Inter CL hopes evaporate
Celta continues recovery
MILAN, April 4, (AP): Inter Milan’s hopes of sneaking into the Champions League all but evaporated Monday as it lost 2-1 at home to Sampdoria in Serie A.
Fabio Quagliarella’s late penalty left Inter sixth, nine points behind third-placed Napoli and the final qualifying position for Europe’s premier club competition.
There are eight matches remaining.
“We missed an opportunity,” Inter coach Stefano Pioli. “Unfortunately after Samp equalized we stopped played and thinking as a team. We should have stayed organized and compact, instead we panicked ... an error we paid for dearly.
“Now we just have to think about ensuring that at the end of the season our situation in the table is better than it is now.”
Inter could also miss out on Europe altogether as, although it occupies the last qualifying spot for the Europa League, it is just one point above AC Milan. The two Milan teams face off in the derby on April 15.
It was Sampdoria’s first victory over Inter at San Siro in more than 20 years.
“This year we have got great results,” said Sampdoria coach Marco Giampaolo, who confirmed he would sign a new contract on Wednesday. “So much so that one of my close friends told me I should find an excuse to leave, because certain achievements are difficult to repeat.
“Joking apart, this victory gives us a lot of prestige. I asked the lads to confirm they are growing, that they are reducing the gap to the big teams and they did that. They were really good.”
Inter took the lead in the 35th minute when a corner was played short for Antonio Candreva to cross into the area and Danilo D’Ambrosio’s volley was deflected into the bottom right corner.
Sampdoria hit the post twice in the first half and got a deserved
Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic goes for an acrobatic kick during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Sampdoria, at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, on April 3.
(AP)
equalizer five minutes after the break. Matias Silvestre’s header was going into the bottom left corner but Patrik Schick got the final touch.
Marcelo Brozovic had kept Schick onside and the Inter midfielder was at fault for Sampdoria’s winner five minutes from time when he handled Ricky Alvarez’s free kick.
Quagliarella powerfully struck the resulting penalty into the roof of the net.
Inter captain Mauro Icardi had wasted a golden opportunity in the 72nd, blasting over from close range against his former club.
Genoa forward Mauricio Pinilla has been banned for five matches for hitting a referee.
Pinilla was sent off during Genoa’s 5-0 Serie A loss to Atalanta for two quick bookings — the first for a tackle on visiting goalkeeper Etrit Berisha and the second for his protests.
The league’s disciplinary commission, which announced the sanction on Tuesday, says after being shown the first yellow card Pinilla “directed offensive expressions to the referee accompanied by a meaningful and clear gesture with his arm.”
It adds that after Pinilla was sent off he “approached the referee with a threatening and intimidating attitude ... hitting him with slaps on his arm and right hand and directing other threatening expressions to him.”
The 33-year-old Chile forward is on loan from Atalanta.
Meanwhile, Italian forward Giuseppe Rossi scored a hat trick to lead Celta Vigo to a comfortable 3-1 win over Las Palmas in the Spanish League on Monday.
Rossi, who was born and brought up in America, scored twice in the first half and once in the second to give Celta its first win in three home games at Balaidos Stadium. Las Palmas’ goal was scored by Pedro Bigas near the end.
With the hat trick, his first in the Spanish League, Rossi matched his total of goals for the rest of the season.
“More than anything, the three points were important to keep our dream alive of making it to the European competitions,” Rossi said. “We played a very good match.”
The result moved the hosts to 10th place with 41 points from 28 matches. Celta still has a game in hand against league leader Real Madrid.
It was the second consecutive victory for Celta after a string of four straight league games without a win.
Las Palmas, which hasn’t won an away game since the first round against Valencia, stayed 12th in the 20-team standings with 35 points from 29 matches.
Las Palmas complained of a goal disallowed for offside that could have tied the game at 1-1 in the first half. Celta scored its second goal a few moments later.
Celta visits Valencia in the next round, while Las Palmas plays at Eibar.
On Wednesday, Madrid is at relegation-wary Leganes and secondplace Barcelona hosts fourth-place Sevilla.