napoli equalise once again

Billy Gilmour and Rasmus Hojlund combine, and Alisson Santos rifles in a second for the home side v Roma!

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/UYU09Ldzb0

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

The hosts kept pushing in search of a winner, having fought their way back twice from a goal down, as while Robinio Vaz had a shot charged down, at the other end Svilar got down to fingertip away the Miguel Gutierrez daisy-cutter.

Napoli 2-2 Roma

Malen 7, pen 71 (R), Spinazzola 40 (N), Alisson Santos 82 (N)

15-02-2026 19:45

MatchDay 25

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Roma

2 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		7'		Donyell Malen (Assist: Bryan Zaragoza)
		26'		Gianluca Mancini
Leonardo Spinazzola (Assist: Eljif Elmas)		40'

2nd half

Amir Rrahmani		68'
		71'		Donyell Malen
Alisson Santos (Assist: Giovane)		82'

Match statistic

61

Possession %

39

11

Total shots

9

7

Shots on target

2

1

Shots off target

4

3

Blocked shots

3

2

Corners

1

1

Offsides

2

14

Fouls

14

Napoli

Roma

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

70'

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

70'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

79'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

79'

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

85'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

72'

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

65'

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

65'

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

46'

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

72'

Substitutes

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

9

Romelu Lukaku

Attacker

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

70'

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

70'

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

79'

23

Giovane

Attacker

79'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

85'

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

75

Mattia Della Rocca

Midfielder

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

46'

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

65'

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

65'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

72'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

72'

Antonio Conte tries to focus on the ‘good performances’ from Napoli after their Coppa Italia exit, and expects an ‘aggressive and intense’ match with Roma this evening.

It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

This had been a Scudetto battle just a few weeks ago, but realistically is now a fight for third place following some disappointing recent results.

Serie A is the only focus for the Partenopei, who in the last month have gone out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, losing a penalty shoot-out to Como midweek.

Conte focus on Napoli performances

“We had a very good performance against Como, but once you get to penalties, it can happen that you go out and don’t reach the semi-finals,” Conte told DAZN Italia.

“However, the team is in good condition, putting in some fine games, and there’s not much more I could ask from them. We are finding different solutions, because every time we need to make adjustments when someone else is missing.”

Scott McTominay aggravated a tendon injury during the 3-2 win over Genoa and has still not recovered, so he joins Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne and suspended Juan Jesus in the stands.

Napoli beat Roma 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico earlier this season, but some of the players who featured heavily in that game like Noa Lang and David Neres are not playing tonight.

“We prepared our usual approach, we certainly won’t sit back and wait for them. We’ll try to attack Roma, win back the ball early, and when we’ve got it then we can try to find solutions to hurt them.

“Roma also rely on aggression and intensity, so I imagine it will be an entertaining match for the neutral,” concluded Conte.

Roma director Ricky Massara hopes tonight’s trip to Napoli can finally give them a victory in the big games, but assures Paulo Dybala’s latest injury ‘has no effect’ on contract talks.

It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The Giallorossi know this is a big opportunity to lock down a top four finish and even catch the Partenopei in third, as Juventus were beaten yesterday 3-2 by Inter.

When they met Antonio Conte’s side earlier this season at the Stadio Olimpico, it ended 1-0 for Napoli.

Massara eager for Roma turning point

“It is true that we didn’t win big games, but the performances were never lacking in those clashes, so we hope to keep putting in the good performances and hope results arrive as a consequence of that,” Massara told DAZN Italia.

Dybala, Manu Kone, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy didn’t make the trip, with Matias Soulé and Mario Hermoso not fully fit either, so Bryan Zaragoza gets his first start.

Is the poor fitness record one of the reasons Roma are hesitant to lock the Argentina international down to a new contract?

“Dybala would be a big loss for any team, as he is a special player who makes the difference. It’s a pity he had this new and unexpected injury, as he would’ve been very welcome in this game. I can assure it does not have any effect on the negotiations for a new contract.”

It had been said there was tension between coach Gian Piero Gasperini and director of sport Massara, so did they have dinner over the weekend?

“We were all watching last night’s game. We have a very good rapport, let’s not forget Roma started a renovation process, we have 10 new players compared to last season, which shows the extent of the changes that we are making. The coach is forming this new group in excellent fashion, and we are very satisfied with his work.”

