Juve crash on season finale, Inter second in Serie A

Milan (AFP) – Juventus crashed to their second consecutive defeat as the Serie A champions finished their season with a 3-1 home loss against Roma on Saturday, days before their Champions League campaign resumes.

Inter Milan took second place with a 2-0 win over direct rivals Atalanta in Bergamo, who fell to their first league defeat since January.

Juventus had already wrapped up their ninth straight league title and are looking towards their last 16 home game against Lyon next Friday when Maurizio Sarri’s side need to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit.

Cristiano Ronaldo was rested for the final match with nothing left to play for against fifth-place Roma who are already assured of the Europa League group stage next term.

Sarri had threatened to field Juventus’s Under-23 team after his tired troops fell 2-0 to Cagliari during the week.

Argentine Gonzalo Higuain spearheaded the Juventus attack and finished off an Adrien Rabiot cross after just six minutes in the Allianz Stadium.

But Diego Perotti inspired a Roma fightback setting up Nikola Kalinic to nod in the equaliser after 23 minutes.

Perotti gave Roma the lead from the penalty spot before the break and six minutes into the second half connected with a Nicolo Zaniolo cross for his second of the night as Juventus fell to their third defeat in four matches.

Inter Milan finish just one point behind the champions after winning the three-team race for second spot.

Antonio Conte’s side ended Atalanta’s 17-match unbeaten run going back to January 20, to finish the season on a high before they play Getafe in the Europa League next week.

Danilo D’Ambrosio nodded in the first goal after just one minute with Ashley Young doubling their lead after 20 minutes with a stunning curling shot.

Atlanta, who meet Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals, finish in third place for their second consecutive season.

– Immobile matches record –

Lazio finished fourth, equal on points with Atalanta, having been pushing for the title just one point behind Juventus when the season resumed on June 20.

Simone Inzaghi’s side fell 3-1 to Napoli but forward Ciro Immobile scored his 36th goal of the season to equal the record for the most goals in a Serie A campaign. 

The 30-year-old Italy international tapped in after 22 minutes to match Argentina forward Higuain’s record of 36 goals, set while playing for Napoli in the 2015-16 season.

Immobile will also win the European Golden Shoe for the continent’s top scorer this term, having overtaken Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski’s tally of 34 in midweek.

Napoli warmed up for their Champions League last 16 second leg game over Barcelona with a win, but lost captain Lorenzo Insigne, who scored on the night, to injury.

In the San Siro, Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a penalty but scored his 10th league goal since January as AC Milan finished with a 3-0 win over Cagliari.

The season concludes on Sunday with Lecce and Genoa playing Parma and Hellas Verona respectivel hoping to avoid joining Brescia and SPAL down in Serie B.

Genoa, in 17th, are just one-point ahead of Lecce, who occupy the final relegation berth.

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Howe leaves Bournemouth after Premier League relegation

London (AFP) – Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe left the relegated Premier League club on Saturday after mutually agreeing to part ways.

Howe’s future had been up in air since Bournemouth’s five-year stay in the top-flight came to an end last Sunday.

Howe admitted after Bournemouth’s last game of the season at Everton that a quick decision was needed over his role before the 2020-21 campaign gets underway on September 12.

Bournemouth’s rebuild in the Championship will take place without Howe, who told supporters it was the right time to leave.

“Having spent a total of 25 years with the club as both a player and a manager this decision – made together with the club – is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make,” Howe said in an open letter published by Bournemouth.

“However, although the affection and love I have for this football club will always remain, we collectively feel that now is the right time for the club to go in a new direction.

“Bournemouth will always be in my heart, but I firmly believe that now is the right time for the club to have a change.

“I have always ensured that every decision I have ever made as manager has been in the best interests of the club and its supporters, and this is no different.”

Howe, who also played for the club for 11 years in two spells, was initially appointed Bournemouth caretaker manager in December 2008, with the club sitting on -17 points at the bottom of the Football League.

Against all the odds he secured their safety and followed it with promotion from League Two the following season.

After a brief spell in charge of Burnley in 2011, Howe returned to Bournemouth a year later and won two promotions in three seasons, leading the Cherries to the Premier League in 2015.

Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake paid tribute to Howe, saying: “Eddie Howe is synonymous with this football club, both as a player and a manager, and that will never change.

“He is quite simply a Bournemouth legend, having helped transform the identity and history of the club.

“A decision like this cannot be taken lightly, which is why this has been discussed together at length over the past few days.

“It is even harder given our close personal friendship.”

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Arteta hopes FA Cup win just the start for Aubameyang at Arsenal

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta hopes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will stay at Arsenal to lead the Gunners to more success after scoring twice to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Arsenal captain Aubameyang dropped the trophy before lifting his first piece of silverware since moving to English football from Borussia Dortmund two and a half years ago.

Victory secured Arsenal’s place in the Europa League next season as they risked missing out on European football for the first time in 25 years after finishing eighth in the Premier League.

But with Aubameyang facing another season without Champions League football and just one year left on his contract at the Emirates, the Gabon international has been linked with a move away this summer.

