ITALY--A second-half goal by forward Lautaro Martinez earned Inter Milan a 1-0 victory over rivals AC Milan in their Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday, sealing a 3-0 aggregate win to book their ticket to the showpiece in Istanbul. Milan recovered some of the spark they lacked in the first leg but Inter's Martinez put the tie to bed when he struck powerfully from close range in the 74th minute at the San Siro. Inter went into the game holding a 2-0 advantage after Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan had struck early in a flying start to the first leg and never looked in serious danger of missing out on the final, where they will face Real Madrid or Manchester City on June 10. Inter, who overcame Portuguese pair Porto and Benfica to reach the semis, will play in the final for the sixth time and first since lifting their third European Cup in 2009-10 under Jose Mourinho.
"There was a lot of history in this game. I felt it, we did a great job in both games," said Martinez, who won the World Cup with Argentina in December. "The unity of the group (motivated us). I experienced it at the World Cup, that's important. If you have a united group, things are easier. We have shown that Inter deserve this moment. "Playing in the Champions League final is a dream. We started this season with goals and today we achieved a very important one." Inter coach Simone Inzaghi fielded an unchanged team from the first leg, with Martinez and Dzeko up front, having rested players in Serie A over the weekend. Main forward Rafael Leao returned for Milan after an adductor problem sidelined him in the first leg, with Junior Messias and Malick Thiaw starting in place of Alexis Saelemaekers and Simon Kjaer. A much more daring Milan side could have scored early but Inter keeper Andre Onana saved a low Brahim Diaz shot that was heading towards the bottom-right corner.
Leao had a great chance to halve the deficit late in the first half but struck inches wide, before Milan keeper Mike Maignan superbly denied Dzeko who leaped high to meet a free kick. While Stefano Pioli's Milan kept probing for an opening to spark a comeback, Inter hinted in the first half that they would not be taking their foot of the gas. Martinez eventually proved Milan's executioner, playing a one-two with substitute Romelu Lukaku before scoring his sixth goal in Inter's last six games. It is the first time Inter have progressed from a knockout tie against their city rivals in the competition, with Milan coming out on top both in the 2002-03 semi-finals and the 2004-05 quarters. It is also the first time in almost 50 years that Milan have lost to Inter four times in a single campaign, the only other time being in 1973-74.
And never before in their history had they gone four games in a row without finding the net against Inter. "It's clear that we dreamed of the final and wanted to beat our rivals," Pioli said. "Not succeeding causes us disappointment, but we'll have to focus on the championship. The real disappointment would be not playing in the Champions League next year." Milan, who have won only two in their last seven Serie A games, risk dropping out of Europe's elite club competition next season as they currently sit four points off the top four.
ROME-- Carlos Alcaraz crashed to a humbling 6-3 7-6(4) defeat by Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the Italian Open on Monday as his quest for a third straight title on clay before the French Open ended in disappointment. The 20-year-old had come into the tournament on the back of triumphs in Barcelona and Madrid and will replace Novak Djokovic as the world number one for top billing at Roland Garros which begins later this month. But Alcaraz was far from his best and got off to a shaky start in his second match in Rome, dropping serve to love in the fourth game as world number 135 Marozsan built a big lead and dominated the late exchanges to easily win the opening set.
Marozsan continued to heap pressure on Alcaraz and broke for a 4-3 lead after the Spaniard saved three breakpoints earlier in the second set, but the 23-year-old Budapest native immediately let his opponent off the hook before forcing a tiebreak. Alcaraz raced to a 4-1 lead but Marozsan hit back in superb style to reel off six points and hand the world number two only his second defeat on clay in 22 matches this season. "It's not easy to say something," Marozsan said immediately after the biggest win of his career. "I'm very happy, I could have never imagined this. It was my dream last night. "I said I'd try to do something special by winning a few games and maybe a set and I just beat the (soon to be) world number one, the best player in our sport now.
"Everything was perfect today." It was the first defeat for Alcaraz to a player ranked outside the world's top 100 since the 2021 Paris Masters when he fell to Hugo Gaston. World number three Daniil Medvedev earned a hard-fought 3-6 6-1 6-3 win over Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles to reach the last 16 in Rome for the first time. "I'm definitely playing my best tennis on clay right now," said Medvedev, who reached the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and the last 16 in Madrid. "I have never played so well in Rome or in Madrid. I'm feeling great." Sixth seed Andrey Rublev also advanced after defeating Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(8) 6-3.
In the women's draw, Elena Rybakina saw off Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3 to reach her first claycourt WTA 1000 quarter-final, where she will face either top-ranked Iga Swiatek, the twice defending champion, or Croatia's Donna Vekic. Zheng Qinwen earlier beat Chinese compatriot Wang Xiyu 6-4 3-6 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals while American Madison Keys lost 2-6 6-2 6-4 against Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina. Stefanos Tsitsipas's match against Lorenzo Sonego, as well as Alexander Zverev's clash with J.J. Wolf were suspended due to rain and will be concluded on Tuesday. Tsitsipas had taken the first set 6-3 against Sonego while Zverev leads 6-4 3-3 against Wolf.