Nicolò Pisilli gets a rare start in midfield rather than Neil El Aynaoui, so is the Roma youth product breaking his way into the first team?

“Pisilli had already shown some of his quality in previous seasons, but he is now reaching maturity. He has a sense for the goal, is tactically intelligent, can defend and attack, and we believe he will be a big player for Roma and Italy for many years to come,” concluded Massara.

Bologna took a significant step out of their crisis with this 2-1 victory away to Torino, as a Nikola Vlasic own goal and Santiago Castro show of skill ended their dire run.

The Rossoblu arrived in a huge crisis that threatened to end Vincenzo Italiano’s tenure, crashing out of the Coppa Italia quarter-final on penalties to Lazio midweek, with four consecutive Serie A defeats, just one win in the last 12 rounds. Tommaso Pobega was suspended, with Charalampos Lykogiannis, Torbjorn Heggem and Lorenzo De Silvestri injured. Toro got back on track by beating Lecce and drawing 2-2 with Fiorentina, but Rafa Obrador, Ardian Ismajli and Zanos Savva missed out. Nikola Vlasic and Matteo Prati returned from bans.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

The stadium was almost empty, as Torino fans stepped up their protest against the club and President Urbano Cairo by boycotting the home games. Nonetheless, it was a special occasion, the first Serie A match shown live on BBC Alba.

Nikola Moro just failed to get clean contact on a header at the back post from Jonathan Rowe’s cross, while Santiago Castro couldn’t get enough power on his effort into the arms of Alberto Paleari.

Federico Bernardeschi cut inside to shoot from the right, forcing a tricky save from Paleari, while Rowe bent a wonderful right-foot curler inches past the far top corner from the edge of the box.

Bologna finally broke through after the restart, as Rowe tried to roll across from the left, but the deflection off Vlasic took it into the path of Moro, who tried and failed to connect with a back-heel flick from six yards, still doing enough to put off Paleari.

Tadhal do Bologna! 'S e féin-tadhal bho Vlašić a bh'ann!

Goal for Bologna! An own goal from Vlašić!

Beò an-dràsta air BBC ALBA!

Live now on BBC ALBA! pic.twitter.com/EMHp7R5yzQ

— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) February 15, 2026

Bernardeschi blasted just over, then Paleari rushed out for a desperate save after Simon Sohm had sent defenders to ground with a smart turn.

Vlasic scored in the right net to equalise, as Duvan Zapata stung Lukasz Skorupski’s gloves from a tricky angle, his Torino teammate drilling the rebound through a defender’s legs.

Tadhal! Fear eile airson Vlašić – ach airson Torino an turas seo!

Goal! Another for Vlašić – but for Torino this time!

Beò an-dràsta air BBC ALBA!

Live now on BBC ALBA! pic.twitter.com/UidMkVbb0Y

— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) February 15, 2026

Santiago Castro signed a new contract with Bologna this week and celebrated in style, as he gathered from Bernardeschi with his back to goal, turned Marianucci and prodded a precise snooker shot finish into the far bottom corner from six yards.

Santiago Castro! Abair tadhal airson Bologna!

Santiago Castro! What a goal for Bologna!

Beò an-dràsta air BBC ALBA!

Live now on BBC ALBA! pic.twitter.com/liQSX7ydn8

— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) February 15, 2026

Guillermo Maripan couldn’t get enough on a corner at the back stick to surprise Skorupski, as Torino struggled to get back into the game.

Torino 1-2 Bologna

Vlasic og 49 (B), Vlasic 62 (T), Castro 70 (B)

15-02-2026 17:00

MatchDay 25

Olympic Grande Torino Stadium

TOR

BGN

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

Guillermo Maripán

20'

2nd half

		49'		Nikola Vlasic
Gvidas Gineitis		51'
Nikola Vlasic		62'
		70'		Santiago Castro (Assist: Federico Bernardeschi)
		81'		Simon Sohm
Nikola Vlasic		87'

Match statistic

47

Possession %

53

7

Total shots

14

2

Shots on target

6

1

Shots off target

6

4

Blocked shots

2

4

Corners

2

2

Offsides

1

14

Fouls

10

TOR

BGN

Starting lineups

1

Alberto Paleari

Goalkeeper

13

Guillermo Maripán

Defender

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

85'

