Tammy Abraham scored his first Serie A goal since September as he waits to discover if he will travel to the World Cup with England – but he could not help Roma to a win over Sassuolo as the sides played out a 1-1 draw at Mapei Stadium.
Abraham – who will be eagerly awaiting Gareth Southgate’s announcement of his 26-strong squad on Thursday at 2pm – thought he had sealed three points for Jose Mourinho’s team when he leaped amid three defenders to head in a cross from Gianluca Mancini in the 80th minute.
However, Andrea Pinamonti equalised for Sassuolo with a swift counter-attack five minutes later.
After the match, Mourinho took aim at an unnamed player, saying: “It disappoints me because the effort the squad made was betrayed by one player because of an unprofessional attitude. He betrayed the effort everyone else made.
“I have already told him in the changing room, something I don’t often do because normally after games I don’t speak in the changing room. I had 16 players out there tonight and I was happy with the attitude of 15 of them.
Dzeko at the double as Inter thrash Bologna
Image: Federico Dimarco celebrates the first of his two goals for Inter Milan
Inter Milan came from a goal down to ease to a crushing 6-1 home win over Bologna, despite the visitors taking the lead in bizarre fashion when Riccardo Orsolini bounced a shot off the back of team-mate Charalampos Lykogiannis and into the net.
The visitors’ joy was short-lived, however, as Edin Dzeko, Federico Dimarco and Lautaro Martinez struck to give Inter a 3-1 lead at half-time.
Dimarco and Dzeko scored their second goals of the game – either side of a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty – in the second half as Inter cruised to victory.
Meanwhile, Atalanta slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Lecce to record their second consecutive defeat.
Lecce had not won at home all season while Atalanta had not lost away, but Federico Baschirotto and Federico Di Francesco scored two minutes apart to flip the script for the hosts.
Duvan Zapata pulled one back for Atalanta before half time but the visitors were unable to get back on level terms.
The result leaves Atalanta fifth, one place behind Inter and one above Roma.
Slumping Atletico lose again
Image: Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid have just one win in their last seven games
Atletico Madrid slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Mallorca to continue their poor form, with Diego Simeone’s side now having won only one of their last seven games in all competitions.
Vedat Muriqi scored Mallorca’s winner after Antonio Sanchez fired a long-range shot that Jan Oblak palmed to Jaume Costa, who set up the Kosovo striker to tap into an empty net.
Atletico, who were eliminated from European competition last week, fell from third to sixth in La Liga and are now 13 adrift of leaders Barcelona.
Real Sociedad were one of the sides to move above Atletico as they won 2-1 at Sevilla, who are 17th.
Alexander Sorloth and Brais Mendez scored for the visitors either side of Ivan Rakitic and Tanguy Nianzou red cards as Sevilla were reduced to nine men before half-time.
Jorge Sampaoli’s side rallied impressively to reduce the deficit through Rafa Mir just before half-time but were unable to salvage what would have been a remarkable point.
Elsewhere, Villarreal won their first match since Unai Emery departed for Aston Villa by claiming a 1-0 victory at Espanyol.
Quique Setien’s first victory as Villarreal boss – and the team’s first win in five matches – came courtesy of Benjamin Lecomte’s own goal and moved them into eighth in the La Liga table.
Manchester United will face Barcelona in their Europa League play-off in February, while Jose Mourinho’s Roma will take on RB Salzburg.
Xavi’s side dropped into the competition after finishing third in their Champions League group, while Man Utd lost out on top spot to Real Sociedad.
Reacting to the draw, Barcelona manager Xavi said: “We will have to compete, going to Manchester against a really top rival and a historic side which has grown a lot with the arrival of (Erik) Ten Hag.
“[They have] great individual players and it is the toughest rival once again in the Europa League.
“We will have time to analyse it, they are a strong team in both defence and attack, not just for Cristiano Ronaldo, but other players [too]. Manchester United are a historic club and they also need to win. Two big teams and it’s going to be a massive task.”
The two sides have faced each other 13 times in European competition, although Man Utd have only won three of these meetings. The last came in April 2008 with Man Utd winning 1-0 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals.
After a goalless draw at the Nou Camp, Paul Scholes’ 14th-minute winner at Old Trafford knocked Barcelona out. Man Utd would go on to win the competition that year, beating Chelsea on penalties in the final.
But Barcelona have won each of the last four meetings, including two Champions League finals. They were 2-0 winners at the Stadio Olimpico in May 2009 and beat Man Utd 3-1 at Wembley two years later.
