Serie A

INTER MILAN have been forced into lockdown after a coronavirus outbreak at the club.Four players have tested positive for Covid-19 – keeper Samir Handanovic, defenders Danilo D’Ambrosio and Stefan de Vrij, and midfielder Matias Vecino.
Inter have been forced to suspend their Serie A match this SaturdayCredit: Getty
As a result, all first team activities have been suspended and they will not be able to play their match scheduled for Saturday against Sassuolo.
It has not yet been confirmed whether Serie A will formally postpone the game.
According to ESPN, all Inter players will also not be allowed to join up with their national teams during the international break.
D’Ambrosio and Handanovic received their positive coronavirus tests on Wednesday.
And that was shortly followed by De Vrij and Vecino also testing positive on Thursday.
First team activities are scheduled to resume on Monday, but all players will have to take a coronavirus test before they are able to do so.
This is the not the first time this season that Inter have suffered an outbreak.
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Back in October, former Manchester United defender Ashley Young was forced to self-isolate after testing positive.
And earlier this season when Napoli could not fulfill their fixture away against Juventus due to travel restrictions, Juve were initially awarded a victory by the league.
But a successful appeal from Napoli eventually led to the match being re-scheduled.
Inter currently sit top of Serie A, four points clear of local rivals AC Milan.
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ADRIANO ‘looked like an alien’ in his first Inter Milan training session, according to former team-mate Marco Materazzi.The Brazilian first arrived at San Siro to relatively little fanfare from Flamengo in 2001.
Adriano was a popular superstar at Inter MilanCredit: Getty
Marco Materazzi played alongside Adriano at InterCredit: PA:Press Association
But Materazzi has revealed that excitement quickly grew among his team-mates.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “He was a boy we didn’t know anything about, but he showed the strength and technique he had in the first training session.
“He looked like an alien.
“We were used to Ronaldo and Christian Vieri but he immediately impressed us.”
The ex-defender also recalled Adriano’s first proper outing in an Inter shirt.
He continued: “We saw him the day before the match when he tried free-kicks.
“Against Real Madrid there was Luigi Di Biagio, Clarence Seedorf and myself over the ball.
“Hector Cuper wanted Adriano to take it though, and he fired in a missile. Di Biagio and I could not believe our eyes.
Adriano bagged 74 goals for InterCredit: AP:Associated Press
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“He ran to the bench while we stopped because we did not think he could hit the ball that hard. There was the moment that the star of Adriano was born.”
Adriano scored a dramatic 90th minute winner against Venezia on just his second Serie A appearance, but would take a roundabout route to stardom in Milan.
After a loan spell at Fiorentina, the forward spent 18 months at Parma, before eventually returning to Inter in January 2004.
He went on to win four Serie A titles and two Coppa Italias, scoring 74 goals for the club before returning to Flamengo in 2009.
Following brief spells with AS Roma, Corinthians, Atletico Paranaense and Miami United, Adriano hung up his boots in 2016.
He’d struggled to find his best form following the tragic passing of his father, with his application in football waning and form declining.
Now 39, the popular ex-forward recently sold his £1.2million mansion and moved into a luxury £10,000-a-month hotel room – only bringing his trophies with him.
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CRISTIANO RONALDO is mourning the death of an uncle.The Juventus superstar’s sisters Katia and Elma Aveiro both paid tribute to their late family member in emotional statements on Instagram.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sisters have revealed the family is mourning the death of an uncleCredit: Instagram @katiaaveirooficial
The unnamed uncle has been described as a brother of Cristiano’s mum Dolores (right)

Katia, who lives in Brazil, wrote: “I didn’t expect news like this. Today my heart is in mourning and now just memories are left.
“Rest in peace my dear uncle. I will remember our good moments together.
“I thought I was going to see you again, to laugh with you, to give you a hug again.”
The unnamed uncle has been described as a brother of Cristiano’s mum Dolores Aveiro – who suffered her own health scare last year.
The 66-year-old was rushed to hospital on March 3, 2020, in her native island of Madeira after suffering an ischemic stroke.
CR7’s mum Dolores has since posted a photo of her brother.
The message alongside it said: “My brother. God wanted you to depart. To be with our parents. Another star looking over us. Rest in peace.”
Meanwhile, the Juventus forward’s dad Dinis Aveiro died from liver failure in 2005.
Cristiano has yet to make any comment.
Elma wrote alongside a black rose on her Instagram: “It’s always sad to receive this news.