CINCINNATI --Four pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout and Spencer Steer added a solo home run as the Cincinnati Reds cruised to a 5-0 win over the visiting New York Mets in the rubber match of the three-game series Thursday.
BARCELONA- - Barcelona won their 27th LaLiga title and first for four years after a 4-2 win at city rivals Espanyol on Sunday crowned a remarkable domestic campaign built around a rock-solid defence, a huge change from the club's traditional style of play. Barcelona have a history of success with teams playing an attractive brand of attacking football but this season they have had to adapt to a different reality and manager Xavi Hernandez has cast aside tradition to focus on relentless defence. The change in mentality may not have sat entirely comfortably with Xavi who said Barcelona's style was "non-negotiable" when he was appointed coach in November, 2021.
He often sounded frustrated yet resigned in interviews, trying to defend his team even after victories, sounding like he needed to explain that he had to prioritise his defence due to the urgency of getting the club back to winning ways. A former Barcelona player himself, Xavi was a symbol of their attacking style as a flamboyant midfielder who won every major title with the club and with Spain. "We have not betrayed any game model," Xavi said after his side earned a gutsy 1-0 win at Real's Santiago Bernabeu in March with an outstanding defensive performance against their bitter rivals who enjoyed 65% of possession but could not break Barcelona down. "I am not satisfied with not having the ball. Sometimes are the rivals and the circumstances that takes you there, but defending is also part of the game," he added. Top Scorer This season Barcelona have won 27 of their 34 games and although they are the second highest scorers in the division with 64 goals and boast the leading marksman in Robert Lewandowski, the foundation of their success has been at the other end of the pitch.
They have conceded 13 goals in the league, by far the best defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues. At home, their defensive numbers are even more impressive with only two goals conceded, one from a penalty and the other an own goal. At the core of their rearguard are three players enjoying stellar seasons -- goalkeeper Marc Andre ter-Stegen and defenders Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde. The trio hold the key to stifling their rival's attacking threats, particularly Araujo who has arguably been Europe's top defender this season. Barcelona were last champions of Spain in 2018-19 when they still had club greats Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez leading their attack up-front.
As Barcelona fell into a deep financial crisis, however, they both had to leave due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules and the club's fortunes declined. Xavi signed Lewandowski, Kounde and winger Raphinha and re-signed Ousmane Dembele to add an extra spark to a core built around the youth and talent of midfielders Pedri and Gavi. Led by the experience of Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Ter Stegen, this team gelled to form a strong unit and they beat Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup in January to earn Xavi his first trophy as coach before romping to the LaLiga crown.
MILAN- - Inter Milan scored two early goals to secure an impressive 2-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday and stay on course to become the first Italian team to win the trophy since they did so 2010. Inter struck after eight and 11 minutes, with Edin Dzeko smashing in a close-range volley before Henrikh Mkhitaryan doubled the lead from Federico Dimarco's cross to stun their city rivals at the San Siro. Milan were shell-shocked and although they improved in the second half, they rarely threatened a comeback and face an uphill task to stay on course to win their eighth European Cup. "It feels very good, especially because it's a derby. We played away on paper.
It's a great result for us," Dzeko told BT Sport. "Sometimes you get in this difficult moment where the ball doesn't want to go in. Patience and work always pays off. I was calm knowing the goals would come as always." Three-times European champions Inter made a fast start when Hakan Calhanoglu delivered a corner which fell to Dzeko and the veteran Bosnian striker expertly fired the ball into the top right corner. Inter, who came into the fixture in high spirits after four consecutive wins in Serie A, doubled the lead through Mkhitaryan after Dimarco served him with a brilliant pass and the Armenian broke into Milan's box to find the net from close range. Calhanoglu went close to adding the third when his powerful long-range shot hit the inside of the post and Mkhitaryan was denied by Milan keeper Mike Maignan. Milan, without injured forward Rafael Leao, were stunned and things could have got worse for the hosts when Lautaro Martinez was taken down inside the box just after the half-hour mark.
The referee pointed to the penalty spot but his decision was overturned following a VAR review. Milan showed more attacking intent after the break but failed to create many clear chances, with strikes from Brahim Diaz and Junior Messias missing the target and Sandro Tonali hitting the post. Substitute Tommaso Pobega also had a late chance to pull a goal back for Milan but goalkeeper Andre Onana kept out his low effort from the edge of the penalty area. It was the first time Inter have beaten their neighbours in a European knockout tie, with Milan progressing from both previous meetings, most recently in the 2004-05 Champions League quarter-finals. That was a stormy game and when Inter had a goal disallowed in the second leg, their fans reacted angrily and a flare thrown on to the pitch struck Milan goalkeeper Dida. The match was abandoned with Milan leading 1-0. Milan were awarded a 3-0 win, having won the first leg 2-0, and went on to lose a dramatic final to Liverpool on penalties. Inter host Milan in the second leg at the same venue on Tuesday and the winners will face Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final.
