
Titans trample the Vikings in a 24-16 preseason victory with 281 rushing yards
Malik Willis rushed for 91 yards and threw a touchdown pass while playing the entire game for Tennessee, and the Titans dominated at the line of scrimmage during a 24-16 preseason victory over the Minnesota Vikings
2023-08-20 11:22

Empathy was George’s great strength, he radiated it
You always walked away from him liking the human race more - writes friend and colleague Allan Little.
2023-07-24 20:26

Storms and heavy rain flood roads, block railway lines in Germany
Storms and heavy rain across a large swath of Germany have flooded roads and forced the closure of some major railway routes, but there is no immediate word of any injuries
2023-06-23 14:59

Wall St futures rise ahead of earnings, data; Israel-Hamas conflict weighs
By Ankika Biswas and Shashwat Chauhan Wall Street index futures started an earnings-packed week on a firm footing
2023-10-16 19:46

OpenAI's head of trust and safety steps down
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -OpenAI's head of trust and safety Dave Willner is leaving the company, he said in a LinkedIn post
2023-07-22 00:25

Agustín Canapino carries hopes of Argentina into Indianapolis 500
Agustín Canapino will be carrying the hopes of Argentina when he starts the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday
2023-05-24 02:18

Travis Kelce is 'smart' and is focused on 'right things,' says Chiefs president amid Taylor Swift dating rumors
Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan praised Travis Kelce as a 'smart team player' who does it the 'right way'
2023-10-08 04:19

Vatican says it's permissible for transgender Catholics to be baptized
In the United States, the national conference of Catholic bishops rejects the concept of gender transition, leaving many transgender Catholics feeling excluded
2023-11-09 07:46

India's finance ministry not considering tax waivers for Tesla - senior official
NEW DELHI India's finance ministry is not considering any duty waivers for U.S. automaker Tesla Inc, Revenue Secretary
2023-07-14 05:16

Joe Rogan shares his take on Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather MMA bout: 'He’s gonna be like a baby'
Floyd Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in a historic boxing match in 2017
2023-09-02 17:51

Frank Clark feels as if he’s back home in returning to the Seahawks
Frank Clark didn’t question whether he’d be ready to play this Sunday just days after making his return to the Seattle Seahawks
2023-10-27 08:18

