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.



Scotland Goalkeeper Gordon Retires after 25-year Career

Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Scotland Training - Oriam, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - September 26, 2022 Scotland's Craig Gordon during training REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo
Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Scotland Training - Oriam, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - September 26, 2022 Scotland's Craig Gordon during training REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo
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Scotland Goalkeeper Gordon Retires after 25-year Career

Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Scotland Training - Oriam, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - September 26, 2022 Scotland's Craig Gordon during training REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo
Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Scotland Training - Oriam, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - September 26, 2022 Scotland's Craig Gordon during training REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo

Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon announced his retirement on Thursday, hanging up his gloves after a career spanning more than two decades.

The 43-year-old made 682 appearances for boyhood club Heart of Midlothian, Cowdenbeath, Sunderland and Celtic and won 84 caps for Scotland.

"I've never wanted it to end, but end it must. I have lived my dreams and for that I am so ⁠thankful," Gordon said ⁠in a video announcing his decision on social media.

He was part of Scotland's squad for the 2026 World Cup and was the oldest player at the tournament, although he did ⁠not play in any matches, acting as backup to Angus Gunn.

A product of the Hearts' youth academy, Gordon made his senior debut while on loan at Cowdenbeath in 2001 before breaking into Hearts' first team the following season.

In 2007, he joined Premier League side Sunderland for a reported 9 million pounds ($12.16 million), a ⁠British ⁠record fee for a goalkeeper at the time. Injuries hampered his spell at the Stadium of Light, as he made 95 appearances over five years.

Gordon returned to Scotland with Celtic in 2014. During six trophy-laden seasons in Glasgow, he won five Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and five League Cups before rejoining Hearts in 2020.


UK Urges FIFA to Investigate Argentina over Falklands Banner at World Cup

Argentina's defender #19 Nicolas Otamendi (L) and midfielder #11 Giovani Lo Celso show a banner that reads in Spanish, "The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina," after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Argentina's defender #19 Nicolas Otamendi (L) and midfielder #11 Giovani Lo Celso show a banner that reads in Spanish, "The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina," after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
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UK Urges FIFA to Investigate Argentina over Falklands Banner at World Cup

Argentina's defender #19 Nicolas Otamendi (L) and midfielder #11 Giovani Lo Celso show a banner that reads in Spanish, "The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina," after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Argentina's defender #19 Nicolas Otamendi (L) and midfielder #11 Giovani Lo Celso show a banner that reads in Spanish, "The Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina," after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina's team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands.

Argentina beat England 2-1 in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta.

During post-match celebrations, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans in the stands, reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine.”

Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina's then-military dictatorship, triggering a 10-week war won by Britain.

UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the players’ behavior was “entirely inappropriate. I expect FIFA to do its investigation thoroughly.”

FIFA can prosecute Argentina's players and soccer federation because its disciplinary code prohibits at stadiums any “message that is not appropriate for a sports event” including those of “a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.”

The FIFA fines for political messaging are $5,000 to $20,000.

FIFA was approached for comment Thursday.

A FIFA disciplinary case under previous leadership banned a South Korea player for two 2014 World Cup qualifying games because he held up a similar banner about a territorial claim against Japan at the 2012 London Olympics.

Park Jong-woo took a fan banner with the slogan “Dokdo is our territory” after South Korea beat Japan in the men's bronze medal game.

On Wednesday, Argentina player Lisandro Martínez said displaying the banner “really stirred up deep emotions.”

"I can picture a Malvinas veteran seeing that and weeping," said Martínez, who has played in England for the past four years with Manchester United. "I don’t know if there might be sanctions or not, but what they did was display that banner and assert that the islands belong to us.”

The sporting rivalry between the two countries is heightened by political tensions over the South Atlantic archipelago. It is a British overseas territory with a population of around 3,500 people located about 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) from the UK and 300 miles (480 kilometers) from Argentina.

Argentina argues that the islands were illegally taken from it in 1833. Britain, which says its territorial claim dates to 1765, sent a warship to the islands in 1833 to expel Argentine forces who sought to establish sovereignty over the territory.

