2 months ago
For those of an earlier generation, ******* an and football had one connection: the adventures of Captain Tsubasa, known as Oliver Hutton in the West, the fictional young striker who would go on to play in Brazil before moving to Europe. The cartoon became a reality with Hidetoshi Nakata, the distinctive and talented attacking midfielder who made his name with Perugia and won the Scudetto with Roma, paving the way for a wave of ******* anese players in Serie A at the turn of the millennium. One of them even made his way to Milano, via Emilia-Romagna.
Yuto Nagatomo, the last ******* anese player in the history of the Nerazzurri, and also the first, turns 40 today.
He arrived through one of those winding transfer routes, in a loan swap with Cesena in January 2011. Davide Santon went to Emilia-Romagna, while Inter welcomed a ******* anese full-back who was barely 1.70 metres tall, and powered by seemingly endless batteries that always left him with more energy than everyone else. Seven of his first nine goals for Inter came in the final half-hour, when he was still charging forward. The secret? Umeboshi. ******* anese salted plums, a great remedy for fatigue. He ate them before every game. It was also the result of a thoroughly Eastern discipline, combined with a football education that arrived slightly later than usual. Yuto did not come through the academy at a major club. He played football at school until he was 20. At first, this was a tactical limitation; later, it became a strength. He moved in ways which were neither conventional nor codified, which led him into extreme situations. He would, for example, end up in the opposition box, more often than you might expect, even scoring a header at Marassi in 2011. It was the kind of game you can picture, with Nagatomo scoring 1-0, despite almost always being the shortest player on the team. Or right on the edge of the box, as in Turin the following year, when, at the end of a scrappy but determined move, he set up Rodrigo Palacio for Inter's final goal in a 3-1 win away to Juventus, their first victory there in nine years. Or when he had the courage, or perhaps the recklessness, to take the decisive penalty; Inter vs Pordenone, a one-off Coppa Italia tie, an astonishing 0-0 after 120 minutes. It was the ******* anese player who spared Inter the embarrassment in a half-frozen San Siro, called upon by the entire stadium to take the final penalty. "Yuto, Yuto, Yuto." It was an inevitable goal which secured a place in the next round.
Nagatomo really did become Captain Tsubasa, both because, like the hero of the manga and anime, he made it to San Siro, and because he actually appeared in the manga, or rather, in Holly and Benji. In 2019, he even dubbed himself. Because sometimes it is hard to tell fantasy from reality.
Happy Birthday, Yuto-San.
#Inter #even #final
Yuto Nagatomo, the last ******* anese player in the history of the Nerazzurri, and also the first, turns 40 today.
He arrived through one of those winding transfer routes, in a loan swap with Cesena in January 2011. Davide Santon went to Emilia-Romagna, while Inter welcomed a ******* anese full-back who was barely 1.70 metres tall, and powered by seemingly endless batteries that always left him with more energy than everyone else. Seven of his first nine goals for Inter came in the final half-hour, when he was still charging forward. The secret? Umeboshi. ******* anese salted plums, a great remedy for fatigue. He ate them before every game. It was also the result of a thoroughly Eastern discipline, combined with a football education that arrived slightly later than usual. Yuto did not come through the academy at a major club. He played football at school until he was 20. At first, this was a tactical limitation; later, it became a strength. He moved in ways which were neither conventional nor codified, which led him into extreme situations. He would, for example, end up in the opposition box, more often than you might expect, even scoring a header at Marassi in 2011. It was the kind of game you can picture, with Nagatomo scoring 1-0, despite almost always being the shortest player on the team. Or right on the edge of the box, as in Turin the following year, when, at the end of a scrappy but determined move, he set up Rodrigo Palacio for Inter's final goal in a 3-1 win away to Juventus, their first victory there in nine years. Or when he had the courage, or perhaps the recklessness, to take the decisive penalty; Inter vs Pordenone, a one-off Coppa Italia tie, an astonishing 0-0 after 120 minutes. It was the ******* anese player who spared Inter the embarrassment in a half-frozen San Siro, called upon by the entire stadium to take the final penalty. "Yuto, Yuto, Yuto." It was an inevitable goal which secured a place in the next round.
Nagatomo really did become Captain Tsubasa, both because, like the hero of the manga and anime, he made it to San Siro, and because he actually appeared in the manga, or rather, in Holly and Benji. In 2019, he even dubbed himself. Because sometimes it is hard to tell fantasy from reality.
Happy Birthday, Yuto-San.
#Inter #even #final
2 months ago
Genoa director Diego Lopez claims they expected refereeing controversy in their 2-0 defeat to Napoli. 'All of Italy saw what happened today' in the controversial Kevin De Bruyne goal.
The game was still 0-0 at Marassi when Johan Vasquez stood in front of De Bruyne to shield the loose ball, but the defender went down when nudged from behind, allowing the Belgian to fire in undisturbed from seven yards.
