Milan Come from Behind to Beat Juventus 2-1 in Super Cup Semi-final

Soccer Football - Italian Super Cup - Semi Final - Juventus v AC Milan - Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2025 AC Milan's Christian Pulisic scores their first goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
Soccer Football - Italian Super Cup - Semi Final - Juventus v AC Milan - Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2025 AC Milan's Christian Pulisic scores their first goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
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Milan Come from Behind to Beat Juventus 2-1 in Super Cup Semi-final

Soccer Football - Italian Super Cup - Semi Final - Juventus v AC Milan - Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2025 AC Milan's Christian Pulisic scores their first goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
Soccer Football - Italian Super Cup - Semi Final - Juventus v AC Milan - Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 3, 2025 AC Milan's Christian Pulisic scores their first goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini

AC Milan reached the Italian Super Cup final after coming from behind to beat Juventus 2-1 on Friday in Sergio Conceicao's first game in charge, setting up a derby decider with Inter Milan.

A second-half penalty from Christian Pulisic and an own goal by Federico Gatti completed Milan's comeback after Kenan Yildiz had fired Juve into a 21st-minute lead.

Milan will play Inter in Monday's final, after the Serie A champions overcame Atalanta 2-0 in their semi-final meeting on Thursday, where Conceicao could immediately get his hands on a trophy after replacing the sacked Paulo Fonseca as Milan manager on Monday.

The expected intrigue of a father against son battle failed to materialise, after Juventus winger Francisco Conceicao was named in the starting 11 but was withdrawn after picking up an injury in the warm-up, according to Reuters.

Conceicao's place was taken by Yildiz, and after a slow, cagey start to the game, it was the Turkish forward who broke the deadlock.

A through pass from Samuel Mbangula caught the Milan defence off guard and found Yildiz who took the ball into the area before smashing his shot into the roof of the net, beating Milan keeper Mike Maignan at his near post.

The second half began with another Yildiz effort going just wide in the opening seconds, and shortly afterwards, he played a low pass across the area but Dusan Vlahovic sent his effort wide.

Milan had a massive chance to equalise from a corner kick when the ball fell to Theo Hernandez, but he somehow managed to send a shot over the bar from close range.

The game at last opened up and Nicolo Savona's foul on Hernandez gave Milan a penalty kick in the 71st minute which Pulisic sent straight down the middle to beat Michele Di Gregorio.

Milan went ahead four minutes later, through an own goal. Yunus Musah's cross took a wicked deflection off Juve defender Gatti which took the ball past Di Gregorio who had come off his line.

"For our second-half performance, we deserved the final. In the first half I saw a Milan with many doubts, like a few weeks ago," Conceicao told SportMediaset.

"Then we spoke at halftime. We had to understand what we had to do to win and they were really brave."

Deep into added time, Juventus had one last chance to send the game to penalties, but Gatti's volleyed effort from close range went just wide.

The Milan manager embraced his son after the game before celebrating with his players, and Conceicao will now aim to stop Inter from winning their fourth consecutive Super Cup trophy.

"The second half was completely different, but we haven't done anything yet," Conceicao said.

"We have one less day of rest and this is an important factor."



Saudi Super Cup Heads to Kuwait in Gulf Expansion Drive

Al-Nassr FC's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo (3rd L) attends a training session on the eve of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL) match between Al-Ain FC and Saudi's Al-Nassr FC, at the Azza Bin Zayed stadium in al-Ain on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
Al-Nassr FC's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo (3rd L) attends a training session on the eve of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL) match between Al-Ain FC and Saudi's Al-Nassr FC, at the Azza Bin Zayed stadium in al-Ain on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
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Saudi Super Cup Heads to Kuwait in Gulf Expansion Drive

Al-Nassr FC's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo (3rd L) attends a training session on the eve of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL) match between Al-Ain FC and Saudi's Al-Nassr FC, at the Azza Bin Zayed stadium in al-Ain on September 14, 2026. (AFP)
Al-Nassr FC's Portuguese forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo (3rd L) attends a training session on the eve of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACL) match between Al-Ain FC and Saudi's Al-Nassr FC, at the Azza Bin Zayed stadium in al-Ain on September 14, 2026. (AFP)

‌Kuwait will host the Saudi Super Cup for the first time when the four-team competition is staged from December 19 to 23, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) said on Monday.

The tournament will be held at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium and feature Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Kholood, ‌with the semi-final ‌draw scheduled for October ‌14.

A ⁠hosting agreement was ⁠signed in Riyadh by SAFF president Bader AlReziza and Kuwait Football Association President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, as Saudi football continues to expand the reach of its domestic competitions ⁠beyond the Kingdom's borders.

"Kuwait's hosting ‌of the ‌Saudi Super Cup represents an important addition ‌to the Gulf sporting landscape," Sheikh ‌Ahmad said, while AlReziza described the move as an opportunity to broaden the tournament's regional footprint, engage a wider ‌audience and enhance its commercial appeal.

Kuwait will become the eighth ⁠host ⁠in the competition's history, following editions staged in Makkah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, London, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, reflecting the growing stature of Saudi football and its efforts to strengthen its presence across the Gulf region.