“He needs more experience with trophies. We can get him used to that,” joked Arteta at Aubameyang’s mishap with the trophy lift.

“He knows what I think about him, I want to build a squad around him.”

“I think he wants to stay, it is about getting the deal done. 

“I think moments like that will help to realise and give him belief that we are in the right path and he is a big part of it.”

Arteta also played his part to win a trophy in his first season in a senior managerial role after Chelsea made a blistering start in the eerie surroundings of an empty Wembley.

The Blues had already achieved their primary goal from Frank Lampard’s first season in charge by securing a place in next season’s Champions League last weekend and started confidently as Christian Pulisic’s composed finish opened the scoring just five minutes in.

“We started well for 10-15 minutes and we can only blame ourselves form that point,” said Lampard. “We got complacent, we took time on the ball like it was a stroll and we allowed them into the game.”

– Injuries hurt Chelsea –

Arteta managed to reorganise the Gunners during the first-half drinks break to change the momentum of the game.

A minute after play resumed, Nicolas Pepe thought he had curled home a brilliant equaliser from the edge of the box, only to be denied by Ainsley Maitland-Niles being flagged for offside in the build-up.

Just like in the semi-final win over Manchester City, Aubameyang proved to be Arsenal’s match winner as he raced onto Kieran Tierney’s hopeful ball over the top and outpaced Cesar Azpilicueta before being brought down by the Chelsea captain just inside the area.

Azpilicueta escaped the double punishment of a red card, but VAR confirmed the spot-kick and Aubameyang coolly slotted home.

Chelsea were further hit by two big injury blows either side of half-time as Azpilicueta and Pulisic pulled up with hamstring injuries that will almost certainly rule them out of the Champions League last 16, second leg against Bayern Munich next weekend.

Despite Chelsea’s major spending spree on Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech to reinforce their attack for next season, it is at the back where they have been found wanting all season and they were caught out too easily for the winner.

Hector Bellerin burst through the weak challenge of Jorginho before the ball was played into the path of Aubameyang, who skipped past Kurt Zouma and nonchalantly lifted the finish over Willy Caballero for his 29th goal of the season.

Worse was to come for Lampard’s men when Mateo Kovacic was inexplicably sent off for the slightest touch on Granit Xhaka, but Anthony Taylor’s decision could not be reviewed by VAR as it was a second bookable offence.

And a miserable day was rounded off deep into stoppage time when Pedro Rodriguez’s Chelsea career ended in the Spaniard also being carried off with a dislocated shoulder ahead of his move to Roma.

“It all came together for us today, two hamstrings, a dislocated shoulder,” added Lampard. “It’s the end of a long season and it was the tipping point for us.”

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‘We were complacent’: Lampard fumes after Chelsea’s FA Cup loss

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard accused his Chelsea flops of complacency after they blew the lead in Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal.

Lampard’s side made the perfect start at Wembley as Christian Pulisic fired them ahead.

But Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised from the penalty spot before half-time and made it 2-1 with a fine finish after the interval.

“We started well for 10 or 15 minutes, scored a goal and had other chances. From that point, we can only blame ourselves in football terms,” Chelsea boss Lampard told the BBC.

“We decided to take control as in being complacent, let’s try and play short passes like it is a bit of a stroll. A final can never be a stroll and we allowed them back into the game.”

Lampard had tried to get his players to refocus, but he conceded Chelsea have been hampered by a lack of cutting edge and defensive mistakes all season.

They weren’t helped by the extremely harsh second half dismissal of midfielder Mateo Kovacic and injuries to Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Denied his first trophy as Chelsea boss, Lampard couldn’t hide his frustration.

“All I can do form the sidelines is shout. There are elements in our game that we have worked hard on all year, but that is in you as a group,” he said.

“We were slow, we played back on ourselves, invited pressure, then didn’t really know where to go from that. We didn’t play well enough to win a final.

“It doesn’t help to have two hamstrings (Azpilicueta and Pulisic) and a dislocated shoulder (Pedro), then Willian got injured yesterday and had to pull out.”

Despite their Cup final misery, Chelsea had already achieved their main aim by qualifying for next season’s Champions League via a fourth place finish in the Premier League.

Lampard’s season isn’t over as Chelsea travel to Bayern Munich on August 8 for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

But the Blues trail 3-0 from the first leg and Lampard did not want to think about that daunting task just yet.

“I’m not even thinking about next week. It’s the end of a long, long season and it was the tipping point for us,” he said.

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Arteta confident FA Cup winner Aubameyang will stay at Arsenal

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will commit his long-term future to the Gunners after scoring twice to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Aubameyang dropped the trophy in his first mistake of the day before lifting Arsenal’s record 14th FA Cup and his first trophy since joining the Londoners from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.

The Gabon international has been prolific in his two-and-a-half years in England, attracting interest from around Europe with just one year of his contract at the Emirates left to run.

But Arteta is confident Aubameyang will be convinced to stay by Arsenal’s upturn since the Spaniard took charge in December.

“He knows what I think about him, I want to build a squad around him,” said Arteta.

“I think he wants to stay, it is about getting the deal done. 

