25/04/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | APR 25, 2026

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I NTER MILAN’S Serie A title march has gathered pace in recent weeks and, with a 12-point cushion and five matchdays remaining, the Scudetto could be sealed as early as this weekend should their rivals continue to drop points. Inter are away to Torino on Monday (12.01am), where they must better the results of both Napoli and AC Milan over the weekend to clinch the title. Napoli play over relegation battling Cremonese overnight. A would only serve to delay the inevitable and the defending champions’ recent form does little to instil confidence. Antonio Conte’s Napoli lost at home to Lazio last weekend and drew at Parma in the previous round, allow ing Milan to move back into second place with the sides level on 66 points. Not that Milan have been setting Serie A alight. After their loss to Napoli, Milan fell to a 3-0 home loss to Udinese before edging Hellas Verona 1-0 last weekend. If Napoli slip up against Cremonese

Scudetto in sight Inter need results to go their way to crown dominant season

WITH teenage star Lamine Yamal out injured for the rest of the sea son Barcelona visit Getafe today (10.15pm Malaysian time) in La Liga looking for ways to cope without him and protect a nine point lead on Real Madrid in the Spanish title race. Hansi Flick’s side have a siz able advantage on their arch rivals but with wingers Yamal and Raphinha hurt, Los Blancos believe they can turn the heat up on the Catalans. Barca host Madrid on May 10 in a La Liga Clasico which is a big opportunity for Alvaro Arbeloa’s team to make a late surge to claim the trophy. Flick’s team will want to arrive on that day still maintaining their lead on Madrid as insurance against a possible defeat, some thing they can guarantee as a minimum with wins at Getafe and Osasuna in their next two games. However, the stricken Yamal has been a decisive figure for his team this season, with 24 goals and 18 assists across all competi tions in 45 matches. The Spain international, who hopes to return from his ham string injury sustained against Celta Vigo on Wednesday to play at the World Cup this summer, has nine goals in his last 12 league games. After a mixed start to the sea son, in which he was troubled by a groin injury, Yamal hit his stride over the past few months. “As a coach you have to man age it, you have to live with it. It’s a pity that Lamine is injured now,” said Flick. Brazil international Raphinha, a key figure on Barca’s left flank, is set to miss the visit to face Getafe, but might return for the trip to Osasuna on May 2. The onus is on figures who have fallen out of favour under Flick to get Barcelona over the line in the title race. Sweden winger Roony Bardghji has barely featured this season with Yamal the clear first choice on the right flank. The Spaniard has shown his dismay at being substituted and Flick tends to give the 18-year-old as many minutes as possible, lim iting Bardghji’s chances. On the other flank, Flick seems less keen on utilising on loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford than he was in the first half of the season, but that could change again. Flick said the Celta game exposed areas where the defend ing champions can improve dur ing the final weeks of the season and showed them the path to fol low. “I think we can play much bet ter, we have to play much better,” said the German coach. “We have to play with a little more confidence, a little bit clev erer. “This is what I’m missing today about this situation, but at the end, three points and we fought, as a team, and this is for me very important.” – AFP Barca brace without Yamal

fixtures. Torino were held to a score less draw at Cremonese last weekend, and the promoted side will travel to Naples in battle-mode as they fight to avoid a swift return to Serie B. Cremonese sit one place above the drop zone but are level on points with Lecce, who occupy the first relegation spot and the visitors will hope to find a similar Napoli to the one that lost 2-0 to Lazio without registering a single shot on target. In-form Juventus arrive at the San Siro looking to not only strengthen their grip on fourth place, which guar antees Champions League football, but a seven-game unbeaten run has them just three points off both Milan and Napoli. – Reuters

the third domestic double in the club’s history. Inter thumped Torino 5-0 on the opening day, but should face a stiffer task nine months on. Torino’s disappointing season saw them flirt with relegation and led to the sacking of Marco Baroni in February, but they are unbeaten in their last three games under Roberto D’Aversa, climbing to mid-table safety. Free-scoring Inter should, however, prove too much for a Torino side that has conceded 54 goals this season, with only Pisa and Verona, the bottom two clubs, having worse defensive records. Inter have netted 78 league goals, 30 more than Milan and Napoli, with 12 of those coming in their last three

overnight, and Inter take care of busi ness at Torino, the leaders would then need to wait for Monday’s game (12.01am) between Milan and Juventus to see whether their title is confirmed. Cristian Chivu’s Inter kept their double bid on track on Wednesday, coming from 2-0 down to beat Como 3-2 and reach the Italian Cup final, and the manager’s first season in charge is paying dividends after last year’s tro phyless campaign. Chivu was part of Inter’s treble winning squad under Jose Mourinho in 2010, and while this season’s Champions League ended in disap pointment for the new boss, he is on course to deliver what would be just

