Paolo Vanoli admits Fiorentina are in free-fall after their Conference League loss to Lausanne-Sport. ‘If the players don’t react, we’ll look into the eyes of those who don’t want to fight, and move on.’

The Viola crisis seems to know no end, because this was yet another defeat that showed practically no fight, barely any shots on target, and some incredibly weak defending.

They knew this was a head-to-head, with only one point separating them in the table, and indeed the 1-0 victory allows Lausanne-Sport to go directly into the Conference League Round of 16.

Instead, Fiorentina will enter the play-offs, but are at least seeded, so will face either Jagellonia or Omonia Nicosia.

Vanoli frustrated by Fiorentina lack of response

“I expected a different response from the lads who hadn’t played as much, and we knew that there were difficulties playing on an artificial pitch,” Vanoli told Sky Sport Italia.

“In any case, I prefer to look at the positives. Even with a victory, we probably still would’ve had to go through the play-offs, so now we prepare for February.”

The squad was put into a training retreat straight after Sunday’s dire 2-1 home defeat to Hellas Verona, which left them rock bottom at the foot of the Serie A table.

Nothing seems to have shaken this team into a reaction, as along with the results, the performances have exhibited players who look frightened.

“I think they have what it takes to react, and we have a big opportunity to prove that on Sunday,” added Vanoli.

“If it doesn’t happen then, we have the January transfer window, where we’ll look into the eyes of those people who don’t want to fight, and we’ll move on. When we get to January, we’ll evaluate.”

Vanoli has overseen one win, two draws and five defeats in all competition. Did the coach expect more to have advanced since he took over from sacked Stefano Pioli on November 7?

“The players are trying, it’s natural that we expected a lot more. The responsibility is mine, the lads need to focus on preparing for the next game against Udinese.

“At this point, we need to find something different to free the minds of these players. The situation is weighing on them, you can see in the way they can misplace even simple passes, but we must find the strength to change this moment.

“We have what it takes and we must fight for it. I must try to revolutionise some things. We had some ups and downs, the last two games I felt were in a positive trend, as we had beaten Dinamo Kyiv and the performance against Verona was good, aside from the result.

“Then we ran into tonight’s performance, so this is where the coach must understand what is going on and what to change in order to give them something different, because evidently what we’ve got so far has not worked.”

Excluding the preliminary round wins over Polissya in August, Fiorentina have won only three games this season, all of them in the Conference League against Sigma Olomouc, Rapid Vienna and Dinamo Kyiv.

They lost 12 competitive matches, drawing the other six.

The most alarming thing about this Fiorentina team is the total lack of fight and pride, even compared to former squads that were relegated amid bankruptcy.

“I agree, but I must try to find the key. Sometimes you find it by making changes. The players are struggling to do certain things right now, so I must give them other solutions,” added Vanoli.

“When you are in a training retreat, it is to stay together and talk. However, talk only gets you so far, we need action now. We’ve got to shake off the fear, cling to all we’ve got and try to bring home a result that is too important this weekend.”

Rolando Mandragora dismantles controversy after Fiorentina fans suggested he threw down the captain’s armband during a defeat to Lausanne-Sport. ‘I understand people are angry.’

The Viola tumbled to yet another dismal result this evening, this time in the Conference League, where they were beaten 1-0 in Switzerland by a Gabriel Sigua free header.

Coach Paolo Vanoli threw on several big names when they were already 1-0 down, and during this triple substitution, some fans online felt that Mandragora had thrown down the captain’s armband on his way off the field.

This sparked a firestorm online and the midfielder was eager to set the record straight.

Mandragora denies disrespecting Fiorentina armband

“I certainly did not throw the captain’s armband down. Pablo Mari was the vice-captain, so I had to hand it to him, I was trying to hurry the situation up during my substitution and it fell, Mattia picked it up and handed it over. I would never dare show disrespect to the armband, it was just an accident,” Mandragora told Sky Sport Italia.

The Fiorentina crisis just keeps getting worse, as they were put into a training retreat at their Viola Park camp on Sunday evening after the home defeat to Hellas Verona left them rooted to the foot of the Serie A table.

Coaches have come and gone, so have directors, but nothing has changed. Is it time the players take responsibility?

“We must try to find a way to get out of this situation. I understand people are angry about the armband, but I wanted to clarify it was simply handing it over to the vice-captain,” added Mandragora.

“It depends exclusively on us now, we’ve got to find the strength to react and drag ourselves out of what is becoming an increasingly complicated situation.

“Unfortunately, we cannot seem to repeat what we do in training and what we say in the locker room out onto the pitch. Perhaps we talked too much, we’ve got to do more of our talking on the field.

“We can only do this by digging deep within ourselves and finding that strength to get out.”

What do the players say to each other in the locker room?

“What we are lacking right now are performances. We say that we need to be stronger, more aggressive, to react, but at this moment we’re struggling. We cannot seem to react to setbacks.”

This result means Fiorentina will now enter the Conference League play-offs, where they will face either Omonia Nicosia or Jagellonia.

Rasmus Hojlund reveals why he hugged Romelu Lukaku after scoring to beat AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana and hopes Napoli can ‘win a trophy’ on Monday, while Giovanni Di Lorenzo hails the team spirit.

The Partenopei booked their place in the Supercoppa Italiana Final thanks to the 2-0 victory over Milan, with Hojlund named Man of the Match.

It was somewhat inevitable, as his angled drive was palmed into the path of David Neres for the first goal, then he scored the second himself to beat Mike Maignan from a similar position.

Hojlund and Di Lorenzo have high hopes for Napoli

“I’m happy, it’s been a few interesting days in Saudi Arabia, new culture and different experience,” Hojlund told Sport Mediaset in Riyadh.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to try to win a trophy, it’s a big match and we’re happy to go into the Final now.”

Lukaku was back on the Napoli bench for the first time since tearing a muscle in a pre-season friendly against Olympiacos.

Hojlund was only signed from Manchester United to replace Lukaku when it became clear how serious that injury was, but the strikers hope to play together eventually.

“Me and Rom have a very good relationship, he hugs me a lot, so that’s why I gave him a hug. I’ve said in multiple times that I hope to have him back, as we need as many top players and as many options as possible, because we want to go all the way in every competition. Now we have an opportunity to win a trophy.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-0 Milan

The Final will be on Monday evening in Riyadh against either Bologna or Inter, as those two teams face off in the other semi-final tomorrow night.