“I think moments like that will help to realise and give him belief that we are in the right path and he is a big part of it.

“He is loved by everyone at the club so hopefully he will continue with us.”

Victory also secured Arsenal’s place in the Europa League next season to ensure they did not miss out on European football for the first time in 25 years.

Arteta warned that failure to qualify for Europe would further restrict his transfer budget before the new Premier League season starts in just six weeks’ time.

“It is a double reward for us, it is really important for this club in every way to be in Europe,” added Arteta, who became the first man to win the FA Cup for Arsenal as a captain and coach.

“Winning this competition is part of our history. It’s 14 now, I contributed, we all did it, so I am so happy.”

Aubameyang paid tribute to Arteta’s impact after what had been a desperately disappointing start to the season under Unai Emery, but dodged questions on his future.

“He deserves this win. He did a great job and we are all happy to have him on board,” said Aubameyang.

“Nothing,” he added when pushed for comment on his plans for next season. “Today, it’s just about the trophy.”

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Aubameyang leads Arsenal to FA Cup triumph

London (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inspired Arsenal to a record 14th FA Cup win as the Gunners captain struck twice to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the final at an empty Wembley on Saturday.

Christian Pulisic had given Chelsea the dream start, but the Blues unravelled after Aubameyang was brought down by Cesar Azpilicueta inside the area and converted the resulting penalty.

A brilliant finish from Aubameyang 23 minutes from time earned Mikel Arteta silverware in his first season as Arsenal boss before Chelsea were controversially reduced to 10 men when Mateo Kovacic was shown an extremely soft second yellow card.

Arteta said ahead of the final he hoped a taste of success would encourage Aubameyang, who only has a year left on his contract at the Emirates, to commit to a new long-term deal.

The Gabon international’s double took his tally for the season to 29 and ensured the Gunners will not miss out on European football next season for the first time since 1995/96 as they qualify for the Europa League.

An FA Cup final unlike any other with nearly 90,000 empty seats saw the traditional singing of “Abide With Me” performed on the Wembley roof.

Chelsea had already achieved their primary goal from Frank Lampard’s first season in charge by securing a place in next season’s Champions League last weekend and early on they seemed set to cap a top-four finish with Lampard’s first trophy as a manager.

Emiliano Martinez flew to his left to turn Mason Mount’s shot behind, but Arsenal did not heed that warning as Chelsea’s front three combined perfectly for the opener on five minutes.

Mount’s low cross was flicked on by former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud and Pulisic continued his scoring streak since football’s return in June by showing quick feet before prodding the ball home.

Arteta has gained plenty of plaudits for his tactical nous during his first eight months in a managerial role and the Spaniard managed to reorganise the Gunners during the first-half drinks break to change the momentum of the game.

– Aubameyang leads comeback –

A minute after play resumed, Nicolas Pepe thought he had curled home a brilliant equaliser from the edge of the box, only to be denied by Ainsley Maitland-Niles being flagged for offside in the build-up.

While Chelsea have already significantly strengthened their forward line for next season with the signings of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, Arsenal are hoping just to hold onto their key man in Aubameyang.

Just like in the semi-final win over Manchester City, he proved to be the match winner as he raced onto Kieran Tierney’s hopeful ball over the top and outpaced Azpilicueta before being brought down by the Chelsea captain just inside the area.

Azpilicueta escaped the double punishment of a red card, but VAR confirmed the spot-kick and Aubameyang coolly slotted home.

Chelsea were further hit by two big injury blows either side of half-time as Azpilicueta and Pulisic pulled up with hamstring injuries that will almost certainly rule them out of the Champions League last 16, second leg against Bayern Munich next weekend.

Despite Chelsea’s major spending spree in reinforcing their attack, it is at the back where they have been found wanting all season and they were caught out too easily for the winner.

Hector Bellerin burst through the weak challenge of Jorginho before the ball was played into the path of Aubameyang, who skipped past Kurt Zouma and nonchalantly lifted the finish over Willy Caballero.

Worse was to come for Lampard’s men when Kovacic was inexplicably sent off for the slightest touch on Granit Xhaka, but Anthony Taylor’s decision could not be reviewed by VAR as it was a second bookable offence.

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Kewell named latest Oldham boss

London (AFP) – Former Australian international Harry Kewell has called for stability at Oldham after becoming the sixth manager at the League Two club in two years.

Kewell, who starred for Leeds and Liverpool in the Premier League as a player, takes over at Boundary Park after spells in charge of Crawley and Notts County in League Two.

The 41-year-old replaced Dino Maamria, who was sacked on Friday after finishing 19th in the curtailed 2019/20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kewell follows in the footsteps of another former Premier League star, Paul Scholes, who lasted just 31 days as Oldham boss last year.

“I’m excited about the project and, don’t get me wrong, it’s going to take time,” Kewell told the Oldham club website.

“Because the one thing I think this club does need is stability and if we can get that, then we can start to grow things.

“We’ve got to get back to the basics and we’re having a ‘clean slate’ here now and I think the fans, myself, the owner, everybody wants to start seeing this club progress because we all believe that’s there’s a big potential.”

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