Romelu Lukaku has another harrowing moment to ponder after Inter fell short
When Edin Dzeko’s number was up and Romelu Lukaku took the field, the stage was set for the perfect conclusion to Chelsea’s car crash of a season. If Lukaku, the man a team who developed a chronic aversion to scoring, delivered the winning goal in the Champions League, it would be irrefutable proof of Todd Boehly’s anti-Midas touch. Yet there were colliding forces at play and Manchester City duly benefitted. Lukaku’s previous European final for Inter brought an own goal in defeat to Sevilla in the 2020 Europa League. His 2022-23 may forever be defined by his traumatic second half against Croatia, by the four glaring misses that brought Belgium’s golden generation to an end and eliminated his side from the World Cup. But there was a largely luckless sequel. Inadvertently, he blocked Federico Dimarco’s second header after the wing-back struck the bar. When presented with a glorious opportunity, five yards out, he headed against Ederson’s left knee. A player with 351 career goals risks being defined by the ones he didn’t score. But, in fairness to Lukaku, if one man won City their maiden Champions League, it was not him, but Ederson. The Brazilian’s passing can feel more notable than his shot-stopping and he rarely features near the top of the charts for save percentage but he produced three superb stops: first Lautaro Martinez was denied then Lukaku and finally, deep into injury-time, Robin Gosens. There were echoes of a compatriot, Alisson, and the 2019 final: scarcely required in the first three-quarters of the game, he was outstanding at the end. “You have to be lucky. Ederson or they miss it, they could draw,” Pep Guardiola reflected. “This competition is a coin.” Champions League finals can often leave the losers lamenting what might have been. In Inter’s case, there are added reasons to wonder, perhaps for years in the wilderness. “There are no words that can handle the pain but they are the second best team in Europe and that is incredible,” said Guardiola, citing City’s defeat to Chelsea in 2021 to empathise. Yet City may have had that status then; Inter were Champions League runners-up this season but third in Serie A. By some criteria – talent, budget, expectation – they might not be in the continent’s top 10 teams. So this had the feel of a one-off and an emphatic victory in the xG battle showed the quality of their openings, even if pragmatists may care little about such statistics. But if there is never a guarantee teams will return to such occasions, others have been likelier to than this Inter. In 11 previous seasons, they had not even reached the quarter-finals of this competition. An unfancied team overachieved, aided by a favourable draw. Their financial problems mean they will have to continue to beg, borrow and bargain for signings. They may face battles to retain Martinez and Nicolo Barella, two of their most valuable assets. Their starting 111 cost £113 million, less than City paid for Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji alone. Age counts against them: the 35-year-old Francesco Acerbi and the 37-year-old Dzeko offered improbable tales of unexpected progress at points when some of their peers have retired. In all probability, neither will win the Champions League. The old were joined by the old-fashioned. There were points where Inter appeared to be trying to play the 2003 Champions League final in 2023; their seeming passiveness baffled City, their static approach confusing them. Among elderly strikers, manager Simone Inzaghi seemed to cover more ground than Dzeko, the antidote to gegenpressing, standing still rather than hassling City’s defenders. Even when it was walking pace, Dzeko walked less than anyone else. And yet, with their inactivity, Inter exerted a strange kind of control and when Rodri scored, they suddenly started to create: largely from set-pieces and crosses but in a way that showed the merits of Inzaghi’s seemingly antiquated 3-5-2 formation, of having wing-backs who could get forward and twin strikers in the box. Lukaku’s misses notwithstanding, perhaps he should have started. Otherwise, Inter may have been the best version of themselves: organised, tactically astute, confident in their own gameplan. It was an advertisement for Italian strategy, for ignoring the fashions elsewhere in football; Inter looked a team who had plotted a path through the knockout stages with expert nous. Relatively few City players performed anywhere near their best – perhaps only Ederson, John Stones and Nathan Ake, though Kevin de Bruyne created two chances with incisive passes before his early departure – while the majority of those to excel were Nerazzurri. Alessandro Bastoni, Marcelo Brozovic, Dimarco and Barella were all terrific. Andre Onana made a fine first-half save from Erling Haaland. It took a telling deflection to unlock them: not from Rodri’s shot but Bernardo Silva’s cross, which struck Acerbi and fell obligingly for Rodri. For Inter, it might be the hard-luck tale without another chapter. For Inzaghi, reaching the Champions League final on a lesser budget may be a greater feat than Antonio Conte’s unaffordable Scudetto. He has had to be resourceful. He almost reaped the ultimate reward. “I wouldn’t trade these players for anyone and today the whole world saw why,” Inzaghi said. “We conceded little against a very strong team. We have many regrets, but we must be proud.” But pride and regrets could go hand in hand. Inter could have pulled off the greatest shock in a Champions League final since 2005, since it was last in Istanbul. And instead, Lukaku has more harrowing moments to relive. Read More Watch live: Manchester City leave Istanbul after Champions League win Pep Guardiola ended 12 years of hurt thanks to masterful midfield reinvention Manchester City treble-winners can be judged among the greats – Pep Guardiola
2023-06-11 17:55
You Might Like...

'You can save it': Fans beg Chris Evans as he responds to rumors of returning as Captain America in MCU

Foster's All Blacks 'at peace' with potential France Haka response

US nurse and child kidnapped in Haiti, says charity

Stoltenberg likely to be asked to remain as NATO chief for another year - sources

Chris Christie has some advice for Trump ahead of yet another likely indictment

Western Exploration Provides Update on Drilling Activities at Gravel Creek

Europe's far-right populists buoyed by Wilders' win in Netherlands, hoping the best is yet to come

Rolling Stone Keith Richards eyes new Tom Waits collaboration