16

Marcus Pedersen

Defender

23

Saúl Coco

Defender

66

Gvidas Gineitis

Midfielder

54'

98

Matteo Prati

Midfielder

54'

10

Nikola Vlasic

Midfielder

7

Zakaria Aboukhlal

Midfielder

46'

19

Ché Adams

Attacker

46'

18

Giovanni Simeone

Attacker

1

Lukasz Skorupski

Goalkeeper

26

Jhon Lucumí

Defender

17

João Mário

Defender

74'

33

Juan Miranda

Defender

41

Martin Vitik

Defender

11

Jonathan Rowe

Midfielder

74'

6

Nikola Moro

Midfielder

8

Remo Freuler

Midfielder

23

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

87'

10

Federico Bernardeschi

Attacker

83'

9

Santiago Castro

Attacker

83'

Substitutes

34

Cristiano Biraghi

Defender

81

Franco Israel

Goalkeeper

61

Adrien Tameze

Midfielder

17

Sandro Kulenovic

Attacker

77

Enzo Ebosse

Defender

25

Niels Nkounkou

Defender

99

Lapo Siviero

Goalkeeper

91

Duván Zapata

Attacker

46'

20

Valentino Lazaro

Defender

46'

6

Emirhan Ilkhan

Midfielder

54'

22

Cesare Casadei

Midfielder

54'

92

Alieu Njie

Attacker

85'

29

Lorenzo De Silvestri

Defender

16

Nicolò Casale

Defender

13

Federico Ravaglia

Goalkeeper

28

Nicolò Cambiaghi

Attacker

24

Thijs Dallinga

Attacker

25

Massimo Pessina

Goalkeeper

5

Eivind Helland

Defender

20

Nadir Zortea

Defender

74'

30

Benja Domínguez

Attacker

74'

7

Riccardo Orsolini

Attacker

83'

21

Jens Odgaard

Attacker

83'

19

Lewis Ferguson

Midfielder

87'

Both Napoli and Roma are forced into changes for tonight’s Derby del Sole, but Rasmus Hojlund and Matteo Politano take on Donyell Malen and Bryan Zaragoza.

It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

This was a Scudetto showdown a few weeks ago, but now feels more like a head-to-head for third place.

There are big absentees for both teams, as Scott McTominay has not yet recovered from the tendon inflammation that saw him limp off in the 3-2 win over Genoa.

He joins Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Kevin De Bruyne in the stands, while Juan Jesus is suspended.

Napoli didn’t rest midweek either, as they crashed out of the Coppa Italia in a sudden death penalty shoot-out against Como.

Eljif Elmas therefore drops down into midfield, but Politano has shaken off his injury to join Antonio Vergara and Hojlund in attack.

Sam Beukema steps into defence and Alessandro Buongiorno returns after his nightmare performance against Genoa.

Roma have their own set of problems, as Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy did not make the trip to Naples.

Matias Soulé is struggling with a recurring groin issue too, but so January signing Zaragoza gets his first start, joining Lorenzo Pellegrini to support fellow late arrival Malen.

The striker on loan from Aston Villa with option to buy has had a remarkable impact in Serie A, scoring three goals in his first four games.

He netted both in their 2-0 win over Cagliari on Monday, which ended a three-game winless streak in all competition.

As for the midfield, Nicolò Pisilli is preferred to Neil El Aynaoui, with Mario Hermoso not fully fit for the defence.

Napoli vs. Roma line-ups

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Elmas, Spinazzola; Politano, Vergara; Hojlund

Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Ghilardi; Celik, Cristante, Pisilli, Wesley; Pellegrini, Zaragoza; Malen

15-02-2026 19:45

MatchDay 25

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

NAP

ROM

2 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		7'		Donyell Malen (Assist: Bryan Zaragoza)
		26'		Gianluca Mancini
Leonardo Spinazzola (Assist: Eljif Elmas)		40'

2nd half

Amir Rrahmani		68'
		71'		Donyell Malen
Alisson Santos (Assist: Giovane)		82'

Match statistic

61

Possession %

39

11

Total shots

9

7

Shots on target

2

1

Shots off target

4

3

Blocked shots

3

2

Corners

1

1

Offsides

2

14

Fouls

14

NAP

ROM

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

70'

