The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AS Roma

  • Roma sign Smalling on loan from Man. United

    AS Roma have signed England defender Chris Smalling on a season-long loan from Manchester United.

    The 29-year-old flew to the Italian capital  on Friday to undergo a medical and finalise the move.

    The Italian side will pay a  €3 million (£2.7m/$3.2m) loan fee for Smalling, who has been handed the No. 6 shirt by the Giallorossi.

    He will seemingly replace Kostas Manolas in the heart of the Roma defence after the Greek international joined Napoli earlier this summer.

    “This is the perfect opportunity for me,” Smalling told Roma’s website.

    “The chance to experience a new league, with a big team that has got big aspirations is exactly what I needed.

    “Hopefully I can hit the ground running. I’m looking forward to joining up with my teammates.”

    Speaking on Twitter, Smalling added: “Manchester – the club, the people, the city, has always held a special place in my heart but I still have as much desire to play regular first-team football as I did when I joined the club over nine years ago.

    Read Also: Man. United sign Maguire

    “AS Roma is a fantastic club, with a lot of history and I’m relishing the new challenge they have offered me.

    “I’m excited to experience a new league, experience the culture and get really stuck in to support Roma’s domestic and European ambitions.”

    Smalling has spent nearly a decade at United, making 323 appearances for the club since joining from Fulham in the summer of 2010.

    However, the arrival of Harry Maguire from Leicester for £80 million ($97m) earlier this month increased competition for places in the United defence, with Smalling yet to feature at all so far this season.

    With the likes of Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo also competing for a centre-back slot, Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes the move is the best way for Smalling to guarantee regular first-team football.

    “At the moment we’ve got six centre-backs,” the Norwegian told Man Utd’s website.

    “This is just something that popped up towards the end [of the European transfer window] in the last couple of days.

    “Chris fancied the chance to go over there; it’s a new experience, new adventure.

    “He’ll come back better for it because it’s a big club, it’s a good league. There aren’t too many English players who have been playing in Italy so I think he’ll enjoy it.”

    Smalling is the third player to leave United for Italy this summer after Romelu Lukaku joined Inter in a €80 million (£74m/$90m) deal while Alexis Sanchez joined the Nerazzurri on loan earlier this week.

    He is set to come up against his former team-mates for the first time on December 8 when Roma head to San Siro in Serie A.

    Goal.Com

  • Ranieri’s problems mount as Napoli whip Roma 4-1

    Napoli ripped AS Roma’s defence to shreds as they handed the hosts an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Sunday.

    The defeat piled on the problems for recently-appointed coach Claudio Ranieri.

    Roma began the game in fifth place with a chance to move within a point of fourth-placed AC Milan, who lost 1-0 at Sampdoria on Saturday.

    But, instead, they dropped to sixth after Atalanta won 3-1 at Parma to overtake them.

    Arkadiusz Milik put Napoli ahead after two minutes, cleverly controlling Simone Verdi’s chipped pass with his heel and then swiveling to fire past Robin Olsen.

    Having dominated the first half, with another Milik goal chalked off for offside, Napoli were pegged back in stoppage time when Patrik Schick was fouled by goalkeeper Alex Meret.

    Diego Perotti slotted home the penalty kick.

    Yet Roma were left reeling by two quick goals after the break as they slumped to a second defeat in Ranieri’s three games in charge.

    Jose Callejon’s low cross slipped under Olsen’s hand to leave Dries Mertens with a tap-in at the far post in the 50th minute.

    Then, Fabian Ruiz burst down the left and set up Verdi for the third five minutes later.

    Substitute Amin Younes added the fourth, scoring at the second attempt after Roma failed to clear a corner kick.

    Second-placed Napoli stayed 15 points behind runaway leaders Juventus, who beat Empoli 1-0 on Saturday.

    AC Milan, in the lowest of the UEFA Champions League slots, have 51 points, followed by Atalanta (48) and Roma (47).

    Ranieri returned for a second stint at the club to replace Eusebio Di Francesco.

    Di Francesco was fired after a 3-0 derby defeat to Lazio was followed by UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of FC Porto.

    “It’s difficult, but we are working hard and trying to do our best,” said Ranieri. “The others run faster and harder and get to the ball first. Do I regret taking the job? Never.”

    Atalanta fell behind to an early Gervinho goal at Parma.

    But Mario Pasalic levelled midway through the first half and two goals in the last 15 minutes from striker Duvan Zapata gave them the points.

    The Colombian took his season’s tally to 19, level with Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and two behind leading scorer Fabio Quagliarella of Sampdoria.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Klopp defends Salah, says Firmino fit to face Chelsea

    Liverpool Manager Juergen Klopp says he has no concern over Egypt striker Mohamed Salah’s form, ahead of Saturday’s match against Chelsea.

    Salah has not scored in his last three Liverpool outings and some observers have suggested he looks short of full fitness and sharpness.

    The former AS Roma forward has scored twice in five games — just one fewer than at this stage last season.

    “Wow, that’s a crisis,” joked Klopp who went on to outline his satisfaction with Salah’s contributions to what has been a 100 per cent start to the campaign for Liverpool.

    “On the defensive side the last two games he was outstanding, perfect, and it is so important in these games especially.

    Read Also: Klopp expects problems despite Liverpool’s perfect start

    “So that says everything about him: that he is really ready to work for the team in these moments. “It is a completely normal situation for an offensive player that they have times when they don’t score.

    “But he is still a threat, has fantastic situations in both games and he is in a good shape,” said Klopp.

    Salah suffered a shoulder injury in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid which hampered him during the World Cup and he is still wearing some strapping around the area.

