Saturday Sport: Ronaldo and Hamilton

Tennis' French Open at Roland-Garros officially began a few days ago near Paris.    This weekend sees action in the Round of 128.  The  qualifying rounds wrapped up in the Men's Singles yesterday.  

So, there will be a lot of tennis to watch, if you want to see early rounds with possible future champs. 

This is the last official weekend of Serie A Soccer in Italy.  Perennial champs Juventus have been helped to remain on top this year by new transfer Cristiano Ronaldo, who decided to quit Real Madrid and Spain after getting into tax trouble last year.  

Ronaldo has been spotted at practices in preparation for the Grand Prix of Monaco, and spent some time with Lewis Hamilton, well known to readers of this space.  Sunday will see him back in his soccer kit, as champs Juventus face league opponents Samporia. 

U.S. Nationals diving championships are being held today in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Featured today will be the  men's 3m springboard individual and men's 10 meter platform. 

Soccer Stars

The regular Association Football season is coming to a quick close in Europe.  Championships will soon be decided.  

Here are some soccer pics.  Who can you identify? 

Cristiano Ronaldo

Saturday Sport: Australia, España, Italia

A lot is happening in world sport this weekend, including Australian Open Tennis,  an interesting Spanish soccer season, and more Cristiano Ronaldo. 

The tide of opinion is turning against Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari in the wake of haphazard results, timid performances and baffling team selections less than three months after he succeeded fired coach Julen Lopetegui. The former Real Madrid and Argentina midfielder, who was promoted from within,  faces the stiffest test of his tenure on Saturday at third-placed Sevilla, who thrashed the European champions 3-0 in September, spelling the beginning of the end for Lopetegui.  

The recent Club World Cup championship shows just how far world accolades actually go in the rough and tumble world of La Liga.  Real Madrid, who have reached the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, are accused of having sunk into mediocrity this season, and the blame laid at the feet of the coaching staff. 

Sevilla are locked on 33 points with Real, who are fourth in the Primera Liga standings and 10 points off leaders Barcelona, who host Leganes on Sunday.  Second-placed Atletico Madrid, reeling from a Copa del Rey exit to Girona on Wednesday, visit basement club Huesca after Real's match on Saturday.

In Italy, or actually in Saudi Arabia, Juventus beat AC Milan 1-0 on Wednesday to win the Italian Super Cup for a record eighth time.  Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the match to win his first trophy with Juventus. It was his fourth goal in his past four matches.

The match was held at the sold-out King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah in front of more than 61,000 fans. The Italian league officials have signed a deal which ensures that three of the next five Super Cup finals will be played outside of Italy, and in Saudi Arabia.  Nothing like going where the money is... 

Milan had to play the final 16 minutes of the game with 10 men after midfielder Franck Kessie was sent off following a foul on Emre Can, which saw him stamp on the Juventus midfielder.

This weekend the Round of 16 is being contested in the Australian Open, which wraps up play on January 27th.  The play will be fierce this weekend, as always, and still includes many players well known to readers of this space, Zverev, Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Cilic,  etc.  We will try to update you before play comes to a stunning conclusion next weekend. 

Assoc. Football

Jose Gimenez

Sandro Ramire

Claudio Marchisio

Kostas Katsouranis

Claudio Bravo

Saturday Sport

Juventus is the Italian soccer team that every Italian hates, except for Juventus fans.  Fans of the venerable soccer club are very loyal, as are many of the players.  One of those most loyal players is Claudio Marchisio.  He began playing in a black and white jersey as a teenager, was offered for a pro contract for the team in the early 2000s, and played only one of his career for another team.  Juventus "loaned" him for a year to Empoli, and he played well there before being welcomed back to the embrace of the Turin squad.  

After 25 years with Juventus, Claudio Marchisio, well known to readers of this space, has tendered his resignation.  By mutual consent the players illustrious and loyal career has come to an end, due to health problems.  Marchisio made a total of 389 appearances in all competitions, scoring 37 goals, and won seven Serie A titles as well as four Italian cups with the club.  "I love this shirt (Juventus) to the point that, after all, I am convinced that the good for the club comes first," the player said on his Instagram account.  Marchisio suffered a series of setbacks following a cruciate ligament injury in his left knee in 2016 which initially left him out of action for six months.

Virat Kohli is not on the disabled list, but the discussion is maybe he should be.  India continues their Cricket tour of England on Saturday, with the opening day of their third test at Trent Bridge.  After a promising start, India dropped their first Test, and lost the second Test as well.  India is at the edge of the pit of despair.  Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have been the exceptions from the field of mediocre players and the hope is that they can give the entire team hope for a win, but that hope may not be well founded.   

Virat Kohli is having trouble with his back, which is a big problem not just from his career standpoint but also for India’s prospects of success.  Kohli has taken too much upon himself and must consider a break at some point. He should do so after this series is over, or even earlier if India lose at Trent Bridge.  It might even shake some of the other batsmen back into form once responsibility is thrust upon them.  Representations have been sent from the National Cricket Board in India, telling the team to get their act together.  This third Test should truly test the team and the nation.  

This is the penultimate weekend of regular season play in the Aussie Rules Football League.  The Richmond  Tigers are currently at the top of the ladder, followed more or less closely by the West Coast Eagles, although by points they are far ahead.  They are followed, currently, by Collingwood, the GWS Giants, Hawthorn, and the Sydney Swans and Melbourne.  In eighth place is Port Adelaide, who have last four or their last five games, and who are feeling very insecure.  