Their last European match-up was in the 2018/19 quarter-finals with Barcelona winning 4-0 on aggregate.
It is also a chance for Cristiano Ronaldo to face off against his former El Clasico rival. The ex-Real Madrid player has scored 20 goals in 34 career appearances against Barcelona, although has never managed to do so for Man Utd.
Man United’s busy February schedule
February 11/12: Leeds vs Man Utd
February 16: Barcelona vs Man Utd
February 19/20: Man Utd vs Leicester
February 23: Man Utd vs Barcelona
February 26/27: Man Utd vs Brentford
The Europa League play-off comes in the middle of a busy February for Man Utd, who also face Leeds, Leicester and Brentford in the Premier League.
Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho’s Roma will face RB Salzburg with the possibility of being drawn against his former Man Utd side if both teams qualify for the last 16.
Fellow Serie A side Juventus will take on Nantes, Sevilla – six-time winners of the Europa League – will face PSV Eindhoven and Ten Hag’s former team Ajax will take on Bundesliga side Union Berlin.
Europa League play-off fixtures in full
Barcelona vs Man Utd
Juventus vs Nantes
Sporting Lisbon vs FC Midtjylland
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Rennes
Ajax vs Union Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco
Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven
RB Salzburg vs Roma
‘This is not Barcelona of old’
Stephen Warnock on Sky Sports News:
“It’s what we want to see as neutrals. You want to see the best teams going up against each other. They are great spectacles.
“Man Utd will fancy their chances. This isn’t a Barcelona of old.
“They are still struggling and haven’t got the quality and personnel that you would think would challenge for the top honours.”
‘Lewandowski a big challenge for Man Utd’
Image: Robert Lewandowski will pose an issue for Man Utd, says Sue Smith
Sue Smith on Sky Sports News:
“Robert Lewandowski will certainly fancy his chances against Man Utd’s defence.
“It’s a big challenge for Man Utd and a big challenge for their defenders coming up against a player in Lewandowski who we know is absolutely brilliant in front of goal.”
When will the games be played?
The first legs of the last play-off round will be played on February 16, 2023, before the return legs a week later.
When will Arsenal learn last-16 opponents?
Arsenal’s automatic progression to the last 16 of this season’s Europa League means they will have to wait for the conclusion of the play-off round before learning who they will face next in the competition.
The draw for the last 16 of the Europa League will take place on February 24, 2023, a day after the play-off second legs, with the last-16 ties held on March 9 and March 16 respectively.
Europa League key dates
Play-off ties: February 16 and February 23
Last-16 draw: February 24
Last-16 ties: March 9 and March 16
Quarter-final and semi-final draw: March 17
Quarter-final ties: April 13 and April 20
Semi-final ties: May 11 and May 18
Final: May 31 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary
Europa Conference League – Lazio face Cluj as Fiorentina take on Braga
In the Europa Conference League play-off draw, Lazio were drawn against Cluj while fellow Serie A side Fiorentina will face Braga.
Anderlecht – formerly managed by Burnley boss Vincent Kompany – will face Ludogorets while Basel take on Trabzonspor for a place in the last-16.
The Premier League’s only representative – West Ham – won their group and are automatically into the round of 16 draw, which will take place in February.
Europa Conference League play-off fixtures in full
Qarabag vs Gent
Trabzonspor vs Basel
Lazio vs Cluj
Bodo/Glimt vs Lech Poznan
Braga vs Fiorentina
AEK Larnaca vs Dnipro-1
Sheriff Tiraspol vs FK Partizan
Ludogorets vs Anderlecht
When will the games be played?
The first legs of the last play-off round will be played on February 16, 2023, before the return legs a week later.
When will West Ham learn last-16 opponents?
Image: West Ham went straight into the Europa Conference League last 16 as group winners
West Ham’s automatic progression to the last 16 of this season’s Europa Conference League means they will have to wait for the conclusion of the play-off round before learning who they will face next in the competition.
The draw for the last 16 of the Europa Conference League will take place on February 24, 2023, a day after the play-off second legs, with the last-16 ties held on March 9 and March 16 respectively.
Europa Conference League key dates
Play-off ties: February 16 and February 23
Last-16 draw: February 24
Last-16 ties: March 9 and March 16
Quarter-final and semi-final draw: March 17
Quarter-final ties: April 13 and April 20
Semi-final ties: May 11 and May 18
Final: June 7 at the Eden Arena in Prague, Czech Republic
A clinical Real Madrid extended their perfect start to the La Liga season when they beat city rivals Atletico 2-1 at the Metropolitano on Sunday.
