Juventus have completed the signing of Fabio Grosso from Lyon for a reported fee of 2.9million euros.
Grosso has signed a three-year deal with Juventus after the two clubs finally agreed a deal for the Italian international.
The move looked set to fall through earlier on Monday after the two clubs were struggling to agree a fee for the left-back.
However, a compromise has now been reached between the two sides.
The former Palermo and Inter defender has been seeking a move back to Italy for some time and Juve have now offered him the chance to return to Serie A.
"The purchase of Fabio Grosso adds further quality to an already very competitive squad," said Juve chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc.
Source: Sky Sports
Palermo have loaned Manuele Blasi from Napoli for the remainder of the campaign with the option of a permanent transfer next summer.
The former Juventus and Fiorentina midfielder has admitted that it took him a long time to decide to leave Napoli.
"I have had two wonderful years in Naples and it has not been easy for me to decide to leave," the 29-year-old explained.
"However, when you realise you are no longer in a club's plans it is useless to remain. Therefore I thought that it was right to join a club who wants me."
Meanwhile, Catania and Chievo have been doing last minute business. Giovanni Marchese joins Catania while Gennaro Sardo heads in the opposite direction.
The Sicilians have also picked up Simone Pesce in a co-ownership deal with Ascoli, while Chievo have snapped up defender Felice Piccolo from Empoli and striker Elvis Abbruscato from Torino.
Source: Football-Italia
German club Stuttgart have signed Zdravko Kuzmanovic from Fiorentina in a reported seven million euros deal.
But as one player departs the Stadio Artemio Franchi another arrives as a busy day of negotiations with English outfit West Ham United finally saw striker Savio Nsereko arrive in Florence.
The Viola had initially approached the London-based club regarding a move for defender Matthew Upson, but that enquiry was rejected.
However, in the process of the negotiations they managed to snare highly-rated German youngster Nsereko.
The Ugandan-born attacker was a star in Serie B with Brescia before being lured to Gianfranco Zola's Premier League side. However, he only ever managed one appearance for the club.
As part of the deal Fiorentina have sent Portuguese defender Manuel Da Costa in the opposite direction. The 23-year-old never settled following his move from PSV Eindhoven.
Kuzmanovic, a 21-year-old Serb, had made a decent name for himself in Serie A, but his performances dropped last term and has made limited appearances under Cesare Prandelli.
Source: Football-Italia
Cagliari have signed Sampdoria midfielder Daniele Dessena for an undisclosed fee.
The Italy Under-21 international has opted to leave Sampdoria for a new challenge at Cagliari after failing to feature regularly in Genoa.
Dessena is delighted to be making the move to Cagliari after attracting interest from several other clubs.
"I'm delighted to sign for Cagliari and I am just glad this whole saga is finally over," said Dessena.
"I spoke to several friends - people like Francesco Pisano, Robert Acquafresca, and Gianfranco Zola - and they all said that Cagliari was the ideal place for me. I feel honoured to wear the Rossoblu shirt."
The Sardinian club have also snapped up Juventus youngster Lorenzo Ariaudo on loan for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria have brought in Empoli forward Nicola Pozzi on a loan agreement.
Pozzi has agreed a season-long loan deal and will add options to Gigi Del Neri's attacking alternatives, which includes Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini.
Source: Sky Sports
Roma have completed the double signing of Bogdan Lobont and Fabio Zamblera.
Romanian international goalkeeper Lobont joins the Serie A club on a season-long loan from Dinamo Bucharest, with the option of making the deal permanent.
Striker Zamblera has also joined on loan from English club Newcastle United, with an option to buy at the end of the season.
Lobont, 31, has previous experience of playing in Italy having had a spell at Fiorentina in the past and will provide cover for first-choice goalkeeper Doni at the Stadio Olimpico.
Former Atalanta youth product Zamblera, who went on loan to Sampdoria for the second half of last season, will provide cover up front for Luciano Spalletti's side.
Source: Sky Sports
Parma have beaten Serie A rivals Napoli and Palermo to the signing of Blerim Dzemaili from Torino.
The Swiss international has agreed a season-long loan deal with Parma with the option of a permanent move.
Dzemaili endured an injury-ravaged time at English outfit Bolton Wanderers after signing from Zurich, but the midfielder impressed during an initial loan spell at Toro that was made permanent at the end of last season.
