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DeutschAC Milan Vs Inter Milan – Italy Star Defender Could Face ‘Ronaldo’ Fate In Upcoming Serie A Derby
Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni is reportedly bracing for a hostile reception from the AC Milan faithful ahead of Sunday’s Serie A derby.
According to Tuttosport via FCInterNews, the 26-year-old is likely to face backlash from fans due to his controversial actions in February’s Derby d’Italia.
Despite being one of Europe’s most highly rated center-backs, Alessandro Bastoni has found himself in the crosshairs of angry supporters.
Indeed, his theatrical dive in last month’s Serie A clash against Juventus has brought him under heavy scrutiny.
Fans all over the county have booed the Azzurri star since his infamous Derby d’Italia antics.
Inter Milan Center-Back Alessandro Bastoni to Face Backlash from AC Milan Fans
BERGAMO, ITALY – MARCH 16: Alessandro Bastoni of FC Internazionale looks on during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and FC Internazionale at Gewiss Stadium on March 16, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Unfazed by off-field turmoil, Bastoni continues to be the cornerstone of Inter’s defense.
Moreover, nothing will change this weekend, as Cristian Chivu has no intention of benching his defensive stalwart.
However, Bastoni could suffer the same fate as Ronaldo ‘Il Fenomeno,’ whom Inter fans labeled as a ‘traitor’ when he joined Milan in 2007.
Needless to say, the Brazilian legend faced relentless jeers from opposing fans in similar high-stakes showdowns.
Umana Reyer Venezia and Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring prevail in EuroLeague Women play-ins
The EuroLeague Women play-ins concluded this week with a pair of deciding games, officially setting the stage for next month’s Final Six.
With Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring and Umana Reyer Venezia winning their respective best-of-three play-in series, the bracket for the Final Six is complete, though we’ll have to wait until April 15 for the action to resume.
On Tuesday, we saw a dominant performance from Galatasaray, who crushed Basket Landes on the boards and in the paint in a convincing win. Meanwhile, Venezia defeated fellow Italian club Beretta Famila Schio, earning their first-ever Final Six appearance and eliminating Schio from the competition.
Now that the field for the Final Six is set, let’s recap what happened in the final play-in games and how Galatasaray and Venezia advanced.
Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring pounds Basket Landes on the boards to advance to the semifinals
Landes has made a name for themselves this season by exceeding expectations and making some improbable comebacks, and there was no better example of that than in the first game of their play-in series against Galatasaray. Galatasaray led by 19 points in the fourth quarter, yet Landes stormed back, forcing overtime before eventually falling in the final period. They then handled Galatasaray somewhat easily in the second game, forcing this week’s decider in Istanbul.
Simply put, Galatasaray was not about to suffer another letdown. The Turkish club got out to an early lead and extended it to as many as 25 points in the second half, and this time, Landes had no hope of coming back. Galatasaray took full advantage of its size in the frontcourt, pulling down a whopping 59 rebounds (21 offensive) and outscoring Landes in the paint 36-18. As usual, the play of Awak Kuier (17 points) and Dorka Juhász (nine rebounds and three blocks) stood out, though it was veteran guard Teja Oblak who stood out the most, recording an efficient 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Galatasaray’s 67-51 victory will send them to the Final Six semifinals, where they’ll face the winner of Landes and Casademont Zaragoza. While it’s entirely possible Landes comes out on top in that game and we get a rematch of this series, they’ll have to be more consistent offensively; shooting 28.1 percent from the field as they did in this game will obviously not get it done, especially against the tournament hosts.
Umana Reyer Venezia clinches Final Six berth with win over Beretta Famila Schio
Tuesday’s other game between Venezia and Schio was played under a bit more pressure. Being the deciding game of a quarterfinal play-in series, it was quite literally win-or-go-home. Whereas Landes can take solace in the fact that they’ll still be participating in the Final Six, the loser of this game would be eliminated from the competition entirely.
As it turned out, Venezia was the club that met the moment—again. After a strong performance last week to even the series at a game apiece, Venezia once again outplayed their Italian rivals. It was far from an offensive showcase, with both teams shooting under 34 percent from the field, but Venezia won on several margins, making eight 3-pointers to Schio’s four and taking significantly better care of the basketball (13 turnovers) than their opponents (20 turnovers).
No, it wasn’t the prettiest game ever played, but in a do-or-die matchup, only the final result matters. As tepid as the 62-51 final score may seem, Venezia was clearly the better team, leading Schio for over 31 minutes. And while Schio held a slight edge in rebounding (40-36), only Jessica Shepard reached double-figure scoring; the selfless, efficient offense that had made Schio a sleeper pick for a Final Six run went cold at the worst possible time, and it cost them a trip to the playoffs.
Venezia, meanwhile, will advance to the first round (quarterfinals) of the Final Six, where they’ll face Spar Girona. Girona lost their play-in series to Fenerbahçe Opet two games to none, though they’re still a dangerous team, as evidenced by their 8-4 record in group play.
Opener Bean extends Yorkshire stay until 2028
Yorkshire opener Finlay Bean has signed a two-year extension to stay at Headingley until 2028.
The 23-year-old made his first team debut in 2022 after breaking the second XI record with a score of 441.
Bean has since scored six centuries across his 43 first-class matches, including 224 against Nottinghamshire in June.
In August, the left-hander broke the club record for scoring the fastest ever List A century in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Scarborough.
"I'm naturally delighted to be signing this new deal," Bean told the club website.
"My journey into professional cricket hasn't always been straightforward, but the belief shown in me by Yorkshire and the coaches has played a huge role in helping me reach this point.
"The next couple of years are exciting – not just for me personally but for the team as a whole. We're clear on what we want to achieve together and I'm really looking forward to seeing how far this group can go."