Despite being second best for large periods of the first half, Carlo Ancelotti’s side were ruthless in front of goal as strikes from Rodrygo and Federico Valverde put them in a commanding position.
Mario Hermoso pulled a goal back for the hosts late on but they were unable to find an equaliser, with the defender sent off in injury time.
Image: Mario Hermoso pulled one back for Atletico…
Image: …before being sent off late on
Diego Simeone’s side started brightly and went close through defender Felipe and Yannick Carrasco but found themselves behind when Rodrygo emphatically finished the visitors’ first attempt on target on 18 minutes.
They doubled their lead with their next effort on goal when Valverde fired in from close range after Vinicius’s shot had rebounded off the post.
Atletico set up a grandstand finish through substitute Hermoso’s header seven minutes from time, before being sent off for a second bookable offence in injury time and Real held on to take the points.
Victory means Real return to the top of the LaLiga table on 18 points from six games, two ahead of Barcelona in second. Atleti are seventh, eight points behind their neighbours.
Juventus, Inter beaten | Mourinho sent off in Roma defeat
Image: Christian Gytkjaer celebrates after scoring Monza’s winner against Juventus
Monza earned a surprising but deserved 1-0 home win over Juventus – their first Serie A victory of the season – as the visitors struggled after being reduced to 10 men.
Angel Di Maria’s return from injury was cut short after being sent off five minutes before the break after placing his elbow in Armando Izzo’s chest.
Juventus had half-chances in the first half but newly-promoted Monza smelled blood in the second half and pressured the opposition defence to make mistakes, while Massimiliano Allegri’s side tried to look for possibilities of a counter-attack.
Substitute Christian Gytkjaer became the hero when he slid in the winner from Patrick Ciurria’s cross in the 74th minute.
Roma coach Jose Mourinho will miss the match against his former club Inter after being sent off in a 1-0 defeat to Atalanta.
Mourinho was shown a red card in the 57th minute after going onto the field to remonstrate with referee Daniele Chiffi, who had awarded a free-kick to Atalanta rather than what Mourinho thought should have been a penalty for his side.
Mourinho became even more infuriated and had to be held back by a member of his staff.
Teenage defender Giorgio Scalvini scored the only goal of the match at the Stadio Olimpico, firing into the bottom right corner in the 35th minute.
Image: Roma’s head coach Jose Mourinho argues with the referee and was sent off in their defeat to Atalanta
Udinese continued their strong start to the season as they recorded their fifth straight win, beating Inter Milan 3-1.
Nicolo Barella curled in a fantastic free-kick in the fifth minute to get Inter off to the perfect start but Udinese leveled when Roberto Pereyra’s free-kick went in off Milan Skriniar.
Udinese hit the post before Jaka Bijol headed in a corner with three minutes remaining and Tolgay Arslan made sure of the points in stoppage time with a diving header.
A brilliant header by Napoli striker Giovanni Simeone helped his side to seal a 2-1 win at AC Milan and return to the top of the Serie A table.
Simeone headed home in the 78th minute almost from the edge of the six-yard box following a superb Mario Rui cross.
Winger Matteo Politano had scored a penalty in the 55th minute following a foul by Sergino Dest on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Olivier Giroud fired in an equaliser in the 69th minute from Theo Hernandez’s cross.
Messi on target as PSG edge Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain opened a two-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 after Lionel Messi’s early goal earned the French champions a 1-0 win at Lyon.
Messi scored his fourth league goal of the season in the fifth minute to put Christophe Galtier’s side on 22 points from eight games.
Lyon, who have now lost their last three matches, are sixth on 13 points.
Union Berlin return to top of Bundesliga
Jordan Pefok and Sheraldo Becker scored again on Sunday to fire Union Berlin back to the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg.
Becker set up Pefok to open the scoring in the 55th minute, then the Suriname forward raced clear to seal the win later on, giving Union a two-point lead over Borussia Dortmund after seven games.
Tottenham ended their preparations for the new Premier League season with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Roma as Jose Mourinho tasted victory against his former club in Israel.
Paulo Dybala was handed his debut for the Serie A club after completing his free transfer from Juventus earlier this week, and it was the Argentine’s corner that was headed in by Roger Ibanez in the 29th minute at the Haifa International Stadium.