Referee Marco Di Bello had a good view of the incident, put the whistle to his lips, and then took it out again when he saw the move was leading to a goal.
It was evaluated by VAR, who decided not to recommend an On-Field Review, as it was not considered to be a clear and obvious error.
Soon after, De Bruyne set up Antonio Vergara to score the second goal, as Napoli ran out 2-0 winners over Genoa.
#goal #genoa #lopez #marassi
The game was still 0-0 at Marassi when Johan Vasquez stood in front of De Bruyne to shield the loose ball, but the defender went down when nudged from behind, allowing the Belgian to fire in undisturbed from seven yards.
Referee Marco Di Bello had a good view of the incident, put the whistle to his lips, and then took it out again when he saw the move was leading to a goal.
It was evaluated by VAR, who decided not to recommend an On-Field Review, as it was not considered to be a clear and obvious error.
Soon after, De Bruyne set up Antonio Vergara to score the second goal, as Napoli ran out 2-0 winners over Genoa.
#goal #genoa #lopez #marassi
3 months ago
Genoa v AC Milan, the final away game of the season. At Marassi, home to the Luigi Ferraris Stadium (named after a former Genoa player), the Rossoneri head into the end of their campaign aiming for a win against the Rossoblù. Recent encounters have proved favourable for us, with a record of six wins from the last seven trips to Genoa. One of the most memorable was on 7 October 2023, when the Rossoneri won thanks to a goal from Pulisic, before a dramatic finale that saw Olivier Giroud step in as goalkeeper.
In front of around 33,000 spectators, Pioli's Rossoneri went into action just days after a goalless away game in Dortmund against BVB. In the league, they had shown promising form, and they were on their way to a fourth straight win and a seventh victory from their first eight matches. There were several changes to the Rossoneri lineup, with the attacking trio Chukwueze, Jović, and Okafor starting. The match was close and hard-fought, with Gilardino's Genoa defending well and posing a serious attacking threat. The chances came in the final 30 minutes. Leão's header hit the crossbar, and Maignan produced a spectacular save to deny a deflected left-footed effort from Drăgușin. The final minutes turned into a frantic end to the match with everything still possible. In the 87th minute, Pulisic found a cross sent in by Musah and sent it to the back of the net to give the Rossoneri the lead. The goal was given after a VAR review by referee Piccinini.
In the 96th minute, Maignan came off his line and went into a challenge with Ekuban on the edge of the box. Following a VAR review, referee Piccinini showed our goalkeeper a straight red for a serious foul. With all substitutions already used up, Giroud went in goal. In the 102nd minute, after five minutes of stoppage time, the free kick was taken: Tomori deflected Guðmundsson's shot onto the crossbar. Then just a minute later, the Genoa goalkeeper, Josep Martinez, was also sent off for a second yellow after a foul on Musah inside the Rossoneri penalty area. In the 104th minute, Giroud stepped up with a heroic save, rushing out bravely to deny Pușcaș's attempt at goal. A dramatic finale in an unforgettable encounter.
Match Kits, clothing, accessories, gift ideas and much more: visit the AC Milan online Store!
#goal #giroud #minutes
In front of around 33,000 spectators, Pioli's Rossoneri went into action just days after a goalless away game in Dortmund against BVB. In the league, they had shown promising form, and they were on their way to a fourth straight win and a seventh victory from their first eight matches. There were several changes to the Rossoneri lineup, with the attacking trio Chukwueze, Jović, and Okafor starting. The match was close and hard-fought, with Gilardino's Genoa defending well and posing a serious attacking threat. The chances came in the final 30 minutes. Leão's header hit the crossbar, and Maignan produced a spectacular save to deny a deflected left-footed effort from Drăgușin. The final minutes turned into a frantic end to the match with everything still possible. In the 87th minute, Pulisic found a cross sent in by Musah and sent it to the back of the net to give the Rossoneri the lead. The goal was given after a VAR review by referee Piccinini.
In the 96th minute, Maignan came off his line and went into a challenge with Ekuban on the edge of the box. Following a VAR review, referee Piccinini showed our goalkeeper a straight red for a serious foul. With all substitutions already used up, Giroud went in goal. In the 102nd minute, after five minutes of stoppage time, the free kick was taken: Tomori deflected Guðmundsson's shot onto the crossbar. Then just a minute later, the Genoa goalkeeper, Josep Martinez, was also sent off for a second yellow after a foul on Musah inside the Rossoneri penalty area. In the 104th minute, Giroud stepped up with a heroic save, rushing out bravely to deny Pușcaș's attempt at goal. A dramatic finale in an unforgettable encounter.
Match Kits, clothing, accessories, gift ideas and much more: visit the AC Milan online Store!
#goal #giroud #minutes