A number of clubs expressed an interest in signing Dzemaili, but Parma have struck a deal to bring the 23-year-old to the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
Striker Daniele Vantaggiato has moved in the opposite direction – also on loan – as part of the deal.
Meanwhile, Parma have also secured the signing of 18-year-old Bosnian forward Dragan Mihajlovic from Swiss outfit Bellinzona.
Source: Sky Sports
Diego struck his first two goals for Juventus in an impressive 3-1 victory at Roma as the Bianconeri sit top of Serie A alongside Genoa, Lazio and Sampdoria, who all maintain their 100 per cent starts to the new campaign. Elsewhere Fiorentina, Napoli, Parma and Siena all won.
Roma 1-3 Juventus
Brazilian striker Diego was on target twice as Juventus beat Roma 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico. Juve's top summer signing opened his Serie A account after 25 minutes before Roma's Daniele de Rossi equalised 10 minutes later. Diego put Juve back in front after 68 minutes and Felipe Melo added a third in injury time as the Turin giants claimed their second win of the new campaign, condemning Roma to their second defeat in as many games.
Sampdoria 3-1 Udinese
Sampdoria made it two wins from two Serie A matches with a 3-1 win over Udinese but the victory came thanks largely to an inspirational performance by goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi. Castellazzi was in imperious form as he frustrated the visitors, who were ultimately undone by goals from Giampaolo Pazzini and Daniele Mannini. Antonio Di Natale pulled a goal back for the Udine outfit, but Samp talisman Antonio Cassano added a late third before missing a penalty.
Atalanta 0-1 Genoa
Emiliano Moretti scored the only goal as Genoa maintained their 100 per cent start to the new Serie A season with a hard-fought win at Atalanta. The former Valencia defender headed home on the stroke of half-time as Giampiero Gasperini's side capped a wonderful week with another impressive win. The Grifoni opened their domestic campaign with a 3-2 win over Roma last weekend and followed that up by seeing off Odense to make sure of their place in the UEFA Europa League group stage in midweek.
Chievo 1-2 Lazio
Julio Cruz scored twice as 10-man Lazio came from behind to beat Chievo 2-1 in Verona. Lazio coach Davide Ballardini handed Cruz his first league start since the Argentinian's summer move to Rome from Inter and it paid dividends. Cruz earned a penalty, which he then converted before half-time to cancel out Sergio Pellissier's 16th-minute opener. The South American then tapped in the winner eight minutes into the second half. The Roman club held on for their second win of the new campaign despite playing with a man less for the last 20 minutes after Emilson Cribari was dismissed for his second yellow card.
Fiorentina 1-0 Palermo
Stevan Jovetic's first-half goal capped a good week for Fiorentina, enabling them to pick up all three points and go level with opponents Palermo. The Viola, who qualified for the UEFA Champions League this week with an away-goals win over Sporting Lisbon, dominated the encounter in Florence with the game's decisive moment coming on the half-hour mark.
Napoli 3-1 Livorno
Fabio Quagliarella's double enabled Napoli to pick up their first win of the season - 3-1 at the expense of Livorno. Quagliarella opened the scoring after just 10 minutes before Marek Hamsik doubled the home side's advantage before half time. Livorno responded at the start of the second half with Cristiano Lucarelli but Quagliarella sealed the win late on. The newly-promoted visitors, who battled gallantly at the San Paolo before Roberto Donadoni's men made sure of all three points, had Mirko Pieri sent off in stoppage time.
Parma 2-1 Catania
Serie A newcomers Parma secured their first win of the season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over pointless Catania. Parma began their first campaign back in the top flight with a creditable 2-2 draw away to Udinese last week while Catania were the victims of a 2-1 defeat by Sampdoria. And the home side secured the points with goals by Daniele Galloppa and Alberto Paloschi with Marco Biagianti equalising in between.
Cagliari 1-3 Siena
Siena got their Serie A campaign up and running at the second attempt with a 3-1 win at Cagliari. Having opened their season with defeat to AC Milan, the Robur responded in style with two goals from Emanuele Calaio and another from Reginaldo earning them three points in Sardinia. Cagliari's only reply came from a Jeda penalty as they continue to search for their first victory.
SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 29 August] - [Sunday 30 August]
Fiorentina midfielder Marco Marchionni has returned to the Italy squad after a three-year absence for next week's FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria.
Marchionni, who switched from Juventus during the close season, picked up his last of three caps in a 1-1 draw with Lithaunia in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying in September 2006.