In sweltering conditions, the players were afforded drinks breaks in either half, and while Spurs emerged unscathed from a typically fiery encounter involving Antonio Conte’s side, Mourinho would inflict a first defeat of pre-season on his former employers.
Image: Roma’s Paulo Dybala made his debut in Israel
Subs: Matic (6), Celik (6), Spinazzola (6), El Shaarawy (n/a).
Man of the match: Ivan Perisic.
Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma were handed their first starts for Spurs since their summer moves, with the former looking bright and going close on three occasions to scoring from distance, while Harry Kane missed a late headed chance from Ryan Sessegnon’s centre to equalise.
Roma had been the stronger side in the first half, and Dybala might have capped his debut with a goal inside the opening 60 seconds when he swept Nicolo Zaniolo’s cutback goalwards only to be denied by an instinctive double save from Hugo Lloris.
Image: Jose Mourinho confers with his Roma team
Kane would also be denied in the opening 45 minutes by an offside call after finding the bottom corner following good link-up play with Dejan Kulusevski, but chances were at a premium during a heavily-interrupted second half involving multiple substitutions.
Kane felt he ought to have earned a penalty when he latched onto Lucas Moura’s pass and appeared to be dragged to the ground inside the box by Ibanez, but the referee awarded a free-kick to Roma for a flailing arm.
Image: A fan takes a selfie with Tottenham’s Harry Kane
Despite failing to register a shot on target, Conte will be encouraged by the performances of his new signings with Clement Lenglet and Richarlison showing moments of promise after the restart, with a brilliant moment of invention from the Brazilian late on nearly leading to a shooting opportunity.
Conte, like Mourinho, is a serial winner, so finishing pre-season on a losing note will frustrate him with the majority of those starting against Roma likely to do the same next weekend.
Image: Roma’s Roger Ibanez scores the opening goal
Analysis: Perisic the stand-out for Spurs
Image: Tottenham and AS Roma players scuffle
Sky Sports football journalist Ben Grounds:
“A sweet moment for Jose Mourinho then, who loves winning no matter what is on offer, especially against a former club. The Portuguese spent 17 months at Tottenham, but he failed to deliver the silverware so sought after by Daniel Levy.
“Roma are reinventing themselves under his watch, and in Paulo Dybala they have the jewel who can be the difference maker. The Roma fans who greeted him in their thousands this week acknowledge as much, and it was his corner which ultimately led to the decisive moment in this friendly.
Image: Nicola Zalewski and Dejan Kulusevski fight for the ball
“Dybala really ought to have capped his debut with a goal inside the opening minute, twice denied by Lloris from close range in the same phase of play but as he departed on 60 minutes, he could reflect on a good night’s work.
“For Conte, he faces a selection headache this week ahead of the Premier League opener with Southampton. Who partners Eric Dier and Cristian Romero in defence?
“What combination does he opt for in midfield? Who are his starting wing-backs? Ryan Sessegnon did very little wrong when he was introduced, but Ivan Perisic showed his class on his first start.
“On this evidence, I would be surprised if he is not in the XI against the Saints.”
What’s next?
Tottenham begin their Premier League campaign next Saturday at home to Southampton (kick-off 3pm), while Roma complete their pre-season programme with a friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk on the same day.
Roma became the first winners of the Europa Conference League after beating Feyenoord 1-0 and ensuring Jose Mourinho remains unbeaten in major European finals.
Mourinho had his fingerprints all over the Roma performance as his side defended heroically for large parts and got their winning goal with their first shot on goal when Nicolo Zaniolo skilfully prodded home after 32 minutes.
Roma, whose only previous continental title was the old Fairs Cup in 1961, held off a spirited comeback from their Dutch opponents, who were twice denied by the woodwork in the second half. They ensured that Mourinho became the first manager to win a European trophy with four different clubs and took his overall tally to five major European trophies.
The Dutch side, who last won the UEFA Cup in 2002, dominated the early possession but failed to create any meaningful chances and were punished when Zaniolo chested down a cross from Roger Ibanez and put his side in front.
Feyenoord ended the half with their first real chances from Orkun Kokcu and Cyriel Dessers but it was routine work for former Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio.
Feyenoord maintained their momentum at the start of the second half and almost levelled when Roma defender Gianluca Mancini deflected a short corner onto his own post before Rui Patricio saved well.
Image: Jose Mourinho maintained his 100 per cent record in major European finals
Patricio also did well to tip a drive from Lutsharel Geertruida onto the post before a potentially pivotal moment after 54 minutes, when Tammy Abraham appeared to be fouled by last man Marcos Senesi as he looked to burst clear, only for the referee to take no action.
