It’s been a rough week for Italian soccer.
A year after there was a Milan derby in the quarterfinals of
Europe’s top club competition and Inter gave Manchester City a serious
challenge in the final, not one Italian club has advanced to the quarterfinals.
The same thing happened two seasons ago when Juventus was
eliminated by Villarreal and Inter fell to Liverpool in the round of 16.
On Tuesday, Napoli was ousted by Barcelona on 4-2 aggregate.
Then on Wednesday, Inter lost a penalty shootout to Atletico Madrid.
Also this month, Lazio lost to Bayern Munich on 3-1
aggregate.
Since neither Lazio, Napoli nor Inter lost the first leg,
the final results stung even more.
Considering its perfect record in 2024, a big lead atop
Serie A and its performance in Europe last season, Inter had the highest hopes
for the Champions League.
But when it came down to Lautaro Martinez — Inter’s most
prized and reliable forward — to convert his spot kick and keep the shootout
alive, the Argentina international blasted his shot high over the bar.
After his miss, Lautaro immediately turned around and glared
at the spot as if something bothered him.
“The squad is not used to losing. The defeat burns, because
we won the first leg,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. “The details make the
difference and we missed three chances in extra time.”
The losses also affect Italy’s chances of earning a fifth
team in next season’s expanded Champions League. With the top two finishers to
get an extra team in, Italy still leads this season’s rankings but risks being
passed by Germany and England, which qualified two teams each for the
quarterfinals.
This week’s Champions League games were preceded by the ugly
scene of Lecce coach Roberto d’Aversa appearing to head butt Hellas Verona
forward Thomas Henry after a match between two Serie A clubs fighting to avoid
relegation on Sunday. D’Aversa was fired and banned for four matches — a
suspension he’ll have to serve if he’s hired by a new club.
On Tuesday, Milan’s offices were raided by police as part of
an investigation by Italian prosecutors into the sale of the seven-time
European champion.
RedBird Capital Partners purchased Milan from fellow
American firm Elliott Management in August 2022, but Milan prosecutors claim
Elliott still owns and controls the Italian club. Both RedBird and Elliott
claim the allegation is false.
Milan didn’t advance out of the Champions League group
phase, finishing behind Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
Juventus, meanwhile, was banned from Europe this season for
breaking financial rules. AP
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