Brilliant Inter Milan remained on course for a hat-trick of Supercoppa Italiana crowns after swatting aside Lazio 3-0 in their semi-final in Riyadh.
The Serie A leaders will play reigning Italian champions Napoli, 3-0 winners over Fiorentina on Thursday, in Monday’s final after goals from Marcus Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi earned victory in an emphatically one-sided clash.
Inter came flying out of the blocks in the Saudi Arabian capital and, in a sign of things to come, fashioned three decent openings inside the first seven minutes for Thuram (two) and Nicolo Barella.
They failed to take advantage of those but did not have to wait much longer for the breakthrough, Thuram getting the goal he had been threatening in the 17th minute.
Alessandro Bastoni’s low cross to the front post was flicked between his legs by Federico Dimarco – perhaps attempting an audacious effort on goal himself – which ended up taking four Lazio defenders out of play and leaving the unmarked Thuram with a simple tap-in.
That was no more than Simone Inzaghi’s team deserved and they should really have been out of sight by half-time after peppering the Lazio goal with shots and crosses.
Matteo Darmian tested Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, who later spilled Lautaro Martinez’s deflected shot but reacted well to push the ball behind before Thuram could slot home his second of the night.
Inter came even closer in the 36th minute when, following a brilliant move down the left, Dimarco picked out Barella in the middle and the Italy midfielder smashed a volley against the top of the crossbar.
Darmian also blazed wide at the far post and Thuram saw a goalbound shot blocked as the one-way traffic continued but, incredibly, Lazio only trailed by one at half-time.
However, their good fortune was not to last, with Inter making it 2-0 from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half.
A VAR review convinced referee Matteo Marchetti that Pedro had clipped the back of Martinez’s legs and spot-kick expert Calhanoglu clinically drilled home the resulting penalty.
Martinez should have made it 3-0 soon after, thumping the underside of the bar from 10 yards out, and Serie A’s leading scorer drilled inches wide just before the hour as Lazio were ripped apart time and again.
The Roman outfit tried to find some way back into the game but Inter remained in complete control and Thuram saw another chance go begging before he and captain Martinez both made way in a double substitution in the 74th minute.
That temporarily afforded Lazio some much-needed respite but Maurizio Sarri’s men never threatened to turn things round and the Nerazzurri wrapped the game up in the 87th minute when substitute Frattesi finished off a counter-attack.
Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.
Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.
No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.
"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.
"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.
"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.
"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.
"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."
Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feels 'surreal', says Slegers
Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.
The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.
What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.
Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.
Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.
"It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.
"I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.
"I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.
"It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."
Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.
They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.
"It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.
"The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.
"I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."
Arsenal qualifying for Champions League quarter-finals feel surreal, says Slegers
Renee Slegers says it feels "surreal" that Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with two games to spare.
The Gunners will finish at least second in Group C after Lina Hurtig's late strike secured a 1-0 win over Juventus on Thursday.
What looked to be a frustrating encounter was turned around by Slegers' substitutions, and after missing a glorious chance, Hurtig was eventually the difference at the Emirates.
Arsenal created 3.69 expected goals (xG) from their nine shots, getting three on target, compared to just 0.5 for Juventus, who tested Daphne van Domselaar the same amount of times.
Slegers was impressed by her side's resilience as they pushed to come away with all three points.
"It's surreal to be honest," Slegers said post-match. "I never felt we would get into this situation. We have done really well.
"I was part of Jonas [Eidevall's] staff and there was so much that was built during his time. I don't want to separate that. There is so much we are still building on. It's surreal in so many ways but we are very happy.
"I'm just happy for the team to win. Obviously, we have amazing depth in the squad, and we know anyone can do it for us - whether it's starting players or finishing players.
"It's the visualisation of how much everyone contributes in the team. I think that's what it means for us."
Slegers took over as interim manager following Jonas Eidevall's departure last month and has gone unbeaten in her first seven games, winning six and drawing one.
They have won each of their last five in all competitions, and have not conceded a goal in their previous four matches.
"It was just a very impressive block of the team," Slegers said. "We conceded only one goal during this whole block, so defensively very solid.
"The players have been stepping up big time, they've been owning this; we tried to relay it back to them all the time, so giving them the ownership.
"I'm just very happy with how the block has been, different challenges along the way, so all games have asked something different from us. We've responded to that really well, sticking to our identity but also playing the game that's ahead of us."
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