Last-gasp Tomas stunner sends Stuttgart through TIAGO TOMA S ’ stunning 119th-minute back-heel sent Stuttgart to a German Cup final meeting with Bayern Munich after a 2-1 extra-time home win over Freiburg yes terday. Maximilian Eggestein’s first-half opener had Freiburg on track for a second German Cup final but Deniz Undav lev elled things up with 20 minutes remaining. Moments away from a penalty shootout, Tomas lept high and glanced a clever back-heel into the left-hand cor ner to keep Stuttgart’s German Cup title defence on track. Stuttgart, who opened the German football season with a home Supercup clash against freshly-minted Bundesliga champions Bayern, will now face the Bavarians once again in the final match of the domestic campaign. “I’m done. It was a whole body fight,” Undav said to Sky Germany, before praising Tomas.“119th minute, pure drama – that’s the best kind of goal you can score as a striker. That was world class.” Freiburg took the lead with 28 minutes gone when Eggestein got a boot to a Matthias Ginter header and edged it past Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel. Stuttgart had the ball in the net just after the hour mark when Angelo Stiller cut a shot across the face of goal and into the corner but creator Demirovic was offside. The hosts eventually broke through with 20 minutes remaining when Undav finished off a length-of-the-field counter to level up the scores. Freiburg had cause to complain early in extra time when Lucas Hoeler’s goal did not count because the referee blew the whistle for a soft foul moments before scoring, meaning it could not be reviewed by VAR. “It was never a foul. We won, we’re satisfied. If I were the striker, I would be annoyed. Good luck for us, tough for Freiburg,” Undav said. The match looked headed for penalties but Tomas’ incredible display of skill in the final minute booked Stuttgart’s spot in the Berlin showpiece on May 23. – AFP

Stuttgart’s Tiago Tomas (2nd from right) scores the winning goal during the German Cup semifinal against Freiburg in Stuttgart yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

US clears Iran, bars IRGC-linked figures

Yellow Submarine strengthen grip on third spot

VILLA RR EAL moved closer to securing third place in La Liga with a 1-1 draw at Real Oviedo yesterday, while another defeat left Sevilla teetering on the brink of the relegation zone. Nicolas Pepe’s first half penalty looked to have been enough to send Villarreal seven points clear of Atletico Madrid, but Ilyas Chaira’s strike midway through the second period ensured the spoils were shared. Despite the result, Villarreal moved to 62 points and boast a five-point cushion over fourth-placed Atletico, who are on a four-match losing streak in the league. Real Oviedo, who were looking to make it three wins from three, remain bottom of La Liga, six points away from safety. Earlier, seven-time Europa League and UefA Cup winners Sevilla sank fur

U S S EC R ETA R Y of State Marco Rubio said yesterday Washington had no objections to Iranian play ers participating in the 2026 Fifa World Cup but he added the players will not be allowed to bring with them people with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “Nothing from the US has told them they can’t come,” Rubio told reporters. President Donald Trump also said his administra tion “would not want to affect the athletes” in comments he made at the White House. The World Cup is set to begin on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Paolo Zampolli, a Trump envoy who has no official con

ther into the relegation battle as they went down 2-0 at Levante. Ivan Romero netted in the 38th min ute to put the 19th-placed hosts in front, before adding a second late on to secure all three points for Levante. Sevilla languish in 17th place, one point above Alaves in the final relegation spot. Victory for Levante gave them hope of escaping the drop zone as they climbed to 32 points – two behind the Andalusians and safety. Rayo Vallecano put some distance between themselves and the relegation dogfight courtesy of a 1-0 win at home to Espanyol. Sergio Camello’s 87th-minute winner took Rayo to 38 points and 11th place, one spot ahead of the Catalans on goal difference. – AFP

nection with the World Cup, had earlier suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the tourna ment. “The problem with Iran would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC. We may not be able to let them in but not the athletes themselves,” Rubio said. Currently there is no sugges tion Iran will withdraw or be banned from the tournament that Italy missed out on. After the start of the Iran war, Iran requested that Fifa move the team’s three group matches from the US to Mexico, which was rejected. – Reuters