The impressive Smalling blocked a drive from Kokcu on the edge of the box then was in the right place again to stop a drive from Dessers as the minutes ticked by.
Image: Roma’s Tammy Abraham, left, challenges for the ball with Feyenoord’s Marcos Senesi
Lorenzo Pellegrini almost made it two for Roma before Feyenoord spurned a golden opportunity to level in injury time when Bryan Linssen missed a sitter from close range.
As the whistle blew in Tirana, Mourinho celebrated by raising five fingers to the sky in homage to his European conquests.
Man of the match: Chris Smalling
Look away now Manchester United fans. It just shows you what can be achieved when players are removed from the pressure cooker at Old Trafford which has an unfortunate ability to suffocate a player of late.
Image: Roma players celebrate their Europa Conference League triumph
Of course, Smalling left Manchester permanently in 2020 so perhaps that is a little dramatic, but this performance from Smalling was more than good enough to be a starter in the Manchester United back four of this season. Smalling played like someone completely at home and happy with his football in Italy where he has relished the lifestyle. Cyriel Dessers – Feyenoord’s jewel in their crowd – hardly had a kick up against the 32-year-old who made three fantastic blocks in the second half when Roma were asked to defend their box at regular intervals.
He told BT Sport: “We knew how much it was going to mean for everyone at Roma. Everyone fought until the end. We dropped a bit deeper than we wanted to and everyone was fighting. Even when I first came to the club it was a long time since Roma had won a trophy. We knew how much it was going to mean to win something.”
Emotional Jose: We wrote history
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Jose Mourinho was soaked in champagne by his Roma players during his press conference after the Italian side won the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.
“The great thing about my career is that, aside from the Europa League with Manchester United, doing it with Porto, Inter and Roma is very, very, very special,” Mourinho said.
“It is one thing to win when everyone expects it, when you made the investments to win, but it’s quite another to win when something feels immortal, that feels truly special.
“This remains in the history of Roma, but also mine. I was told only I, Sir Alex (Ferguson) and Giovanni Trapattoni won trophies in three different decades. It makes me feel a little old, but it’s nice for my career.”
It represented a fine end to his first season in the Italian capital for Mourinho, having steered his side to a sixth-placed finish in Serie A this term.
The Portuguese has no plans to seek new challenges, as he is already looking to next season with the club.
“Now I am staying, there are no doubts,” Mourinho added. “Even if some rumours emerge, I only want to remain at Roma.
“We must understand what our owners, who are fantastic people, want to do next season, because this is history, but we can build a really strong project with honest professionals.
“Of course I feel like a Romanista, but that might be my way of working. I am a Porto fan, an Inter fan, a Chelsea fan, I am crazy about Real Madrid, I am now a Roma fan, I belong to all those clubs because we had these moments together.”
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Chris Smalling hailed the Roma fans and dedicated the club’s UEFA Europa Conference League victory to them after defeating Feyenoord 1-0 in the final.
Slot: We got no luck
Feyenoord coach Arne Slotsaid: “It’s always interesting to see how the first 15 minutes go. In that phase, we had good control of the match. But a half is 45 minutes long, and our problems were to do with the choices our players made, with and without the ball.
“I told the players during the break what they had to do better. In the second half we were sharp from the first moment, but you need a bit of luck and we didn’t get it. We had the time and opportunity to score, and we didn’t. Maybe that’s to do with the quality of the opponent.
“In a final you don’t get tens of chances, you get a couple. In a final against an Italian team it’s especially difficult to create chances, and even more so when it’s an Italian team coached by Mourinho.”
Opta stats: More Mourinho magic
Mourinho is the second manager to win five major European titles after Giovanni Trapattoni, with the Portuguese now winning the UEFA Europa Conference League, the UEFA Champions League twice and also the UEFA Cup/Europa League twice.
Teams coached by Mourinho have now gone 423 minutes since last conceding in a major European final, with Henrik Larsson the last the player to score against one of his sides in such a match (57th minute for Celtic in the UEFA Cup against Porto in 2003). Mourinho-led sides have kept four consecutive clean sheets since.
Courtesy of Chris Smalling and Tammy Abraham, Roma became the first non-British side to start a major European final with two Englishmen in their starting XI. With Reiss Nelson also starting for Feyenoord, this game featured three of the 11 instances of an Englishman starting a major European final for a non-British team.