The war in 1982 killed 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service personnel and three islanders.

That conflict ended during the 1982 World Cup in Spain where Argentina, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all played. British television networks declined to broadcast Argentina playing in the tournament's opening game, when the defending champion lost to Belgium.

“Sadly, it is a sad part of our history," Argentina player Leandro Paredes said in Atlanta about the banner, “for everyone involved in that chapter of, I repeat, our history. And it hurts. We knew we were playing for them, too.”

Politics in soccer British government minister Kyle told the BBC "politics needs to be separate from football.”

“In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football," The Associated Press quoted him as saying. “That is now a matter for FIFA.”

FIFA's statutory political neutrality has been questioned at this World Cup after its president, Gianni Infantino, and disciplinary process — which could now judge Argentina — seemed to cave to pressure from US President Donald Trump in allowing United States forward Folarin Balogun to play Belgium in the round of 16.

Balogun was shown a red card in the previous round and FIFA disciplinary rules mandated he should be banned from his team's next game. FIFA deferred that suspension for one year of probation, provoking an all-time controversy in modern World Cup history. Belgium beat the US 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Infantino is expected to sit with Trump and Argentina President Javier Milei, who are political allies, at the World Cup final Sunday. Argentina plays Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Previous cases Argentina players showed the same “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” slogan at a warmup game in June 2014 in Buenos Aires for the World Cup that started days later in Brazil.

FIFA's disciplinary panel ruling in that case was published after the tournament finished and fined the Argentina federation 30,000 Swiss francs ($37,000).

In the 2012 London Olympics case, FIFA's ruling said the conduct of the South Korea player "cannot be tolerated.”

At the 2022 World Cup, FIFA fined the Serbia federation 20,000 Swiss francs ($24,800) for hanging a political banner about neighboring independent state Kosovo in the locker room before playing Brazil.

It showed a map of Serbia that included the territory of Kosovo, which has been an independent state since 2008, and the slogan “No Surrender.”


Scaloni: Argentina Smelt 'Blood in Water' in England Win

Argentina's players listen to Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni during a hydration break during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026.  (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)
Argentina's players listen to Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni during a hydration break during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)
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Scaloni: Argentina Smelt 'Blood in Water' in England Win

Argentina's players listen to Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni during a hydration break during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026.  (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)
Argentina's players listen to Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni during a hydration break during the 2026 World Cup football tournament semi-final match between England and Argentina at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni saluted his team's never-say-die mentality after another come-from-behind victory on Wednesday powered them past England into the World Cup final.

Scaloni said his team had scented victory as England sat back after taking a 1-0 lead in their semi-final in Atlanta and went for broke to secure a deserved 2-1 win.

"I think that this team plays the best when we are facing adversity," Scaloni said. "We had a challenging game, a challenging situation.

"There was blood in the water, and we went for it. That's the feeling that I was getting.
"You just have to keep going. We hit the crossbar. We hit the post, and it just couldn't go in. There's six or seven chances, but I'm very pleased about that because the team fought to the very end, and I think this is critical."

It was the second time in the knockout rounds that Argentina have won after trailing late in the game following their remarkable last-16 escape act against Egypt -- a win Scaloni described at the time as "epic."

Asked how he would describe Wednesday's victory, Scaloni offered: "Epic, squared?"

Scaloni said the win, which sends Argentina into a final showdown against European champions Spain in New Jersey on Sunday, was a team effort.

"This group is difficult to explain. It is a show of the collectiveness, the brotherhood that we are in, the the fight to the very end that we have," AFP quoted Scaloni as saying.

The Argentina coach, who now has the chance to lead the South Americans to four straight major titles after Copa America victories either side of the 2022 World Cup win, said his team had been unfazed as they sought to drag themselves back into the game.

"I know the guys. They fear nothing," he said. "They don't feel the weight on their shoulders.
"They're they're playing like they're seven or eight years old. They're not thinking about 'oh, what's going to happen if we miss or they're not thinking about the semifinal or final?'"