“It’s the same for me. It’s a Final, so anything can happen,” concluded Hojlund.

Napoli captain Di Lorenzo was by his side during the post-match interview and defended the team’s record so far this term.

“Aside from a few hiccups, Napoli have always been up for it this season. We showed real spirit to help each other out, especially in those moments during the match when we cannot be dominant,” assured Di Lorenzo.

“I feel this was a very good performance, we knew that we had to defend as a unit and we did it well. We were aggressive when we needed to be, and on Monday we’ll play the Final.

“Now we’ll see tomorrow night who our opponents will be, and we’ll try to win.”

Fiorentina fell to yet another disappointing defeat, this time 1-0 away to Lausanne-Sport, and will enter the Conference League play-offs.

They finish the table in 16^th place, so are still seeded, and will play either Jagellonia or Omonia Nicosia.

The Viola were in a deep crisis at the foot of the Serie A table without a win, and coming off back-to-back Conference League defeats too. This was the final game of the league phase, with Robin Gosens and Jacopo Fazzini out of action, plus Cher Ndour suspended, but Christian Kouame got his first start since that ACL tear last season. Lausanne-Sport were one point behind Fiorentina going in, but Nicky Beloko, Oscar Renovales, Ethan Bruchez and Muhanad Alsaad were injured, while Gaoussou Diakite was on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Fiorentina risked an own goal when Mattia Viti’s header back almost surprised Tommaso Martinelli, while Sekou Fofana fired over from a promising position after Hans Nicolussi-Caviglia was robbed in midfield.

Roberto Piccoli’s effort was charged down by Karim Sow, while the acrobatic Theo Bair flick was straight at Martinelli.

After the restart, Amir Richardson’s volley from the edge of the area was blocked off by Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, who risked handball, but did not increase the silhouette.

Lausanne came close when Enzo Kana-Biyik’s rather shinned half-volley looped inches past the far post from 14 yards.

Piccoli sprung the offside trap, but hesitated and then scuffed his finish straight at the goalkeeper, which proved costly as Lausanne-Sport took the lead moments later.

Kana-Biyik twisted and turned Nicolussi-Caviglia at the left by-line and stood up a cross for Gabriel Sigua’s free header at the back post.

It was nearly 2-0 soon after, as Beyatt Lekoueiry was allowed to surge through the centre, this time Martinelli managed to push the strike over the bar. On the resulting corner, Edin Dzeko used his face to charge down the Kevin Mouanga effort.

Nobody was ready to meet Simon Sohm’s ball flashed across the face of goal, so Fiorentina threw on Moise Kean, Albert Gudmundsson and Rolando Mandragora.

There was a double Viola chance when Eddy Kouadio’s cross found Niccolò Fortini for a volley that was charged down, the Kouadio tried himself and forced a tricky save at the near post.

Kean was offside on several occasions, and wasteful in the finish when he did get past the flag, while ex-Atalanta man Brandon Soppy made a decisive sliding tackle on Gudmundsson.

Lekoueiry’s curler flashed just past the far post in the final minutes and Sohm’s volley was too close to the goalkeeper.

The result means Lausanne-Sport leapfrog Fiorentina and go straight into the Round of 16.

Lausanne-Sport 1-0 Fiorentina

Sigua 58 (L)

18-12-2025 20:00

MatchDay 6

Stade de la Tuilière

Lausanne-Sport

Fiorentina

1 - 0

Player statistic

2nd half

Gabriel Sigua (Assist: Enzo Kana-Biyik)		58'
		73'		Moise Kean
		85'		Niccolò Fortini
Beyatt Lekoueiry		90'

Match statistic

46

Possession %

54

17

Total shots

10

5

Shots on target

3

5

Shots off target

1

7

Blocked shots

6

6

Corners

7

0

Offsides

4

11

Fouls

15

Lausanne-Sport

Fiorentina

Starting lineups

25

Karlo Letica

Goalkeeper

2

Brandon Soppy

Defender

71

Karim Sow

Defender

93

Sékou Fofana

Defender

86'

27

Beyatt Lekoueiry

Midfielder

38

Gabriel Sigua

Midfielder

70'

8

Jamie Roche

Midfielder

14

Kevin Mouanga

Midfielder

22

Enzo Kana-Biyik

Attacker

70'

11

Nathan Butler-Oyedeji

Attacker

79'

9

Theo Bair

Attacker

30

Tommaso Martinelli

Goalkeeper

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

83'

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

26

Mattia Viti

Defender

18

Pablo Marí

Defender

24

Amir Richardson

Midfielder

70'

14

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

7

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

99

Christian Kouamé

Attacker

55'

9

Edin Dzeko

Attacker

70'

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

70'

Substitutes

5

Bryan Okoh

Defender

1

Thomas Castella

Goalkeeper

17

Seydou Traoré

Attacker

47

Souleymane N’Diaye

Midfielder

50

Lorenzo Bittarelli

Defender

54

Rodolfo Lippo

Defender

57

Evan Franchi

Attacker

56

Andrew Lachhab

Midfielder

7

Alban Ajdini

Attacker

70'

10

Olivier Custodio

Midfielder

70'

18

Morgan Poaty

Defender

79'

20

Hamza Abdallah

Defender

86'

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

65

Fabiano Parisi

Defender

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

1

Luca Lezzerini

Goalkeeper

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

23

Eman Kospo

Defender

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

55'

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

70'

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

70'

20

Moise Kean

Attacker

70'

2

Dodô

Defender

83'

Antonio Conte reiterates the difficulties that Napoli are pushing through to reach the Supercoppa Italiana Final after beating AC Milan. ‘When we work as a team unit, then we are competitive.’

The Partenopei were not in the best mood going into this clash in Riyadh, coming off two consecutive defeats in the Champions League to Benfica and Serie A to Udinese.

“I realise it is boring to keep repeating the same things, but when you play every three days with very few players available, it’s inevitable that there will be some setbacks,” Conte told Sport Mediaset.