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

70'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

79'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

79'

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

85'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

99

Mile Svilar

Goalkeeper

87

Daniele Ghilardi

Defender

5

Evan Ndicka

Defender

23

Gianluca Mancini

Defender

43

Wesley

Defender

72'

19

Zeki Celik

Defender

4

Bryan Cristante

Midfielder

7

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Midfielder

65'

61

Niccolò Pisilli

Midfielder

65'

97

Bryan Zaragoza

Attacker

46'

14

Donyell Malen

Attacker

72'

Substitutes

1

Alex Meret

Goalkeeper

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

9

Romelu Lukaku

Attacker

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

70'

27

Alisson Santos

Attacker

70'

6

Billy Gilmour

Midfielder

79'

23

Giovane

Attacker

79'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

85'

3

Angeliño

Defender

95

Pierluigi Gollini

Goalkeeper

2

Devyne Rensch

Defender

24

Jan Ziolkowski

Defender

70

Giorgio De Marzi

Goalkeeper

75

Mattia Della Rocca

Midfielder

18

Matìas Soulé

Attacker

46'

8

Neil El Aynaoui

Midfielder

65'

20

Lorenzo Venturino

Attacker

65'

12

Konstantinos Tsimikas

Defender

72'

78

Robinio Vaz

Attacker

72'

Italy international Riccardo Calafiori was all set to make his comeback from the start in Arsenal’s FA Cup game against Wigan, only to suffer a new injury in the warm-up.

The defender has struggled badly with fitness issues since making the transfer to London from Bologna at a cost of €50m including add-ons in July 2024.

A muscular problem saw him ruled out for over a month in December and January.

Calafiori cannot seem to find fitness at Arsenal

He had been named in the starting XI for today’s FA Cup match against Wigan Athletic, but Calafiori pulled out in the warm-up and was replaced by Bukayo Saka.

This is the second time he pulled out in the warm-up, doing the same against Brighton in December.

His injuries have also been damaging for Italy, as he missed the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Norway in November.

Now he has to be a major doubt for next month’s World Cup play-offs with Northern Ireland, and either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The defender has 24 competitive appearances for Arsenal this season, contributing a goal and three assists from left-back.

Juventus only just signed Emil Holm from Bologna, but he has already been ruled out for several weeks by a soleus muscle injury.

The full-back came off the bench during last night’s 3-2 Serie A defeat to Inter at San Siro.

At the final whistle, the player felt a twinge in his right calf and underwent radiological tests at the club’s medical centre this morning.

This confirmed a low-to-medium grade myotendinous injury to the soleus muscle.

Holm a fresh injury blow for Juventus

A formal statement notes Holm will have further tests in two weeks to determine the exact recovery time, meaning his absence will be at least a month.

The Sweden international arrived from Bologna in an exchange of loans with option to buy with Joao Mario going to the Stadio Dall’Ara.

The option to buy for Holm is €15m plus a further €3m in performance-related bonuses.

He has so far made only two appearances for the Bianconeri, one in Serie A and the other in the Coppa Italia, both off the bench.

Verona heroically held out down to 10 men for most of the match, but capitulated in added time to a Mateo Pellegrino header for Parma’s second consecutive victory.

The Ducali clambered away from the danger zone with their surprise victory away to Bologna, but Mariano Troilo was suspended, with Nahuel Estevez, Zion Suzuki, Pontus Almqvist, Abdoulaye Ndiaye and Matija Frigan still injured. Hellas remained rock bottom after new coach Paolo Sammarco debuted with a 0-0 draw against Pisa. Armal Bella-Kotchap returned and Kieron Bowie got his first start, though Antoine Bernede, Toma Suslov, Roberto Gagliardini, Sandi Lovric, Pol Lirola and Nicolas Valentini missed out.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

It took just over three minutes to break the deadlock, as Mandela Keita intercepted a wayward pass out from the back and gave it to Adrian Bernabé, who flicked it up with his first touch to smash in on the half-volley from 20 metres out.

The game went from bad to worse for Verona, as striker Gift Orban had a foul go against him, turned to scream something that the referee evidently was offended by, as he immediately whipped out a red card.

Moments later, Rafik Belghali limped off with an injury, further adding to the Hellas problems.

