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Four Inter Milan stars were on the field last night as Italy pulled off a scrappy 2-0 win over Moldova in Luciano Spalletti’s farewell game.
Per Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInterNews, the Nerazzurri quartet had a rough evening at Sassuolo’s Mapei Stadium.
Despite a calamitous performance in the Champions League final, Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco were in the starting XI.
Though they were supposed to have a walk in the park against the ex-Soviet minnows, it turned out quite the opposite.
Indeed, Ion Nicolaescu often caught Bastoni off guard and even scored, only for VAR to disallow his goal for offside.
Meanwhile, Dimarco had another uneventful night but atoned with a last-ditch defending on the goal line.
Inter Milan Quartet Struggles in Italy 2-0 Win vs Moldova
Davide Frattesi was also on the pitch from the first minute.
Unlike his clubmates, he had a more prominent role and even registered an assist for Andrea Cambiaso.
However, he often lacked composure in crucial moments, resulting in several missed opportunities.
Finally, Nicolo Barella came off the bench in the second half and had no impact on the game whatsoever.
Atypically for the diminutive midfielder, he failed to provide any moment of inspiration despite Moldova’s erratic defending.
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Maple Leafs make six roster cuts with two notable surprises
The Toronto Maple Leafs have already begun their training camp prior to the start of the 2025-26 NHL season. Although no further trade moves have been announced, the Leafs have made changes to their roster and have officially sent back six prospects to their junior teams. Specifically, the players leaving camp are as follows. Two surprising moves by the Maple Leafs Perhaps the most surprising cases are those of Tyler Hopkins and Matthew Hlacar. Hopkins, 18, even received the opportunity to be promoted to Group 2 at camp recently, where he shared the ice with top prospects like Easton Cowan, plus John Tavares and William Nylander. On the other hand, Hlacar, 19, was also one of the forwards who performed best during the rookie camp, following a season of seven goals and one assist for eight points in 43 games in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers. That said, although it is surprising due to their performances, it also makes sense considering that the OHL season began this weekend. If they were not going to be considered sufficiently by Craig Berube, the best thing for these players is to get into rhythm with their junior teams and continue preparing to make the jump to the highest level in the coming years. The two prospects were drafted just this year. Hopkins was selected 86th overall by Toronto, while Hlacar was drafted by the Leafs in the seventh round. Both hope to break into the main roster sooner rather than later.
Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman has message for Chris Ash after Purdue game
The defense has been the story of No. 24 Notre Dame through the first three games of the season. First-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash has struggled to pick up where Al Golden left the unit when he bolted for the Cincinnati Bengals after the national championship game. On Saturday, the Irish defense gave up 23 points to Purdue in the first half before Notre Dame ran away in the second half to win their first game of the season 56-30 in front of 77,622 fans at Notre Dame Stadium. Following the contest, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman told the media that Ash needed to do a better job of matching pressure with his coverage scheme. "Marcus Freeman says Notre Dame needs to do a better job of 'marrying up' coverage with pressure from the defensive front," wrote Tyler Horka of On3 Sports. Notre Dame was panicking on defense Freeman added that the defense was panicking when they changed coverage schemes, but couldn't stop Purdue in the first half. Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne diced up the zone coverage, much like Marcel Reed did in Texas A M's 41-40 win over the Irish in Week 2. Freeman defended Ash after the loss to the Aggies, saying the defense's execution was more important than the play calling. The head coach had the same message for his players after beating Purdue. "I don't think they're confused," Freeman said of the defense. "We just aren't executing. But it isn't like our guys don't know what they're doing. They know what they're doing." Freshman quarterback CJ Carr and the offense look capable of going undefeated for the rest of the regular season and competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. But the defense is going to have to get better if they want to play meaningful football in December-January. Notre Dame's defense was a problem in Week 1 in Miami. Even though the Hurricanes were held to 27 points, Miami could have put up more points if quarterback Carson Beck had been allowed to play as aggressively in the fourth quarter as he had earlier in the game. When Ash calls zone, he's going to have to find a way to generate a pass-rush. All three quarterbacks Notre Dame has faced this season have shown an ability to find open spots in the secondary when they have time to throw in the pocket.