“It’s what happened last week and can well happen in future. We wanted to play a strong performance against a great team full of talented players. Our style of football is very energetic and demanding, we don’t just try to defend and counter.

“I am glad because these lads showed they want to challenge for this trophy.”

Conte admires Napoli fighting spirit

He made some changes to bring in fresh legs and move Eljif Elmas into a more advanced role, but the goals were very similar, with Rasmus Hojlund getting to the left by-line and the first time Mike Maignan pushing the angled drive into the path of David Neres, the second beaten by the finish.

“We are doing alright physically, but it is inevitable that so many games saps your energy,” continued Conte.

“We paid a price for the recent wins, as we were drained against Benfica and in the second half with Udinese, but today we moved very well as a team unit. When we manage to work as a team, regardless of who is playing, then we are competitive.

“We’ve got to continue like this going forward. Those who were injured are still out, but the new players are now more involved than they were earlier in the season. I always said that I expected this to be a complicated campaign, but I didn’t expect this many injuries.”

There is some good news, because Romelu Lukaku was back on the bench for the first time since his muscle tear in a pre-season friendly match.

Is it possible for him to play with Hojlund in future rather than as alternatives to each other?

“First of all, let’s try to get Romelu back to full fitness,” replied Conte.

“He is such an important player for us, with so much experience. Just having him on the bench is important. I hope that we have many more games to play, so both will have chances.

“We are doing what we need to do now, there are players who are adapting to different roles, so I am getting a good response from everyone.”

This victory means Napoli will play the EA Sports FC Supercup Final against either Inter or Bologna, which is scheduled for Monday evening in Riyadh.

“We just wanted to be in the Final to have our chance at playing for the trophy. We know both potential opponents are very strong.”

Napoli swept AC Milan aside 2-0 with David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund goals to book their place in the Supercoppa Italiana Final, beating the trophy holders.

They will discover their opponents after Friday’s other semi-final between Bologna and Inter, also in Riyadh.

The Partenopei were still missing Kevin De Bruyne, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour and Alex Meret, with Mathias Olivera on the bench, while Romelu Lukaku was in the squad for the first time since tearing a muscle in pre-season. Giovanni Di Lorenzo dropped into the back three, with Eljif Elmas pushing up into the trident. The Rossoneri were without Rafael Leao and Matteo Gabbia, so Christopher Nkunku partnered Christian Pulisic, but Ardon Jashari stepped in for Luka Modric. When these sides met in Serie A in September, Milan won 2-1.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

An early Strahinja Pavlovic overhead kick turned into an accidental assist for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, forcing Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to rush off his line and parry from four yards. Alexis Saelemaekers also hit a half-volley over the bar, while Eljif Elmas drilled wide after Mike Maignan fumbled a Napoli corner and the Milan goalkeeper had to come flying out to clear from Rasmus Hojlund.

Napoli wanted a red card for Adrien Rabiot’s tackle from behind on Matteo Politano’s ankle when he was on the ground, but the referee opted against even a yellow.

Scott McTominay drilled just wide from the edge of the area and Rabiot nodded the Saelemaekers cross over, while Christopher Nkunku fired over after a rapid counter-attack from the Napoli corner.

It proved a costly miss, as moments later Napoli took the lead when Hojlund pulled back from the by-line through Koni De Winter’s legs, Maignan only got a fingertip to it, unable to prevent David Neres tapping in at the back post. He went to the bench to celebrate with Lukaku.

David Neres fires Napoli in front against Milan

Good work by Rasmus Hojlund created the chance for the tap in pic.twitter.com/xcla2CfEPq

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) December 18, 2025

Maignan did better when getting down for a one-handed save at the base of the near stick to deny the Hojlund counter-attack.

Amir Rrahmani’s strike after the restart from the edge of the box forced another Maignan save, but the goalkeeper was caught out when Hojlund ran onto a Spinazzola through ball, turned De Winter and surprised Maignan with the angled drive from the tightest of angles.

Absolutely clinical from Rasmus Hojlund!

An outstanding finish from the angle to double Napoli's lead pic.twitter.com/a1rmNvURz5

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) December 18, 2025

There was tension with a scuffle between McTominay and Fikayo Tomori that saw them both booked. McTominay also blasted over from 14 yards after a rapid counter-attack.

Napoli 2-0 Milan

Neres 39 (N), Hojlund 63 (N)

18-12-2025 19:00

1/2 Final

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Milan

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

		38'		Adrien Rabiot
David Neres (Assist: Rasmus Højlund)		39'

2nd half

Rasmus Højlund (Assist: Leonardo Spinazzola)		64'
Leonardo Spinazzola		81'
Scott McTominay		83'
		83'		Fikayo Tomori
		86'		Zachary Athekame

Match statistic

41

Possession %

59

11

Total shots

14

5

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

9

2

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

4

2

Offsides

1

15

Fouls

9

Napoli

Milan

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

22

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Defender

5

Juan Jesus

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

81'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

77'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

7

David Neres

Attacker

88'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

78'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

82'

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

69'

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

12

Adrien Rabiot

Midfielder

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

69'

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

75'

8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Midfielder

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

Substitutes

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

9

Romelu Lukaku

Attacker

69

Giuseppe Ambrosino

Attacker

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

25

Mathias Ferrante

Goalkeeper

Francisco Barido

Midfielder

Emmanuele De Chiara

Midfielder

70

Noa Lang

Attacker

77'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

78'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

81'

27

Lorenzo Lucca

Attacker

82'

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

88'

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

35

Matteo Dutu

Defender

96

Lorenzo Torriani

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

42

Emanuele Sala

Midfielder

28

Maximilian Ibrahimović

Attacker

44

Emanuele Borsani

Attacker

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

69'

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

69'

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

75'

Fiorentina in crisis play their final Conference League opening phase game away to Lausanne-Sport with Edin Dzeko and Roberto Piccoli.

It kicks off at the Stade de la Tulliere at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Napoli vs. AC Milan Supercoppa Italiana on the Liveblog.

This is the last match of League phase in the Conference League, and Fiorentina find themselves in 11^th place on nine points, one more than their Swiss opponents.

Pretty much everything is still up for grabs going in, as a victory could send them directly into the Round of 16, or they could miss out altogether on the play-offs.

The crisis is all-encompassing, without a single Serie A win all season, and losing their last two in Europe.