    “The most important thing is physically he is in a very good shape, which helps,”said Klopp.

    “Salah is really ready to work for the team and it is a normal situation to have times where you don’t score,” added the German.

    “He is just taking his time this year, just like he did last season.”

    Firmino started as substitute due to an eye injury he picked up in last week’s win against Spurs at Wembley but that appears to have healed quickly.

    “Yes, he is ready… so far there is no reason to think about Bobby, it’s about thinking about how we can line up in general differently,” said the former Dortmund manager.

    Daniel Sturridge started against PSG in place of Firmino and scored the opening goal as part of an impressive return to the side.

    “It’s just positive the impact Daniel had (against PSG).

    “It was an intense game; it was a fantastic game from him, to be honest.

    “So that’s the best news and so now we know more about that,” said Klopp, who suggested the English forward could also play alongside Firmino in the future.

    “There are a lot of games to come and these two boys can play together as well — they did in the past, by the way, and they can do it again,” he said.

  • Russia 2018: AS Roma Declares Support for Super Eagles

    ITALY football club, AS Roma has said it will support the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup out of the 32 participating countries.                                          

    The Rome base football club made this known in a tweet on Thursday and wished the three time African champion “Good luck”.

    The Italian giant clubside threw its weight behind the Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr to excel with the array of Eagles stars invited by the German tactician to play for Nigeria at the Russia mundial.

    On its AS Roma English tweeter handle the club wrote;

    Thanks you- good luck to the squad at the @FIFAWorldCup in Russia. Italy won’t be there, so #ASRoma will be supporting our own players and the #SuperEagles ??

    To also express solidarity for the World-Cup bound Eagles the Italian club also reweeted the 30-man Super Eagles provisional list recently announced by Coach Gernot Rohr for the Russia mundial.

    The club’s logo was conspicuous on the side with the Super Eagles logo on the Eagles World Cup list shared by the Italian club. The Official of the club also shared a recently released FIFA Ranking which showed Nigeria on the 47th log of the ranking.

    The FIFA ranking post shared by the club has a full blown picture of Nigerian football supporters in their green and white traditional attire captured with warm smiles and jubilation as picture feature for the post.

    The AS Roma tweeter post has since gained hundreds of warmth reactions in appreciation from football enthusiasts and followers of the Super Eagles.

  • Man, 25 commit suicide over football betting

    A 25 year old man has reportedly committed suicide in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

    The deceased allegedly took his live by hanging himself on a ceiling fan in his apartment.

    He was said to have lost out in a betting over the outcome of a European Champion League match.

    The incident was said to have occurred in  Oko-Erin area of the town after the return leg match between FC Barcelona of Spain and AS Roma of Italy played in Italy.

    He was said to have bet that  Barcelona who were leading by 4-1 in the first leg played at Nou Camp, Spain would maintain lead at end of the return leg and b through to the semi-final of the championship.

    However, the match turned out to be 3-0 in favour of AS Roma making the aggregate result to be 4-4 with Roma qualifying for the semi-final at the expense of Barcelona by virtue of away goals rule.

    The result made the deceased to lose the motorcycle to his opponent in the bet as the opponent reportedly smiled home with the bike from the viewing centre at the night immediately after the match.

    The man was said to be downcast with the loss of the motorcycle as some said  he used it for commercial purposes and that it was his main source of livelihood while some others said it was someone else and not him the owner of the bike and that he only had it in his custody on behalf of the owner.

    It was learnt that not being able to recover from the trauma, the man resorted to committing suicide by hanging himself.

    An eyewitness  who said not many people was aware of the incident disclosed that the development devastated the deceased’s Igbo kinsmen in the area who lamented  the action of the man.

    Kwara  state police command spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed the suicide.

    He said it was not in connection with Match bettings.

    Okasanmi explained that report with him indicated that the man committed the suicide because of huge debt hanging on his neck saying “the man was said to have incurred debt here and there.”

  • Liverpool’s Salah targets Champions League over individual glory

    Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah says helping the team win the Champions League is more important than any individual award he could receive this season.

    The Egyptian reached the 40-goal mark across all competitions this season in Liverpool’s 3-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

    He is also leading the race for the European Golden Shoe after an impressive campaign.

    Liverpool beat Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate this month to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they will face AS Roma, and Salah hopes the run can continue.

    “To win the Champions League,” Salah said when asked if he preferred to win the competition or an individual award.

    Read Also: ‘Salah-less’ Liverpool fail to beat Everton

    “If you had a choice, then of course, the Champions League.

    “…To win the Champions League is huge for everyone. I don’t care about the rest.”

    The 25-year-old has scored 30 goals in 32 league appearances for Liverpool in his debut season at the club and is a favourite to win the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award.

    Liverpool plays West Bromwich Albion in the league on April 21 before the first leg of their Champions League tie, three days later.

    NAN

  • Sadiq Umar to join Bologna permanently

    Sadiq Umar to join Bologna permanently

    Dream Team VI star, Sadiq Umar, will join Bologna from fellow Italian Serie A side, AS Roma on a permanent basis next season.

    An official of the player’s academy, the Abuja Football College, said Roma will sell Umar permanently to Bologna with a clause that the capital club will buy him back at a discounted price in future.

    “Discussions over Sadiq’s future have commenced and it has now been decided that Roma will sell him permanently to Bologna. But Roma have the option of buying him back at a special price should the club want to resign him at some point in future,” the official told africanFootball.com.

    Umar scored two goals in six appearances for Roma last season.

    He also recorded four goals as Nigeria won bronze medal at the just concluded Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.