DJ Lagway makes bold claim that Florida won't be able to back up
Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway wants to believe that his 1-3 team can turn it around here in the 2025 college football season. The problem is, under the leadership of head coach Billy Napier and as currently constructed, this doesn't seem like the team that's going to be able to pull off the second-half turnaround that we saw in the 2024 season. Still, Lagway is saying the right things. "It's been hard, but let me tell y'all something, we're going to get things changed, for sure. I can guarantee that," Lagway said, according to Andrea Adelson of ESPN over the weekend. This is not acceptable at all. I'm not going to sit here and lie to y'all and make this seem like this is OK. This isn't OK. We've got to play better football, and it starts with me." The Gators' 2025 schedule is brutal What's the difference in 2025? Mainly, it's Florida's brutal schedule. The Gators have lost to No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Miami in quick succession, and they still have games against No. 10 Texas, No. 9 Texas A M, No. 5 Georgia, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee and No. 8 Florida State on the docket. Even if Florida can beat the unranked teams on its remaining schedule (Mississippi State and Kentucky) there's a good chance this team finishes 3-9. Heck, even the games against Mississippi State and Kentucky aren't guaranteed wins for Florida. This team lost to previously unranked USF at home. At this point in the season, the teams feature a 6-1 combined record, with the Bulldogs checking in at 4-0 with a win over then-No. 12 Arizona State. Lagway has been part of the problem for the Gators There's just no easy way to predict a turnaround this season for the Gators, but Lagway is a big part of the problem. Take away his opening game against Long Island and he's completed just 68-of-105 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns compared to six interceptions. Lagway was supposed to be a star for Florida, and his star power was supposedly enough to make up for the deficiencies in Napier as a head coach. But what if neither of the two main pillars of the team are good? That's how you get this kind of season from the Gators, and no amount of positive self-talk can change that. And still, Lagway will say the right things. Whether he's struggling or not, he's a leader for this team, and that's what leaders do. "I'm going to demand greatness from everybody," Lagway said. "We're done with the playing around stuff. It's time to get serious. It starts with me. I've got to set the tempo. I've got to set the tone in practice in meetings around the building. I know for a fact it's going to change because it's going to start with me."
Why did the Orioles activate star player during last week of season?
Ahead of the final six games of the season (all against American League East foes), the Baltimore Orioles have activated catcher Adley Rutschman. The move may have little to do with this season and everything about what the Orioles may do with Rutschman in the offseason. Sidelined with a right oblique strain since Aug. 21 (retroactive to Aug. 18), Rutschman has struggled this season, slashing just .227/.310/.373 with nine homers and 29 RBI. His OPS+ of 92 is the lowest in the four years he has been behind the plate in Baltimore. While the Orioles certainly would like to get the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft back behind the plate to finish out the season, this short six-game stint against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees may also serve as an audition for Rutschman should the Orioles decide to move him in the offseason. Why would the Orioles move on from Rutschman? After playing in just four games, Baltimore signed 21-year-old catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year extension worth $67M and could jump up to $88.5M with incentives. The deal means Basallo will be with Baltimore through the 2033 season and has an option to extend that to 2034 as well. With the Orioles investing so much in Basallo, could the 27-year-old Rutschman be on his way out of Charm City? Baltimore could well keep the younger and cost-controlled Basallo behind the plate and use Rutschman as a trade piece this offseason, helping the Orioles rebuild quickly from a season where they will likely finish in the division cellar. With Rutschman coming back, he has the chance to put a positive spin on what has been a disappointing season. If he can show well in the final six games, it could be a great selling point for the Orioles this offseason in any kind of trade talks surrounding him. Orioles are faced with one of two options with Basallo and Rutschman Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino has already hinted that Basallo and Rutschman could be in the same lineup together in 2026, emphasizing that Basallo could play first base (a position that could likely be his in 2026 if the Orioles decide to not push Coby Mayo there). Mansolino also added that between first base, catcher and designated hitter, there may be enough at-bats for both Basallo and Rutschman. If that's the case, Baltimore is believing that not only can Basallo play first base at an MLB-level (he has played there in one game so far this season) and Rutschman can bounce back from a down 2025. Baltimore could likely land a nice return package (perhaps centered around pitching) if it decides to trade Rutschman in the offseason, something that MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes will happen, writing, "There will be no bigger position player on the trade block this winter than Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman." These next six games may not determine much in the standings for the Orioles, but could give a hint about Rutschman's future and what is to come at catcher in 2026.
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