Sports

Stefano Pioli and Antonio Conte are relishing the prospect of a possible Scudetto shoot-out in Sunday s Derby della Madonnina.

Inter lead Milan by one point at the Serie A summit heading into this weekend s showdown after leapfrogging their bitter rivals last week.

With nine-in-a-row champions Juventus eight points adrift of top spot, albeit with a game in hand to play, the title is looking likely to end up at San Siro this season.

Milan are seeking a first Scudetto since 2011, a year after Inter last prevailed, and Sunday s game may go a long way towards determining who finishes top come the end of the campaign.

It is the first time the sides will meet holding the top two positions in the table since April 2011 and Conte is expecting a unique derby in t…

Real Madrid booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after a 3-1 win over Atalanta on Tuesday thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio.

With a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Benzema eased any nerves for Madrid when he swept home in the first half following a mistake by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.

Madrid were awarded a penalty after the break when Vinicius Junior was clumsily fouled by Rafael Toloi and Ramos emphatically buried the resulting spot-kick.

Atalanta pulled a late goal back with a free-kick from Luis Muriel, but Asensio ensured there was no drama with a goal on the counterattack.

4 Since his first season in 2018/19, Vinícius Júnior  has won four penalties in all competitions, more than an…

Over seven decades on the throne, the Queen oversaw a number of major events – not least in the sporting world.

Sport was a significant feature of Her Majesty s 70-year reign, from attending events to handing over trophies, most famously in 1966 when England lifted the World Cup at Wembley.

Following the announcement of her passing on Thursday, Stats Perform looks at the major sporting events that coincided with prominent milestones throughout the Queen s reign.

The Queen s Coronation, 1953

Princess Elizabeth was officially crowned Queen on June 2, 1953, a year after the death of her father George VI. Aged just 25, her ascension to the throne took place amid a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey. In the sporting world, Alberto Ascari won…

Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek claims he has secured the funds to make a compelling offer to buy Arsenal from the Kroenke family.

The 38-year-old Swedish billionaire declared his interest in buying the Gunners, whom he has supported since he was eight, last week in the wake of the collapse of the European Super League.

Arsenal were one of the 12 founding clubs of the attempted breakaway competition, but the plans for the close-shop tournament were left in ruins after fan pressure led to the withdrawal of the six English teams involved.

The Arsenal board issued an open letter with their withdrawal confirmation, accepting they had made a mistake as they apologised to supporters.

The backlash has led to protests against Arsenal owners, the Kroenke family, and …

Luis Palma struck a late winner as champions Celtic twice came from behind to see off St Mirren 3-2 on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season.

It was a day of celebrations at Celtic Park for Brendan Rodgers side, who wrapped up their third successive domestic title in midweek.

However, St Mirren threatened to spoil the party when Mark O Hara fired them in front after just seven minutes.

Top scorer Matt O Riley equalised for the hosts in the 21st minute, but they fell behind again just five minutes later when O Hara doubled his tally from the penalty spot after Stephen Welsh fouled Toyosi Olusanya.

Kyogo Furuhashi levelled for Celtic before half-time, and the Hoops completed the turnaround with Palma scored the winner with four minutes remaining.…

Juventus will have to make do without Cristiano Ronaldo for the time being after he tested positive for coronavirus.

The five-time Ballon d Or winner left the Portugal camp on Tuesday to begin a period of self-isolation, though the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) did say he was asymptomatic and doing well .

It is unclear how many matches Ronaldo will miss, but he will not feature for Portugal against Sweden on Wednesday and could be absent for as many as three Juve games.

The 35-year-old will definitely sit out Saturday s trip to promoted Crotone, while a visit to Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League follows three days later.

Juve then host Hellas Verona on October 25 before welcoming Barcelona and Lionel Messi to Turin three days after – it se…

Adam Idah scored a last-gasp winner as Celtic claimed the Scottish Cup by beating Old Firm rivals Rangers 1-0 on Saturday.

Idah came on from the bench to net a 90th-minute winner for the Hoops, who secured a league and cup double in Brendan Rodgers first season back in charge.

Rangers thought they had taken the lead midway through the second half at Hampden Park, when Abdallah Sima tapped in from on the line.

However, VAR came to Celtic s rescue, with the onfield referee overturning his decision to give the goal when the replays showed Nicolas Raskin had pushed Hoops goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was playing in his last match before retirement.

Celtic made their good fortune count, with Idah reacting sharply to slam home from close range after Jack Butland spi…

Greg Vanney hailed tireless worker Gabriel Pec after the Brazilian continued his excellent form with a goal against Real Salt Lake.

The Galaxy beat RSL 1-0 last time out to join them and their city rivals Los Angeles FC on 37 points at the summit of the Western Conference.

Pec netted his sixth MLS goal of the season in that victory, while the winger has also provided six assists.

And ahead of the Galaxy facing the San Jose Earthquakes, Vanney was full of praise for Pec.

“The guy is a tireless worker. He s a horse, he said, via The Galactic Tribune.

It s like I think he s played 50 games in each of the last three seasons. So coming here and playing the games that we have and the busy schedule moments, for him, it s nothing.

“We know th…

October 17, 2020. Zlatan Ibrahimovic s double proved enough for Milan to claim a derby day victory over their great rivals, with Romelu Lukaku s goal not enough to inspire a comeback.

Much has changed in the intervening period between then and now.

Inter recovered from that defeat by going on to win the Serie A title for the first time since 2010. Yet coach Antonio Conte and talisman Lukaku have both departed for pastures new – London, to be precise, with Tottenham and Chelsea respectively.

Milan, meanwhile, finished second, 12 points behind their neighbours, but they have had a relatively settled period under Stefano Pioli. And on Saturday, the Rossoneri truly ignited the 2021-22 title race by ending Inter s domestic unbeaten streak at San Siro – a run that …

Mauricio Pochettino said he is searching for answers to Paris Saint-Germain s post-Champions League struggles after the Ligue 1 holders were stunned by lowly Nantes on Sunday.

PSG missed the chance to go top of the Ligue 1 table following a shock 2-1 home defeat against relegation-threatened Nantes.

Pochettino s side looked on track to claim maximum points thanks to Julian Draxler s 42nd-minute opener, but two unanswered goals in the second half lifted Nantes to their first win away to PSG in Ligue 1 since 2002.

PSG have now lost their last three Ligue 1 fixtures immediately after Champions League clashes – the French giants fell to Lyon 1-0 following their 5-1 rout of Istanbul Basaksehir on December 9 and suffered a 2-0 defeat against Monaco after crushing Bar…