Gabriel Strefezza tried to score directly from the corner flag, forcing a tricky save out of Lorenzo Montipò, who also flew to push the Sascha Britschgi volley out from under the bar.

Lautaro Valenti drilled just wide, but 10-man Verona won a penalty when Bowie in his first start had a sensational take to control the ball over the top and turn, wrestled to the ground by Alessandro Circati. Abdoui Harroui converted for his first goal since the anterior cruciate ligament tear last year.

There was an odd moment after the restart when referee Luca Pairetto hurt his eye during an accidental collision with Niasse, but was able to continue.

Bowie thought he had won another penalty when surging into the box, but this time Keita managed to get his toes to the ball first.

Jacob Ondrejka’s curler skimmed the upright and Strefezza volleyed just over on a corner, but the huge chance on 71 minutes saw Strefezza’s right-foot curler loop around the goalkeeper to smack against the crossbar. As the move continued, Montipò parried an Ondrejka effort with his legs.

Pellegrino couldn’t keep his header on target from six yards, but it turned into a Parma siege during the closing stages. Ondrejka’s effort was palmed away until a Gaetano Oristanio acrobatic volley over, then Bernabé saw his shot deflected inches past the near post.

Verona finally capitulated in stoppages when Hans Nicolussi Caviglia floated a ball over the top for Pellegrino’s precise header.

Parma 2-1 Verona

Bernabé 4 (P), Harroui pen 43 (V), Pellegrino 93 (P)

Sent off: Orban 11 (V)

15-02-2026 14:00

MatchDay 25

Parma Store (Stadio Ennio Tardini)

Parma

Verona

2 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Adrián Bernabé (Assist: Mandela Keita)		4'
		11'		Gift Orban
Alessandro Circati		41'
		43'		Abdou Harroui
Lautaro Valenti		45+2'

2nd half

		86'		Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro
Mateo Pellegrino (Assist: Hans Nicolussi Caviglia)		90+3'

Match statistic

76

Possession %

24

27

Total shots

4

8

Shots on target

1

10

Shots off target

2

9

Blocked shots

1

12

Corners

1

2

Offsides

7

Fouls

14

Parma

Verona

Starting lineups

40

Edoardo Corvi

Goalkeeper

39

Alessandro Circati

Defender

14

Emanuele Valeri

Defender

15

Enrico Delprato

Defender

5

Lautaro Valenti

Defender

46'

27

Sascha Britschgi

Defender

10

Adrián Bernabé

Midfielder

16

Mandela Keita

Midfielder

62'

22

Oliver Sörensen

Midfielder

70'

7

Gabriel Strefezza

Attacker

90'

9

Mateo Pellegrino

Attacker

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

5

Andrias Edmundsson

Defender

37

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Defender

12

Domagoj Bradaric

Defender

7

Rafik Belghali

Defender

20'

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

79'

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

79'

16

Gift Orban

Attacker

18

Kieron Bowie

Attacker

62'

Substitutes

29

Franco Carboni

Defender

66

Filippo Rinaldi

Goalkeeper

8

Nahuel Estévez

Midfielder

76

Daniel Mikolajewski

Defender

25

Benja Cremaschi

Midfielder

61

Dominik Drobnic

Defender

67

Gabriele Casentini

Goalkeeper

23

Nesta Elphege

Attacker

17

Jacob Ondrejka

Attacker

46'

41

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

62'

21

Gaetano Oristanio

Midfielder

70'

24

Christian Ordoñez

Midfielder

90'

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

3

Martin Frese

Defender

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

41

Isaac

Attacker

11

Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro

Midfielder

20'

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

62'

8

Suat Serdar

Midfielder

79'

19

Tobias Slotsager

Defender

79'

Cremonese and Genoa were locked together going into this weekend, and remain in the same position after a goalless draw that saw Federico Bonazzoli hit the crossbar in stoppages.

Both teams were hovering perilously above the drop zone on 23 points going into this clash. The hosts had started the season so well, but scraped just three draws in the last 10 rounds, scoring one goal in five. Warren Bondo, Federico Ceccherini, Michele Collocolo and Mikayil Faye missed out, while Morten Thorsby faced his former club. Genoa were furious after back-to-back controversial last-gasp penalty defeats to Lazio and Napoli.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

Jamie Vardy’s cheeky back-heel flick was smothered, while at the other end a Junior Messias strike was fingertipped over the bar and Emil Audero at full stretch pushed a Vitinha curler round the post.

