
Private Equity Snaps Up UK Health Companies as NHS Struggles: FT
Private equity firms have acquired numerous UK healthcare companies over the past two years as they seek to
2023-08-13 19:49

What to stream this week: Olivia Rodrigo, LaKeith Stanfield, NBA 2K14 and 'The Little Mermaid'
This week’s new entertainment releases include Olivia Rodrigo's much-anticipated sophomore album, LaKeith Stanfield starring in the eight-part horror fantasy series “The Changeling” and Disney's live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey
2023-09-04 12:28

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

Vanguard Australia eyes mergers to grow in domestic pension market
By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY Vanguard Australia will look to buy or merge with domestic pension funds, in an
2023-11-29 15:51

Kevin Porter Jr: Rockets guard arrested for assaulting former WNBA star girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick
Kevin Porter Jr and Kysre Gondrezick have been in a relationship since February 2022
2023-09-12 15:21

Is Tee Higgins playing this week? Latest Bengals Week 10 injury report
Joe Burrow is just now finding his groove but he'll have to find a way to keep the Bengals going with top targets like Tee Higgins dealing with injuries.
2023-11-12 06:18

Teva to pay Nevada $193 million over role in opioid epidemic
By Brendan Pierson Teva Pharmaceutical Industries on Wednesday agreed to pay Nevada $193 million to settle claims that
2023-06-08 05:23

Dillon Danis drops another NSFW video of Logan Paul’s fiancee Nina Agdal, trolls says ‘she is just getting more attention’
Dillon Danis has been trolling the couple through tweets on X since the fight with Logan Paul was announced
2023-09-24 16:51

Brazil Sells $2 Billion ESG Bond in Pledge to Protect Amazon
Brazil, which is home to 60% of the Amazon forest, sold its first-ever sustainable bond, marking a long-awaited
2023-11-14 05:50

Oklahoma lures Enel solar panel manufacturing facility with $180M incentive package
Enel North America says it's planning to invest more than $1 billion and will create about 1,000 new jobs with a new solar cell and panel manufacturing facility in eastern Oklahoma
2023-05-23 04:49

No. 21 Iowa escapes Nebraska with late interception, field goal by backup kicker
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Backup kicker Marshall Meeder barely cleared the crossbar with a 38-yard field goal as time ran out after Ethan Hurkett’s interception gave Iowa a final possession with 15 seconds left, and the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska 13-10 on Friday.
2023-11-25 12:28

Arsenal explore move for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya
Arsenal have made contact with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya over a summer transfer.
2023-07-31 16:58
You Might Like...

Carvana Completes All Equity Capital Requirements of Previously Announced Exchange Offer Transaction Support Agreement

'RHONJ' star Danielle Cabral's brother Thomas DiPietro demands her mental evaluation before reconciliation

Most EU leaders back new Ukraine aid, Hungary and Slovakia voice doubts

Things to know about the resignation of a Kansas police chief who led a raid on a small newspaper

Greek elections: Rail tragedy hangs over vote dominated by dynasties

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix dejected after loss in Pac-12 championship, mum on status for bowl game

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Seen Leaving Together After Chiefs Game

The search for Oakley Carlson: Missing 5-yr-old's mom Jordan Bowers arrested for fraud and identity theft