Last-gasp Anguissa Fires Napoli Past Cagliari, Roma Keep Pace

Napoli players celebrates teammate Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, southern Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (LaPresse via AP)
Napoli players celebrates teammate Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, southern Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (LaPresse via AP)
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Last-gasp Anguissa Fires Napoli Past Cagliari, Roma Keep Pace

Napoli players celebrates teammate Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, southern Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (LaPresse via AP)
Napoli players celebrates teammate Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, southern Italy, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (LaPresse via AP)

Andre-Frank Anguissa was the hero for Napoli on Saturday with the last-gasp winner which gave the Serie A champions a 1-0 success over Cagliari, while Roma saw off promoted Pisa by the same score.

Cameroon midfielder Anguissa struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time just as it looked like Antonio Conte's team would fail to break down dogged Cagliari.

Just moments before, Scott McTominay had wasted a golden opportunity to snatch the points at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona where the hosts had few clear chances on goal.

"It was a hard match because they defended really well but we didn't leave anything out there, we pushed and in the end we won," said Anguissa to DAZN.

A year ago almost to the day Anguissa netted a winner in added time against Parma, but he scoffed at suggestions Saturday's strike was a good omen for Napoli's bid to successfully defend the Scudetto for the first time.

"The most important thing is winning, we played as a team and that's how it should be," Anguissa said.

The closest Napoli came to breaking the deadlock before stoppage time came in the 57th minute when Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile pulled off a one-handed save to stop Leonardo Spinazzola's low drive fizzing in at the near post.

Stars Kevin De Bruyne and McTominay were subdued, while Lorenzo Lucca was again ineffective as a replacement for injured Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku.

Napoli are set to sign Rasmus Hojland from Manchester United with the Denmark striker landing in Italy on Saturday ahead of an initial loan move with obligation to buy.

Roma continued their positive start to life under Gian Piero Gasperini with their narrow win in Tuscany, Matias Soule deciding a tough contest nine minutes after half-time.

Soule stroked home Evan Ferguson's lay-off to give Roma a perfect six points, level with Napoli -- who lead on goal difference -- and Cremonese.

The Argentine had the ball in the net for a second time shortly after opening the scoring, but he was denied a brace from the raucous Arena Garibaldi when he was spotted handling the ball before shooting past Adrian Semper.

"Every day that I'm here with the faith that is shown in me I feel better, but I can still give more," said Soule, who shone alongside countryman Paulo Dybala.

"I'm always with him, so we have a connection off the field as well. When he's on the pitch he gives us something more."

Riccardo Orsolino celebrated his selection by new Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso by guiding home the only goal of Bologna's 1-0 win over Como.

Winger Orsolini met Santiago Castro's low cross just before the hour to give Bologna their first win of the season, suggesting he is set to carry on with the fine form which helped Vincenzo Italiano's team win the Italian Cup last season.

The 28-year-old struggled for playing time with Italy under former coach Luciano Spalletti, who was sacked in June following a troubled start to the Azzurri's World Cup qualifying campaign.

"I need to get to know the coach (Gattuso) but I'm there for him and the rest of the lads. I'm always ready," said Orsolini.

Atalanta are without a win under Ivan Juric after Patrick Cutrone gave Parma a 1-1 draw.

Cutrone's 85th-minute strike cancelled out a fine finish six minutes earlier from Mario Pasalic who was playing 300th match for Atalanta and was a key figure in the team which won the Europa League under Gasperini last year.



Sabalenka Apologizes for Outburst During Loss to Svitolina

13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Sabalenka Apologizes for Outburst During Loss to Svitolina

13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 November 2026, US, Indian Wells: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in action against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's singles group stage match of the FAGE WTA Finals tennis tournament at Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Aryna Sabalenka apologized on Saturday for her angry outburst during her defeat by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals.

Television footage appeared to show the Belarusian swearing during Friday's round-robin match, with some social media users interpreting her remarks as being directed at Svitolina or Ukrainians. The loss eliminated Sabalenka from the season-ending tournament.

"My comment was not directed at Elina," Sabalenka said in a social ⁠media post.

"I was ⁠frustrated with a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering my mistakes, and I reacted emotionally in the moment.

"That said, I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologize to anyone I offended.

"Elina played a great match, ⁠and I wish her all the best for the rest of the tournament."

Svitolina did not shake hands with Sabalenka after the match, maintaining her policy of not doing so with Russian or Belarusian opponents following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow launched with Belarus as a staging ground.

Asked about her reaction to Sabalenka's apology, Svitolina called for mutual respect, acknowledging that fans' passions ⁠can ⁠sometimes run high.

"We've played many times with Aryna. She has her fans, I have my fans," she told reporters after her semi-final win over Linda Noskova on Saturday.

According to Reuters, she expressed hope that matches between the two of them would be respected, "because yes, sometimes in some matches that we've played, also been not great comments towards me in regards of the war."

Svitolina, the 2018 WTA Finals champion, faces Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Sunday's final.


Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
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Portugal Changes How No. 7 Is Written to Honor Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, 09 September 2025. (EPA)

The Portugal football team is making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as “CR7,” retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

“Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify “Greatest Of All Time.”

It also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it’s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo’s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.

Portugal, already assured of reaching the quarterfinals, was hosting Denmark in the Nations League later Saturday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn’t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team’s training camp.

Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.


Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Ronaldinho Poised for Ravenna Start and, Perhaps, One Last Goal

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho waves during Ravenna FC’s team presentation for the 2026-27 season in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Ronaldinho will roll back the years this weekend when the 46-year-old Brazilian starts his first competitive match in over a decade, and in the unlikely setting of an Italian third-tier derby the World Cup winner may realize his dream of scoring one last time.

The Brazil great and Ballon d'Or winner signed for Ravenna in June, also taking a stake in the club, but because he had not played since his final appearance for Fluminense in 2015, doubts remained over whether fans would ever see him in action.

Ravenna revealed ‌three weeks ago ‌that the former Barcelona and AC Milan player ‌would ⁠make his return ⁠in Sunday's home clash with local rivals Forli, and on Friday, manager Andrea Mandorlini told reporters that Ronaldinho would start the match.

"He will play from the start, there's no doubt," Mandorlini said.

"Then together we will decide how long he plays. He is one of the greatest players of the modern era. And we have to get a ⁠result. We always play with three forwards. He will ‌be one of the three."

Ronaldinho was ‌welcomed by the Ravenna fans in August, without committing to a return ‌to the pitch. He returned to Italy on Friday afternoon and ‌will have just one training session with his teammates on Saturday before making his club debut.

A temporary stand has been erected at the Stadio Bruno Benelli to cater for the crowd, and if this does turn out ‌to be one last hurrah for Ronaldinho, he may well get the chance to score his 300th ⁠professional goal.

"I ⁠scored my first Italian goal in the derby," Ronaldinho told Corriere della Sera, referring to his first official goal for AC Milan, which came against Inter Milan.

"It was a special evening that will remain in the memory of all AC Milan fans. It was September 28, 2008. I scored with a header, which is not my specialty. Who knows if I'll be able to repeat that feat tomorrow."

"... Returning to the pitch at 46 is the best move of my career."

Simone Rabbi will play alongside the Brazilian up front for Ravenna, and in Friday's press conference he said that if his side are awarded a penalty on Sunday, Ronaldinho will take the spot kick.