In Boston today, from the TD Garden, watch for the men's finals of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships Day 3

Sunday Sport "Tutti con Tutti"

Italy is an epicenter of sorts today in World Sports action.  As Italian sporting newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport put it in headlines Saturday, this weekend, in Italian Serie A "Tutti con Tutti," Everyone is indeed playing everyone.  There are many marquee events and rivalry matches this weekend.   Last night featured Juventus vs. Lazio and Roma vs. Napoli, and tonight's main match is a late night contest between Inter and Milan.  Last night Roma lost to Napoli 1-0, and Lazio beat Juventus 2-1.  Napoli remains at the top of the standings, followed by Inter,  Juventus, Lazio and AS Roma.  Tonights big challenge, the "Derby della Madonnina," is an intraurban challenge between Milan teams, Inter ("Internazionale") and AC Milan.  AC Milan is at 7th place in the standings, currently. 

Defeat would not sound a death knell for AC Milan's title challenge, according to head coach Vincenzo Montella.  Despite spending over 200 million euro on new players this last Summer, Milan have already lost three Serie A games, a run which has left them nine points off the pace set by early leaders Napoli. Their opponents at home San Siro Stadium on Sunday are city rivals Inter Milan, who are just two points off top spot thanks to an unbeaten start featuring six wins from seven matches.  Inter is currently at full strength for the game, while AC Milan has a player suspended,  Turkish free-kick expert Hakan Calhanoglu.  Inter coach Luciano Spalletti said ``Our season will be measured against extremely important moments such as the derby, so we have to go out and play and give our all. No excuses, I expect them all to get it done.''

Meanwhile back in Italy, in Milan actually, European Golf Tour eyes are fixed on the Italian Open, whose final rounds are this afternoon at the Golf Club Milano at the Parco Reale di Monza, with  3 million euro on offer for the winners.  The Italian Open is the Italian national open golf championship for men. It was founded in 1925 and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the tour was founded in 1972. The 2017 event is the 74th edition of the championship, and is the 8th time play has been held in Monza.  Today, Englishman Matt Wallace will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Italian Open in Monza.  The 27-year-old from Hertfordshire, who won his maiden European Tour title in May, led with Australian Marcus Fraser after day two.  Hometown favourite and defending champion Francesco Molinari has, currently, a share in second place, so competition should be suspenseful in today's play.  Welshman Jamie Donaldson is six off the pace after mixing two birdies and two bogeys, with Masters champion Sergio Garcia one further back.  At the end of play Saturday, as mentioned, Wallace led with 17 under par, and in second place, at 15 under par, Molinari and Englishman Tyrell Hatton were tied.  Currently at 14 under par are Thai golfer Kiradech Aphibarnrat, and South African  George William Coetzee. 

In other European Soccer play yesterday, Real Madrid beat Getafe 2-1, Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona tied at 1-1, Liverpool and Machester United tied at nil, and Tottenham Hotspur beat AFC Bournemouth 1-0.  In the French League Paris Saint-Germain won over Dijon 2-1. 

In the USA, 11 Major League Soccer games are scheduled for this afternoon.  In the Dutch Eredivisi, 5 games are scheduled.  French Ligue 1 play includes Bordeaux vs. Nantes, Montpellier vs. Nice, and Strasbourg vs. Marseille.  Russian, Turkish, and Belgian premier leagues each have three games scheduled this afternoon. 

In the National Football League, in the United States, one of the greatest rivalries will be played out this afternoon.  The Minnesota Vikings, at their brand new U.S. Bank Stadium, will host the Green Bay Packers, their arch-rivals across state lines.  Further, at this point in the season, the teams are evenly matched, with experts giving them each a more or less even chance.  If hints about the current health reports are true, Sunday's first meeting of the season between Minnesota (3-2) and Green Bay (4-1) at U.S. Bank Stadium looks to be a match-up between one of pro football's most prolific passers, quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, for the packers and one of college football's legendary passers, Vikings backup quarterback Case Keenum.  

Vikings starting quarterback Sam Bradford was injured in the Vikings 20-17 Monday Night Football win against the Chicago Bears a few days ago.  Green Bay has won three in a row, including a last-minute comeback victory in Dallas last weekend that added to Rodgers' resume as a cool-under-fire passer.  Readers will remember that Rodgers replaced legendary Green Bay Quarterback Brett Favre, who was forcibly retired by the Packers and played his last seasons for the Vikings.    Minnesota has won two of the last three games in the rivalry, although the Packers won the most recent game 38-25 on last Christmas Eve at Lambeau Field.

Indeed, as the Gazzetta dello Sport said, this weekend it is "Tutti con tutti."  Nothing hammers this point in more than this weekend's clash of the titans, when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer again meet for a tournament championship, this afternoon, at the Shanghai Masters.  Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will face each for the 38th time after advancing Saturday to the Shanghai Masters final.  Top-seeded Nadal defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the first semifinal, and second-seeded Federer was stretched to three sets before posting a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.  Nadal, who won a tour-best sixth title of the season at the China Open last week, improved his current winning streak to 16 matches. The Spaniard, who has 16 Grand Slam men's singles trophies, won the French and US Open titles this season.  Federer, looking for his sixth title this year, won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year to increase his Grand Slam men's singles record to 19 titles.  Nadal has a 23-14 edge in career matches against Federer, while Federer has won the last four meetings, including all three this season. so, as always, the play of the best vs. the best should be convincing tennis.

Italy: Soccer Star Mattia deSciglio

Mattia De Sciglio was born 20 October 1992 in Milano, Italy.  He is an Italian soccer star who plays as a full-back for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team.

A native of Milan, De Sciglio started playing soccer as a child at the Santa Chiara e San Francesco parish recreation centre in the nearby town of Rozzano,

He made his professional debut for Milan in 2011, after several seasons in the club's youth system, and subsequently became a regular in the line-up, being able to play as either right or left back. At international level, De Sciglio made his senior debut in March 2013 and he was selected in the Italian squads for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.