Coach Paolo Vanoli knows the focus has to be avoiding relegation, so he rotates the squad with Dzeko and Piccoli upfront.

Christian Kouame gets his first start of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last term, with Eddy Kouadio and Amir Richardson also given rare chances.

Robin Gosens and Jacopo Fazzini did not make the trip, while Cher Ndour is suspended.

Lausanne-Sport are missing Nicky Beloko, Oscar Renovales, Ethan Bruchez and Muhanad Alsaad, while Gaoussou Diakite is on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Brandon Soppy is on loan from Atalanta and therefore a familiar face for Serie A.

Lausanne-Sport vs. Fiorentina line-ups

Lausanne-Sport: Letica; Soppy, Mouanga, Sow, Fofana; Sigua, Roche, Butler-Oyedeji; Lekoueiry; Bair, Kana-Biyik

Lausanne-Sport bench: Castella, Okoh, Ajdini, Custodio, Traore, Poaty, Abdallah, Ndiaye, Bittarelli, Lippo, Lachhab, Franchi

Fiorentina: Martinelli; Pongracic, Marì, Viti; Kouadio, Sohm, Nicolussi Caviglia, Richardson, Kouamé; Dzeko, Piccoli

Fiorentina bench: Lezzerini, De Gea, Dodo, Ranieri, Mandragora, Gudmundsson, Comuzzo, Kean, Kospo, Fortini, Fagioli, Parisi

Ref: D’hondt (BEL)

18-12-2025 20:00

MatchDay 6

Stade de la Tuilière

Lausanne-Sport

Fiorentina

1 - 0

Player statistic

2nd half

Gabriel Sigua (Assist: Enzo Kana-Biyik)		58'
		73'		Moise Kean
		85'		Niccolò Fortini
Beyatt Lekoueiry		90'

Match statistic

46

Possession %

54

17

Total shots

10

5

Shots on target

3

5

Shots off target

1

7

Blocked shots

6

6

Corners

7

0

Offsides

4

11

Fouls

15

Lausanne-Sport

Fiorentina

Starting lineups

25

Karlo Letica

Goalkeeper

2

Brandon Soppy

Defender

71

Karim Sow

Defender

93

Sékou Fofana

Defender

86'

27

Beyatt Lekoueiry

Midfielder

38

Gabriel Sigua

Midfielder

70'

8

Jamie Roche

Midfielder

14

Kevin Mouanga

Midfielder

22

Enzo Kana-Biyik

Attacker

70'

11

Nathan Butler-Oyedeji

Attacker

79'

9

Theo Bair

Attacker

30

Tommaso Martinelli

Goalkeeper

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

83'

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

26

Mattia Viti

Defender

18

Pablo Marí

Defender

24

Amir Richardson

Midfielder

70'

14

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

7

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

99

Christian Kouamé

Attacker

55'

9

Edin Dzeko

Attacker

70'

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

70'

Substitutes

5

Bryan Okoh

Defender

1

Thomas Castella

Goalkeeper

17

Seydou Traoré

Attacker

47

Souleymane N’Diaye

Midfielder

50

Lorenzo Bittarelli

Defender

54

Rodolfo Lippo

Defender

57

Evan Franchi

Attacker

56

Andrew Lachhab

Midfielder

7

Alban Ajdini

Attacker

70'

10

Olivier Custodio

Midfielder

70'

18

Morgan Poaty

Defender

79'

20

Hamza Abdallah

Defender

86'

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

65

Fabiano Parisi

Defender

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

1

Luca Lezzerini

Goalkeeper

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

23

Eman Kospo

Defender

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

55'

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

70'

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

70'

20

Moise Kean

Attacker

70'

2

Dodô

Defender

83'

Max Allegri explains AC Milan changes for the Supercoppa Italiana against Napoli, but also reveals uncertainty over Santiago Gimenez and that controversial Como fixture in Perth.

The first EA Sports FC Super Cup semi-final kicks off in Riyadh at 19.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Lausanne-Sport vs. Fiorentina on the Liveblog.

The Supercoppa Italiana Final Four format means tonight a winner is decided after 90 minutes or on a penalty shoot-out, without requiring extra time.

Whoever wins this goes on to face either Bologna or Inter in the Final on Monday.

Allegri adjustments to AC Milan XI

There are a few changes to the line-up, above all Luka Modric dropped to the bench in favour of Ardon Jashari, while Pervis Estupinan replaces Davide Bartesaghi.

“Jashari did very well against Lazio, while Bartesaghi had a flexor issue, Estupinan is in good shape, and I needed some fresh legs,” Allegri told Sport Mediaset.

Santiago Gimenez showed no signs of recovery from an ankle injury after several weeks, so he went under the knife to stabilise it. Does that mean the Rossoneri will go back on the market in January for a striker?

“As I said yesterday, Milan’s transfer strategy is to get the players back to full fitness. Gimenez had this small surgery, we don’t yet know how long he will be out for. We hope to reach the Final this evening, that would be a good objective, otherwise we’ll get back to focusing on Serie A,” replied Allegri.

Rafael Leao and Matteo Gabbia are not even on the bench today due to injury, so Christopher Nkunku starts with Christian Pulisic.

“Nkunku has such extraordinary technique, he works for the team, is settling in really well, we have great faith in him.”

The Rossoneri are in this Final Four because they were runners-up in the Coppa Italia Final against Bologna in May, but won the Supercoppa Italiana in January 2025 when beating Inter 3-2 in the thrilling Final.

Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli surprised many this evening when announcing that Milan vs. Como in Perth is back on for February 8, because they accepted using an Asian Federation referee for this first ever Serie A game played abroad.

“I don’t know anything about that yet. I hope it is an opening to help the future of Italian football and not just a one-off isolated case, otherwise that would be a problem,” replied Allegri.

Napoli director of sport Giovanni Manna shrugs off Kobbie Mainoo and Giacomo Raspadori updates, assuring they are ‘doing very well’ ahead of the Supercoppa with AC Milan.

The first EA Sports FC Super Cup semi-final kicks off in Riyadh at 19.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Lausanne-Sport vs. Fiorentina on the Liveblog.

The Supercoppa Italiana Final Four format means tonight a winner is decided after 90 minutes or on a penalty shoot-out, without requiring extra time.