“I know we all have to depart some time, some soon than others.
“Rest in peace uncle.”
It is not yet clear how old their uncle was and what he died from.
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CRISTIANO RONALDO somehow avoided a red card after kicking the opposition goalkeeper in the neck.
And to make matters worse for Cagliari, the Juventus forward went on to score a hat-trick and secure a 3-1 win on Sunday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo escaped without a red card despite this horror challenge on Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio CragnoCredit: AFP or licensors

With Juve leading 1-0 thanks to his bullet header, the game could have changed in the 14th minute when Ronaldo went flying in for a tackle.
Goalkeeper Alessio Cragno bravely palmed the high ball away under pressure.
But Ronaldo dangerously left his right boot incredibly high and clattered into the face and neck of Cragno.
The stopper stayed down injured and suffered a nasty gash on his chin which required treatment.

Ronaldo deserved a red card.
Ex-referee Luca Marelli

Referee Gianpaolo Calvarese showed a yellow card to the 35-year-old five-time Ballon d’Or winner but for some reason did not watch a replay on the VAR monitor as Ronaldo got a lucky escape.
This was a clear example of serious foul play where a player endangers the safety of an opponent – as per Rule 12.3 of the Ifab Laws of the Game.
The ruling says: “Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.”
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Cagliari president Tommaso Giulini was furious Ronaldo did not see red.
He told Sky Sport Italia: “I am above all upset that Ronaldo was not sent off, as that incident could’ve changed the game.
“It was dangerous play, it put the safety of our goalkeeper at risk and therefore ought to be punished with a red card. This is what the rulebook states.”
Plenty of fans also vented their anger at the inexplicable decision not to send Ronaldo off.
One fumed: “Juve mafia. Ronaldo starts his wwe career with a yellow for this. CLEAR RED FOR RONALDO.
“He should’ve gotten this red in the 14th minute so it would’ve changed the game massively.”
Another fumed: “This is a red card 10/10 times unless you have ‘Ronaldo’ written on the back of your shirt.”
Former referee Luca Marelli agreed and said: “Ronaldo deserved a red card, although not intentional, it’s a serious foul that deserved a red card, too bad VAR didn’t intervene.”
However, another ex-whistler, Paolo Casarin, stuck by Calvarese’s call with his own personal interpretation of the rules – which seemed to suggest he was taking intent into consideration.

He should have been shown a red card !! Karate kid on the goalkeeper ! But hey it’s Juventus ! Thieves !!
— Maxus 😎 (@SzymonJG) March 15, 2021

How did Ronaldo not get a red card that’s 100% straight red card
— Ali 米国カリフォルニア州のSANADAスタン (@MaskOfSANADA) March 14, 2021

100% red card if it’s anyone else in the field!!!!!!!
— I_Smell_A_Rat (@ISmellARat4) March 14, 2021

He told Corriere dello Sport: “I was surprised by Cristiano Ronaldo’s entry on Cragno and I went to carefully read the rules to see what they say.
“The contact was absolutely not [worthy of a] red, since there was no vigour and nastiness.”
Ronaldo put the incident behind him to race clear and win a penalty on 25 minutes, with Cragno the man to bring the Portuguese down.
He blasted his penalty in before completing his hat-trick with a left-footed strike just after the half-hour mark.
The Juventus star – who came in for heavy criticism following their Champions League exit to Porto last week – touched the top of his neck in celebration.
It is thought he was pointing to his ear to silence the haters but others interpreted it as him suggesting he only caught Cragno in the neck.
The win for Andrea Pirlo’s side moved them on to 55 points, ten behind Serie A leaders Inter.

Ronaldo opened the scoring with a bullet header and completed his hat-trick inside 32 minutesCredit: Getty

Ronaldo and Cragno clashed again as the goalkeeper brought the Juve forward down for a penaltyCredit: AP:Associated Press

Yes it’s there on the neck that Cristiano has hit Cragno
— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) March 14, 2021

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