Asian champions Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr on penalties to win the Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong in August last year.


Mourinho Praises ‘Incredible’ Guler Amid Battle for Minutes

Real Madrid's Turkish midfielder #15 Arda Guler reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Turkish midfielder #15 Arda Guler reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Mourinho Praises ‘Incredible’ Guler Amid Battle for Minutes

Real Madrid's Turkish midfielder #15 Arda Guler reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Turkish midfielder #15 Arda Guler reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on September 12, 2026. (AFP)

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hailed playmaker Arda Guler on Monday ahead of the team's visit to face Elche in La Liga.

The Turkish midfielder came on as a substitute in Madrid's 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and helped steady the team when they were wobbling under pressure.

Guler is not assured of a starting place at Madrid, with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all part of Mourinho's regular side.

The 21-year-old is competing with record signing Yan Diomande and Brahim Diaz among others for minutes, ahead of the central midfield duo.

"There are people more qualified than me to talk about his development, people who have been here since he arrived, about how he's transformed physically," Mourinho told reporters.

"But for me, his quality of play is incredible -- his vision, his decision-making, his playmaking, the stability he brings to the team, his creativity...

"For me, he's a player with fantastic potential who already has some very impressive stats."

Guler has shown he has a strong link with Mbappe on the pitch, regularly combining well with the French forward, including for Madrid's fourth goal against Rayo.

Mourinho said he would not go completely overboard with praise for Guler, who arrived from Fenerbahce in 2023.

"Maybe I don't want to go so far as to say 'top, top, top' three times, but I can definitely say 'top, top'," joked the Portuguese coach.

One player still looking for his best form at Madrid is Vinicius.

The Brazilian winger has scored one goal this season and Mourinho reiterated his view that Vinicius is still not at his best.

"The best version of him is scoring goals. Obviously, assisting is important, working for the team is very important. Commitment, solidarity, and teamwork are very important," said Mourinho.

"But there's another Vinicius, the Vinicius who arrived in Lisbon last season (in the Champions League) and in close matches, in the knockout rounds, gets one chance, scores a goal and that's it.

"He's lacking that top-level performance lately, but I am happy with him."

Second-placed Madrid trail La Liga leaders Barcelona, who boast a 100 percent record, by three points.


Norris Says Madring and F1’s Virtual Safety Car Rule Both Need to Change

Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates on the podium after finishing third in the Spanish Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates on the podium after finishing third in the Spanish Grand Prix. (Reuters)
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Norris Says Madring and F1’s Virtual Safety Car Rule Both Need to Change

Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates on the podium after finishing third in the Spanish Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - Madring, Madrid, Spain - September 13, 2026 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates on the podium after finishing third in the Spanish Grand Prix. (Reuters)

Formula One's newest circuit needs to ‌change, and so does the virtual safety car (VSC) rule, world champion Lando Norris said after losing a Spanish Grand Prix win that was his for the taking.

Fears of carnage -- crashes and red flags -- failed to materialize at the top level of racing, but the first F1 race at the capital's Madring circuit turned into a procession that even some drivers said had risked sending them to sleep.

"They should get rid of (turns) 18, 19. Useless," said Norris, who finished third.

"Just have more of a straight into a hairpin.

"I don’t know how someone looks at this design and goes, 'Mint.'

"I’m excited to come back here next year if they can make these changes because I think it’s a track that is good fun to drive and it can ‌be a great ‌racetrack. To me, it’s not a great racetrack."

VSC IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The ‌lack ⁠of overtaking opportunities ⁠also meant that an early VSC period changed the race outcome.

The timing of it, after Lance Stroll's stopped Aston Martin had to be moved, allowed all those behind Norris to pit and gain time but effectively penalized him for being too far ahead.

By the time he could pit, there was no VSC anymore and he was unable to regain the lead due to the nature of the track.

Norris said Sunday was probably the first time a win had ⁠been lost because of the VSC, which keeps all cars at ‌a particular speed for a short duration whereas a ‌physical safety car takes several laps.

A pitstop under VSC conditions saves a driver some 11 seconds ‌of race time compared to a regular stop.

"There’s literally nothing I could do as a ‌driver today to do a better job. Pole, led the race, and to lose it for nothing in my control is, I don’t think, how a race should be won," he told reporters.

"I think there are things (that can be done), because we have spoken about it in the past several ‌times, about how it can be at least covered for one lap or everyone has the opportunity to do the pit stops, ⁠or you just ⁠block the pit entry and no one can box apart from if you have a puncture or something," he added.

"I think there’s a few things you could do to make it more simple and more fair for everyone, but that’s a bigger discussion."

Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who finished second behind Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli, expected the matter to be discussed at the next briefing.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella said any change would be a lengthy process "unless there's a big push from the institutions, FIA or F1, to say 'we need to make this different'".

Norris recognized potential complications, such as if drivers needed to change from slicks to wet tires, but said it needed addressing.

"I think everyone wants the same thing and that’s just fairness for everyone," he said. "I have to take it on the chin, but I just hope it doesn’t happen to anyone again because it’s just not how you should lose a race."