Whoever wins this goes on to face either Bologna or Inter in the Final on Monday.

Manna on Napoli issues

There are quite a few changes in the Napoli side going into this game, with the usual absentee list of Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret, Billy Gilmour and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa.

At least Romelu Lukaku is back on the bench for the first time since tearing a muscle during a pre-season friendly in August.

“We are so happy Lukaku is back in the squad, but he is not yet in a condition to play. He has character, we’ll see how he improves over the next few weeks, and then we’ll see,” Manna told Sport Mediaset.

There were reports today from Sky Sports UK that Manchester United have no intention of letting Kobbie Mainoo go on loan in January, and will only accept an ‘exceptional’ offer to sell. With that in mind, are Napoli still confident they can sign the midfielder?

“I always said we must reflect on the January transfer window, as there are important players out and sooner or later they will return. So we’ll wait and see what happens over the next few weeks,” responded Manna with a shrug.

There are also numerous reports that Giacomo Raspadori will return to Serie A for Roma, just six months after leaving Napoli for Atletico Madrid. Would that surprise Manna?

“He is a player who gave a lot to Napoli, Napoli gave a lot to him, he made a choice and we supported him in it. Personally, I don’t think he will leave Atletico Madrid. Personally.”

The Partenopei have a rough atmosphere in the build-up to this match, as they lost back-to-back fixtures against Benfica in the Champions League and Udinese in Serie A.

Antonio Conte had lashed out in the media last time they had these setbacks, so is the situation calmer on this occasion?

“We never had internal problems, I don’t feel Conte ever sparked controversy, he was just sounding the alarm. We had two defeats after a spell where we had a series of victories in head-to-head clashes, so with the squad a little limited in options and so many big games, some fatigue is physiologically inevitable,” assured Manna.

“The team is doing very well, we are confident in what we are doing and what the coach is doing.”

Napoli make changes with Matteo Politano and Leonardo Spinazzola joining Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay against AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic, Christopher Nkunku and Ardon Jashari.

The first EA Sports FC Super Cup semi-final kicks off in Riyadh at 19.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Lausanne-Sport vs. Fiorentina on the Liveblog.

The Supercoppa Italiana Final Four format means tonight a winner is decided after 90 minutes or on a penalty shoot-out, without requiring extra time.

Whoever wins this goes on to face either Bologna or Inter in the Final on Monday.

Napoli are qualified as Scudetto winners, while AC Milan enter as the runners-up to the Coppa Italia last season, having lost the Final to Bologna.

The Rossoneri also won the Supercoppa Italiana in January 2025, beating Inter in a 3-2 thriller here.

Both sides make changes and are dealing with numerous injury problems.

Napoli are still without Kevin De Bruyne, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour and Alex Meret, but Romelu Lukaku is in the squad for the first time since tearing a muscle in August.

Antonio Conte realised his team looked exhausted in back-to-back defeats to Benfica and Udinese, so had to make some adjustments.

Politano and Spinazzola step into the starting XI for what is more of a 3-4-3 formation, with Eljif Elmas bumped up into the trident attack alongside Hojlund and David Neres, dropping Noa Lang.

AC Milan are coming off a 2-2 draw with Sassuolo and are not accustomed to midweek matches this season, being out of Europe and the Coppa Italia.

Rafael Leao has not yet recovered from an inflammation of the adductor, but is in Saudi Arabia with an eye on Monday’s Final, with Matteo Gabbia injured.

It means Nkunku partners Pulisic upfront, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek in support.

A surprise is Luka Modric rested in favour of Jashari, while Pervis Estupinan comes in after Davide Bartesaghi’s brace.

Milan are also wearing special kits with their names in Arabic lettering on the back.

When these teams met in Serie A on September 28, Milan emerged 2-1 winners.

Napoli vs. AC Milan official line-ups

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus; Politano, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Neres, Hojlund, Elmas

Napoli bench: Contini, Ferrante, Gutierrez, Buongiorno, Lukaku, Olivera, Vergara, Lucca, Mazzocchi, Beukema, Marianucci, Ambrosino, Lang, Barido, De Chiara

Milan: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Jashari, Rabiot, Estupinian; Nkunku, Pulisic

Milan bench: Terracciano, Torriani, Ricci, Modric, Fofana, Athekame, Odogu, Ibrahimovic, Bartesaghi, Dutu, Sala, Borsani

Ref: Zufferli

18-12-2025 19:00

1/2 Final

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli

Milan

2 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

		38'		Adrien Rabiot
David Neres (Assist: Rasmus Højlund)		39'

2nd half

Rasmus Højlund (Assist: Leonardo Spinazzola)		64'
Leonardo Spinazzola		81'
Scott McTominay		83'
		83'		Fikayo Tomori
		86'		Zachary Athekame

Match statistic

41

Possession %

59

11

Total shots

14

5

Shots on target

3

4

Shots off target

9

2

Blocked shots

2

5

Corners

4

2

Offsides

1

15

Fouls

9

Napoli

Milan

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

22

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Defender

5

Juan Jesus

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

81'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

77'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

7

David Neres

Attacker

88'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

78'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

82'

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

69'

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

2

Pervis Estupiñán

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

12

Adrien Rabiot

Midfielder

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

69'

30

Ardon Jashari

Midfielder

75'

8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Midfielder

11

Christian Pulisic

Attacker

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

Substitutes

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

9

Romelu Lukaku

Attacker

69

Giuseppe Ambrosino

Attacker

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

25

Mathias Ferrante

Goalkeeper

Francisco Barido

Midfielder

Emmanuele De Chiara

Midfielder

70

Noa Lang

Attacker

77'

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

78'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

81'

27

Lorenzo Lucca

Attacker

82'

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

88'

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

35

Matteo Dutu

Defender

96

Lorenzo Torriani

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

42

Emanuele Sala

Midfielder

28

Maximilian Ibrahimović

Attacker

44

Emanuele Borsani

Attacker

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

69'

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

69'

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

75'

President of Bari Luigi De Laurentiis confirms he is ‘negotiating with two foreign companies who are interested’ in buying the Serie B club.

The side went bankrupt in 2018 and was taken over by the De Laurentiis family, treated as a satellite club to Napoli.