Milan Djuric’s header was straight at Justin Bijlow, but Audero got down rapidly for a sensational save to push the Brooke Norton-Cuffy angled drive round the far post from 12 yards.

Djuric also saw his acrobatic effort whistle just past Filippo Terracciano at the back post, while Justin Bijlow smothered a Thorsby header.

Genoa started to pour forward after the restart, as Vitinha’s strike was deflected, then Messias hit the side-netting under pressure from Federico Baschirotto.

Djuric’s looping header was inches wide on a Giuseppe Pezzella cross, while Caleb Ekuban drilled onto the side-netting and Alberto Grassi’s volley on the edge of the area was well smothered.

Ekuban turned a header inches over from eight yards on a corner, but it was Cremonese who so nearly won it with the last kick of the game when Bonazzoli’s left-foot strike thumped the frame of the goal.

Cremonese 0-0 Genoa

15-02-2026 14:00

MatchDay 25

Stadio Giovanni Zini

Cremonese

Genoa

0 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Giuseppe Pezzella		4'
Filippo Terracciano		29'

Match statistic

35

Possession %

65

19

Total shots

19

8

Shots on target

6

4

Shots off target

7

7

Blocked shots

6

6

Corners

11

Offsides

1

10

Fouls

12

Cremonese

Genoa

Starting lineups

1

Emil Audero

Goalkeeper

6

Federico Baschirotto

Defender

3

Giuseppe Pezzella

Defender

72'

5

Sebastiano Luperto

Defender

24

Filippo Terracciano

Midfielder

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

58'

2

Morten Thorsby

Midfielder

29

Youssef Maleh

Midfielder

7

Alessio Zerbin

Attacker

88'

10

Jamie Vardy

Attacker

58'

9

Milan Djuric

Attacker

73'

16

Justin Bijlow

Goalkeeper

27

Alessandro Marcandalli

Defender

15

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Defender

72'

22

Johan Vásquez

Defender

5

Leo Östigard

Defender

32

Morten Frendrup

Midfielder

89'

17

Ruslan Malinovskyi

Midfielder

10

Junior Messias

Attacker

72'

29

Lorenzo Colombo

Attacker

72'

77

Mikael Egill Ellertsson

Attacker

9

Vitinha

Attacker

60'

Substitutes

69

Lapo Nava

Goalkeeper

16

Marco Silvestri

Goalkeeper

15

Matteo Bianchetti

Defender

27

Jari Vandeputte

Midfielder

14

Faris Moumbagna

Attacker

55

Francesco Folino

Defender

25

Davide Pavesi

Defender

90

Federico Bonazzoli

Attacker

58'

33

Alberto Grassi

Midfielder

58'

4

Tommaso Barbieri

Defender

72'

99

Antonio Sanabria

Attacker

73'

22

Romano Floriani Mussolini

Defender

88'

20

Stefano Sabelli

Defender

39

Daniele Sommariva

Goalkeeper

1

Nicola Leali

Goalkeeper

70

Maxwel Cornet

Attacker

14

Jean Onana

Midfielder

73

Patrizio Masini

Midfielder

13

Nils Zätterström

Defender

34

Sebastian Otoa

Defender

18

Caleb Ekuban

Attacker

60'

Tommaso Baldanzi

Midfielder

72'

3

Aarón Martín

Defender

72'

21

Jeff Ekhator

Attacker

72'

4

Amorim

Midfielder

89'

John Elkann, the President of Juventus owners Exor and heir to the Agnelli empire, personally called FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina to complain about ‘repeated refereeing errors.’

This is the latest stage in the angry protests that followed last night’s controversial 3-2 defeat to Inter, a game where Juve were down to 10 men for the entire second half.

Refereeing designator Gianluca Rocchi already apologised publicly and confirmed sending off Pierre Kalulu was the incorrect decision, as Alessandro Bastoni simulated contact, but as it was a second yellow card offence, VAR could not intervene.

Juventus urge ‘solutions to guarantee integrity’

As Luciano Spalletti and players did not speak to the media last night, Juventus sent directors Giorgio Chiellini and Damien Comolli to give post-match interviews instead.