They earned promotion from Serie D all the way up to Serie B in 2022, but have faced protests from fans who feel there is insufficient investment compared to the other De Laurentiis project.

With that in mind, it is confirmed that the family is seeking new investors and could even potentially sell up Bari altogether.

De Laurentiis family in talks to sell Bari

“I have recently been negotiating with two foreign companies who are interested in the club,” De Laurentiis said at a press conference at the Stadio San Nicola.

“We are in a dialogue phase, they are studying Bari in terms of numbers and atmosphere. My objective is to close these negotiations in 2026.”

The decision was foisted upon them by a change in the rules on multiple clubs being owned by the same person or company, which set a deadline of 2028 to terminate all these agreements in Italy.

“It is important to hand Bari over to someone solid, who can have a plan in place. I am taking a big risk, in the interests of the fans and of Bari.

“There is a pact of confidentiality, but I can confirm we are talking to foreign companies, not Italian ones.”

De Laurentiis and others are battling the rule change, and hope they can continue to remain as minority investors in other clubs.

“The idea is to find a partner, who would appreciate that we know the football world well and are an added bonus. Co-existence is possible, then we’ll see what the rules actually are in 2028. If we get to Serie A, sitting in the stands, then we’ll be happy. That is where Bari deserve to be.”

The Supercoppa Italiana starts tonight with the Napoli vs. AC Milan semi-final, and the potential for a penalty shoot-out highlights the poor record for both teams from the spot.

It kicks off in Riyadh at 19.00 GMT, with Bologna vs. Inter in the same venue on Friday.

As per the rules of the EA Sports FC Super Cup, a winner is to be decided after 90 minutes, or they go directly to penalties, without needing extra time.

The winners of each semi-final then face off in the Final on Monday December 22.

If it does go to a shoot-out, then both Napoli and Milan have a rather poor record from the spot, so would do well to pick their takers carefully.

Napoli and AC Milan poor on spot-kicks

Rasmus Hojlund has taken three penalties in his entire career, and missed the only one in the Napoli jersey, during the 2-0 Champions League victory over Qarabag.

Scott McTominay has only ever taken one penalty, converting it for Scotland’s 1-0 victory away to Greece in March 2025.

Matteo Politano has scored 10 out of 14 spot-kicks, Noa Lang converted seven of nine, while David Neres missed his attempt in Napoli’s Coppa Italia shoot-out with Cagliari.

Kevin De Bruyne had been their best taker, converting all three of his attempts this season, including one where he sustained that serious injury.

Milan really don’t fare much better, as Christian Pulisic is their best taker, and he missed two of his 15 attempts, both for the club.

Curiously, the only one saved was by current Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who are then at Torino, while he blazed another over the bar against Juventus.

Luka Modric scored 24 out of 30 in his career, but Christopher Nkunku failed to convert three out of 15 attempts.

Adrien Rabiot and Alexis Saelemaekers have never taken a penalty during 90 minutes.

Rafael Leao converted both his attempts this season, four in a career total of five, but missed for Portugal against Luxembourg in 2023.

Napoli transfer target Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly growing frustrated with Manchester United’s refusal to sell or loan him, so his half-brother sent a very strong message in shirt form.

The Partenopei have made no secret of their interest in Mainoo to fill the gaps in midfield, especially after an injury crisis that struck Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, Billy Gilmour and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa.

Manchester United refusing to release Mainoo

They had already made an approach last summer and are going to try again in January, but Sky Sports UK reiterated that Manchester United have no intention of sending him out on loan.

The club is also setting a very high price-tag, even for other Premier League clubs, so would be entirely out of range for a Serie A side.

Napoli may well have an ally in Mainoo himself, as his half-brother Jordan wore a shirt that read ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ during a game.

BREAKING: @JacobsBen on the t-shirt Kobbie Mainoo’s brother wore on Monday:

“My understanding is Kobbie Mainoo was speaking through his brother, he knew about the t-shirt and he endorsed the message.” #MUFC [@UnitedStandMUFC] pic.twitter.com/hHRkR4Yd5y

— mufcmpb (@mufcMPB) December 18, 2025

According to reporter Ben Jacobs on The United Stand podcast, the player “was speaking through his brother, he knew about the shirt and endorsed the message.”

The 20-year-old has made only 12 competitive appearances this season for Manchester United, for a grand total of 302 minutes of football.

Manchester United will only consider selling Kobbie Mainoo in January if they receive an exceptional offer, they don't want to sell him and don't want to send him on loan pic.twitter.com/TduOSqRQpx

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 18, 2025

According to The Athletic, Italian coach Enzo Maresca is one of the candidates for Manchester City to replace Pep Guardiola next season after his success at Chelsea.

It would be a fitting next career step, considering Maresca worked under Guardiola as an assistant manager at Manchester City, and before that had been the coach of the Manchester City Under-21 team.

His contract at Chelsea runs to June 2030, but recent comments in the wake of the Champions League defeat to Atalanta raised doubts as to his future at Stamford Bridge.

He said following the next game against Everton that these had been the “worst 48 hours” of his time at the club, because “many people didn’t support us.”

Maresca has flourished at Chelsea

The 45-year-old Italian won the Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup trophies last season.

Maresca could follow in the footsteps of Italian Roberto Mancini, who won the Premier League title as manager of Manchester City in 2012.

He had one very brief stint coaching in Italy with Parma, for 14 games in 2021.

Guardiola’s contract runs to June 2027, but there are growing reports this will be his final campaign with the Premier League club.

Napoli arrived in Riyadh this evening for the Supercoppa Italiana, and as expected, Romelu Lukaku was with the squad for the first time this season.

The Belgium international suffered a high-grade tear in his thigh during a pre-season friendly against Olympiacos on August 14.

He has been out of action ever since and made his return to training on Monday morning.

Lukaku in Riyadh with Napoli squad

Il #Napoli è arrivato a Riyad per la Supercoppa Italiana#Sportitalia pic.twitter.com/Oo1553VEDW

— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) December 16, 2025

There had been reports that Lukaku would be part of the squad for the Supercoppa Italiana and he was indeed spotted getting off the plane in Riyadh tonight.

Also in attendance was President Aurelio De Laurentiis, while many of the players were seen holding their freshly-prepared cups of espresso.

Napoli will play the semi-final against AC Milan on Thursday, then Bologna take on Inter in the Friday evening clash.

The winners of those two matches can then face each other in the final for the EA Sports FC Supercup on Monday December 22.

The chaos at Fiorentina means there could be big departures in January, with reports Roma could swoop for Albert Gudmundsson.

The Viola are rock bottom of the Serie A table and the only team still without a single victory in the league this season.

The entire squad is kept in a training retreat indefinitely following the 2-1 home defeat to Hellas Verona, and malcontent is at an all time high.

This points to potential exits in the January transfer window to completely revamp the group, and one of those heading for the door is Gudmundsson.

Gudmundsson not happy at Fiorentina

The Iceland international was signed from Genoa last year on loan and then bought outright for a total fee of €18.85m plus bonuses, but has been completely incapable of recreating the form he had shown earlier in Serie A.

He also got into a very public row with coach Paolo Vanoli when denying he had refused to take a penalty, insisting he simply didn’t want to “argue with a teammate in front of everyone.”

Nonetheless, his five goals and two assists in 19 competitive games this season suggest he could get a good price, and Calciomercato.com claim Roma would be interested in a swoop.

An offer of over €25m could be sufficient, but Roma are more likely to propose a loan with option to buy at the end of the season.

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso and captain Gianluigi Donnarumma had very different ideas in their votes for FIFA The Best Men’s Player award.

The trophy was won by Paris Saint-Germain and France striker Ousmane Dembele, who was a key figure in the club’s triumphant march last season.

They won the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and French Supercup, as well as reaching the Final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Dembele topped the charts and was also first choice for his former PSG teammate and Italy captain Donnarumma.

Donnarumma and Gattuso voted very differently

The goalkeeper had another Paris Saint-Germain player in second place, Achraf Hakimi, with Barcelona’s teenage talent Lamine Yamal in third.

On the other hand, Italy coach Gattuso had a very different vision of the year’s sporting achievements.

His maximum points went to Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé, with PSG and Portugal midfielder Vitinha in second and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in third.

As for the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award, Donnarumma absolutely dominated the voting, with very few getting a look-in for first place.

The only others who managed a handful of votes were Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martinez, David Raya, Manuel Neuer, Alisson Becker and Yann Sommer.

Some had rather odd ideas leaving Donnarumma out of their top three entirely.

Bizarrely, Donnarumma himself voted for Wojciech Szczesny, who had come out of retirement to take over at Barcelona.

He had Inter’s Sommer in second and Arsenal’s Raya third.

Watch and listen to the latest news updates from the world of Calcio courtesy of Football Italia expert Alfredo Pedullà.

Today, Pedullà discusses Roma’s fiery 1-0 victory over Como and how this affects the Giallorossi’s transfer strategy going forward for Joshua Zirkzee and Giacomo Raspadori.

Elsewhere, AC Milan are considering Niclas Fullkrug from West Ham United, with their eye still on Dusan Vlahovic for the summer.

Khephren Thuram is the last player Juventus should consider selling, while Pedullà outlines which clubs most need to take action in January.

Watch: Pedullà on Roma progress and plans for January

Inter star Denzel Dumfries has broken his silence after undergoing ankle surgery in London. ‘It’s been a tough month with a lot of emotions, but I’m glad the worst is behind me.’

The Dutchman has been out of action since picking up the left ankle issue during the 2-0 Serie A victory over Lazio on November 9.

His recovery took longer than expected, and with so little genuine progress, it was decided that he would go under the knife to stabilise the ankle.

Dumfries posts from hospital bed

Dumfries posted a picture on Instagram of himself in his hospital bed at the Fortius Clinic in London, where he had the operation earlier today.

“Surgery went well. It’s been a tough month with a lot of emotions, but I’m glad the worst is behind me. Now full focus on recovery and I’ll do my best to be back on the pitch as soon as possible!”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Denzel Justus Morris Dumfries (@ddumfries2)

Although the official Inter statement does not specify how long he will be out for, Sky Sport Italia are reporting they expect him to be on the sidelines for at least two to three months.

With that in mind, the Nerazzurri are likely to seek a replacement on the January transfer market.

Meanwhile, the multiple reports were confirmed and are now official, Dumfries has changed his agent and is now represented by the Epic Sports Agency run by Ali Barat.

He has left Jorge Mendes, and with a release clause set at €25m valid outside Italy until July 15, it is very likely that he is preparing for a new experience in the Premier League.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Epic Sports (@epicsports)

Former referee Andrea De Marco analysed the controversial Serie A decisions made during Parma-Lazio, Bologna-Juventus, Udinese-Napoli and Torino-Cremonese.

He was representing the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA) in the weekly DAZN Italia programme Open VAR, where the footage and audio from conversations between the officials are analysed.

You can read about his comments regarding the incidents during AC Milan 2-2 Sassuolo here.

Serie A referees got most of it right

De Marco was pushed on the Mattia Zaccagni straight red card for a sliding tackle on Nahuel Estevez during Lazio’s 1-0 win away to Parma, a decision that some refereeing pundits had called “excessive.”

Not for the first time, the official line was different to the one presented by the television pundits.

“In these situations, there is maximum severity when punishing tackles like this that are serious foul play,” assured De Marco.

“We see there is everything required for this to be a red card, the referee is very well placed, and he was quick to make the correct decision.

“The criteria for a red in this case are the speed of the lunge, the high leg, and the danger posed to the opposition player. It’s true he doesn’t get him full on, but this type of challenge will be clamped down on with the maximum severity throughout the season.”

If that was correct, then some other decisions this weekend did not meet with the approval of the AIA.

Specifically, Cremonese were furious late on when Torino striker Giovanni Simeone’s handling offence was not spotted by VAR.

“In this case, the VAR and AVAR focused too much on the green zone of the arm when the ball first makes contact, which also touches his chest,” explained De Marco.

“Their review was a little superficial, because they didn’t pay attention to the second touch with his arm. If there was one, then it was punishable, because it was not knocking it onto his own arm, it was a clear deflection, so that should’ve been a penalty.”

However, De Marco sided with the officials on two other contentious Serie A Week 15 situations.