According to news agency ANSA, today the man at the very top of the Bianconeri pyramid got involved, as Elkann called Federation President Gravina to personally complain.

It is reported he “expressed grave dissatisfaction for the repeated and numerous refereeing errors, urging the authorities to find efficient solutions to improve the overall football system, and guarantee the integrity and credibility of Italian football.”

In their complaints, Juventus have pointed out that this is only the latest in a long line of obvious errors that left clubs including Roma, Genoa, Lazio and Napoli furious.

It is the widespread nature of the anger with referees that is creating a sense of momentum behind calls for change, and Rocchi may well be the first to go.

Attempts to sanitise an obvious Alessandro Bastoni dive do no favours to Inter or the sport as a whole, writes Susy Campanale, no matter which team you are behind.

There is an Italian phrase I have always struggled to translate: ‘Intellectual honesty.’ It fit perfectly with the reactions to that Pierre Kalulu red card that ultimately proved decisive in Inter’s 3-2 win over Juventus. It means arguing in good faith, having a consistent worldview and sticking to it, even if it happens to be your own people who are in the wrong. Until now, Cristian Chivu had been perhaps its best proponent in Italian football, earning plaudits for his refreshing honesty and refusal to play the usual mind games we get in the media. That’s what makes his description of the Alessandro Bastoni dive so disappointing.

I expected it of others, such as all those fans of every other club who rushed to gleefully celebrate on social media, noting Juventus were on the receiving end of so many dubious decisions in the past. That unhealthy kind of attitude is so prevalent now in all areas of life, poisoning the general discourse in politics, sports, the arts, boiling everything down to ‘it’s my team and therefore it’s ok to treat others unfairly’ or go against everything you claim to believe in. There is precious little intellectual honesty in the world in 2026.

Inter struggle to defend Bastoni behaviour

Juventus director Damien Comolli said that the Bianconeri lost points, but all of Italian football had lost something with this incident. He’s not wrong, it is best seen as part of a wider catalogue of errors from the referees in Serie A and beyond this season. Only last week the AIA (Italian Referees Association) confessed that the winning Napoli penalty was for a ‘non-existent foul.’ That was arguably worse than the Kalulu incident, because with all the footage at their disposal, they still managed to create a penalty out of thin air.

VAR was meant to clamp down on errors, but it has prompted a spate of penalties that could only be given with the aid of a zoom lens and slow-motion replays, robbing situations of their natural context. At the same time, the limited protocol prevents an obvious mistake like the Kalulu second yellow card being rectified, because it cannot be used on bookings.

At least IFAB is considering rushing through the protocol changes ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It is long past time that we see coaches able to make targeted appeals, just like in tennis and other sports where video technology is used. That would’ve saved Kalulu the red and instead seen Bastoni sent off for simulation, seeing as he was already on a yellow card too. His wild celebrations right behind a stunned Kalulu show he knew full well he had got one over on the referee and deserved to be punished for such obviously unsporting behaviour.

It is a start, but we need to go further. Inter defender Bastoni wasn’t the only obvious dive we saw on Saturday in Serie A. Just hours earlier, Fiorentina defender Fabiano Parisi went down screaming and clutching his ribs after an opponent merely brushed past him. It was embarrassing and it’s a pity VAR did not have the all-clear to punish this sort of behaviour too.

Unlike penalties, there is no need for VAR to hold up the play while it evaluates these situations. They can wait a while and then recommend the yellow card be given, if it is truly warranted for an obvious simulation. Failing that, mark it down and hand down bans for future matches. This might help reduce the number of these shameful incidents.

Above all else, what we need is for coaches, players and fans to collectively show some intellectual honesty. If your team gets the rub of the green with a bad decision, just hold your hands up and admit you were lucky, just as you would be if a shot went in off the inside of the post. There’s no shame in confessing to good fortune.

Trying to argue in bad faith that a dive was worthy of getting an opponent sent off or a penalty awarded will only cheapen your standing, and ensure if the situation is reversed, they will do the same to you. That is how we get into the situation we are in now, where anything goes as long as it’s your ‘side’ enjoying ill-gotten gains. Do unto others as you would have them do to you is the simplest rule in all of human history, and we all lose when it is ignored.