“Karlstrom’s foul on Lobotka is clear, so Ghersini is right to suggest the review, which leads to referee Sozza disallowing the Udinese goal against Napoli.

“When Lucumi had a hand on David’s back in Bologna-Juventus, the intensity was not enough to warrant a penalty, so the correct decision was made. We raised the bar for giving penalties for a push and this falls well below it.”

Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma was named in the FIFA Best Men’s XI 2025, with his former PSG teammate Ousmane Dembele getting the overall prize.

Inevitably, Paris Saint-Germain dominated this evening’s awards in Doha, as they won the Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and French Supercup last season.

Donnarumma was a key figure in that squad, so despite being sold to Manchester City in the summer, he was recognised with the Best Men’s Goalkeeper award and as part of the Best Men’s XI.

Donnarumma featured in FIFA Best awards

His former teammate Dembele was as expected given the FIFA Best Men’s Player award for 2025, following on from his Ballon d’Or success.

PSG coach Luis Enrique was also crowned the Best Men’s Coach for 2025, although Italian Enzo Maresca of Chelsea was in the list of seven nominees.

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the Best Women’s Player award for the third year in a row.

FIFA Best Men’s XI 2025

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Achraf Hakimi

William Pacho

Virgil van Dijk

Nuno Mendes

Cole Palmer

Jude Bellingham

Vitinha

Pedri

Lamine Yamal

Ousmane Dembele

Former referee Andrea De Marco analyses the various controversial incidents in AC Milan 2-2 Sassuolo, giving the official verdict on where the officials went right and wrong in that game.

De Marco was the official attending this week’s edition of DAZN Italia show Open VAR, where the footage and audio of the conversations between Video Assistant Referees and the man with the whistle are aired.

A Week 15 match that hit a lot of headlines was Milan’s 2-2 draw with Sassuolo.

Milan 2-2 Sassuolo controversial situations

There were penalty appeals from Sassuolo for Strahinja Pavlovic’s coming together with Walid Cheddira.

“In this case, the referee did very well to evaluate the situation in the moment,” said De Marco, representing the Italian Referees’ Association.

“Prontera and Maresca in the VAR room also did well, because as you can see from the camera overhead, Pavlovic continues his run, while Cheddira doesn’t control the ball, instead pushing his leg out to run into his opponent.”

Notably, this is not what DAZN Italia’s own refereeing pundit Luca Marelli said when analysing the exact same incident.

Another incident that created more issues was the referee blowing the whistle too early when he thought Ruben Loftus-Cheek had pushed Fali Cande, meaning that when Christian Pulisic put the ball in the net, it was disallowed.

“In this case, the referee blows for a foul, the Milan player does put his hands on the Sassuolo player’s back, but the intensity of the push has to be evaluated,” explained De Marco.

“VAR cannot intervene, but considering the parameters we are setting for fouls this year, this cannot be considered a foul, and the goal should’ve been allowed to stand.”

If the referee has already blown the whistle, then the action has stopped and VAR cannot intervene.

The Serie A Disciplinary Commission has inflicted a two-match ban on Lazio midfielder Toma Basic, while Teun Koopmeiners, Mattia Zaccagni and Torbjorn Heggem are among those suspended for one.

The verdicts were handed down following a fiery set of Week 15 fixtures, which concluded last night.

The most contentious game was certainly Lazio’s victory away to Parma, which saw them get all three points even after going down to nine men.

Serie A bans after Week 15 games

Basic was sent off for elbowing Nahuel Estevez in the ribs during an off the ball incident, and has therefore been given a two-match ban for violent conduct.

His Lazio teammate Zaccagni was also shown a straight red card during that match, but his mistimed sliding tackle on Estevez only warranted a one-game suspension.

Bologna defender Heggem saw red for stopping a clear goal-scoring opportunity against Juventus and he too received a one-match Serie A ban.

The players who accumulated enough yellow cards to activate an automatic one-match ban are Koopmeiners (Juventus), Rafik Belghali (Verona), Martin Frese (Verona), Kialonda Gaspar (Lecce), Martin Payero (Cremonese) and Kristjan Thorstvedt (Sassuolo).

Genoa have been fined €12,000 for their fans throwing fireworks onto the pitch, forcing the referee to halt play temporarily against Inter.

Como coach Cesc Fabregas and Verona tactician Paolo Zanetti must sit out a touchline ban.

Inter announced that Denzel Dumfries has undergone surgery for his ankle injury, so is expected to be out for two to three months.

The Netherlands international had been struggling for a while with the ankle problem, that was taking longer than expected to heal.

He underwent a specialist consultation and opted to go under the knife.

Dumfries not expected back until February or March 2026

A statement from Inter confirms Dumfries had surgery to stabilise the left ankle at the Fortius Clinic in London today.

He will follow a rehabilitation programme over the coming weeks, but Sky Sport Italia and others are already suggesting this means at least two to three months out of action.

Inter are therefore likely to go back onto the transfer market in January to find a suitable replacement, as so far they have been using Luis Henrique or moving Carlos Augusto over to the right flank.

It also raises more question marks about the future of Dumfries, who recently changed agents, suggesting he is pushing for a summer exit towards the Premier League.

The player has a release clause in his contract believed to be set at €25m, albeit only valid for a brief period of the summer.

Juventus have launched a new line of clothing in honour of legend Alessandro Del Piero, with current Number 10 Kenan Yildiz roped into the campaign referencing Renaissance art.

The icon is depicted as several works of art in a gallery, so he sits down and asks what a young man thinks about the paintings.

“Not bad,” is the response from Kenan Yildiz, who so adored the Italian that he copied his tongue out goal celebration.

That gesture is also replicated in some of the shirt designs as part of the ADP Collection, launched today by Juventus and Adidas.

Not bad pic.twitter.com/sdkHME1LXN

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 16, 2025

Del Piero a true legend in the Juventus jersey

He spent 19 years at the club, scoring a total 290 goals in 705 appearances between 1993 and 2012.

The centrepiece of the collection is the pre-match jersey, which has symbols of Renaissance art around his signature celebration.

There are also items of apparel and accessories with Del Piero’s signature and personal logo.

Witness the art of football.
Once a prodigy. Always a legend. pic.twitter.com/D4tBIiPWRS

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 16, 2025