Otherwise coach Marcello Lippi, whose side top qualifying Group Eight, has resisted making major changes for the match in Tbilisi next Saturday and the home meeting with Bulgaria in Turin on September 9.
Gennaro Gattuso has been ruled out of both matches after picking up an ankle injury in AC Milan's 4-0 defeat by Inter on Saturday, while Bayern Munich's Luca Toni and Fiorentina's Riccardo Montolivo are excluded.
With Genoa's Salvatore Bocchetti injured, Nicola Legrottaglie returns after being dropped for the goalless friendly draw in Switzerland earlier this month.
Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi is included despite being suspended for the trip to Georgia, but Sampdoria's Giampaolo Pazzini, also suspended for the first game, misses out.
Young players Federico Marchetti, Claudio Marchisio, Domenico Criscito and Davide Santon have all been retained from the Switzerland game.
There is still no place in the Azzurri squad for Sampdoria's Antonio Cassano while Brazilian-born Juventus striker Amauri is still waiting for an Italian passport.
Lippi's men lead their qualification group with 14 points from six matches, one point more than the second-placed Republic of Ireland with a game in hand.
Maximum points from the next two games, coupled with a loss for Ireland in Cyprus, will book the world champions' spot at next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.
The squad will gather for training at the FIGC's Technical Centre in Coverciano on Monday night before travelling to Bulgaria on Friday.
Italy squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari).
Defenders: Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus), Davide Santon (Inter), Gianluca Zambrotta (Milan).
Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Gaetano D'Agostino (Udinese), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Marco Marchionni (Fiorentina), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Andrea Pirlo (Milan).
Forwards: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vicenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal).
Source: FIGC
Inter produced a stunning performance to record an emphatic 4-0 win against city rivals AC Milan in Serie A, while Bari and Bologna shared a goalless draw.
Milan 0-4 Inter
Inter tore city rivals AC Milan apart to move to the top of Serie A after a thumping 4-0 win at the San Siro. Goals from Thiago Motta, a Diego Milito penalty and Douglas Maicon gave the Nerazzurri a 3-0 lead at half-time before Dejan Stankovic added a stunning fourth midway through the second half. To round off a miserable night for the Rossoneri, they also lost injured Gennaro Gattuso, who was about to be replaced, to a red card just before the interval.
Last weekend's results had brought a chink of optimism to Milan after a lacklustre showing in pre-season. They came into the derby knowing they could move five points clear of their rivals with a win and the packed San Siro was expectant of Leonardo's troops. But what followed was one of their most embarrassing performances as they returned to their pre-season ways and the ignominy of defeat to their most hated rivals.
Bari 0-0 Bologna
Bari's first Serie A game of the season in front of their own fans after an eight-year absence ended in disappointment as they were held to a goalless draw by Bologna. Giampiero Ventura's side came closest to breaking the deadlock through Vitali Kutuzov in the second half, but the teams had to settle for a point each to add to the draws they picked up on the opening day of the season against Inter and Fiorentina respectively. The hosts ended the game with 10 men with Ferdinando Sforzini seeing the red card deep into second-half stoppage time.
SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 29 August] - [Sunday 30 August]
Saturday 29 August
Frosinone 1-0 Mantova
Frosinone find themselves leading the Serie B table after beating Mantova 1-0 at the Stadio Matusa to secure their second consecutive win. Francesco Moriero's side had already struck the woodwork before substitute Fabio Mazzeo got the winner with 15 minutes remaining with a shot from the edge of the box.
Piacenza 3-2 Lecce
Lecce took a surprise tumble at the Stadio Garilli, even if their late fightback very nearly got a result. Tommaso Bianchi bagged a brace around Alessandro Tulli's strike to have Piacenza firmly in control after an hour. However, Marino Defendi and a Guillermo Giacomazzi penalty threatened to wipe out the advantage. Djamel Mesbah hit the woodwork in stoppage time.
Reggina 1-1 Padova
Reggina were stunned at the Stadio Granillo by Serie B new boys Padova in a game they were expected to dominate. Franco Brienza opened the scoring for Walter Novellino's Amaranto by dribbling past defenders and firing in from close range, but before half-time Edgar Cani drew the visitors level with a tap-in.
Vicenza 1-1 Sassuolo
Sassuolo are still unbeaten this season, although they perhaps could have got more points at the Stadio Menti. Alessandro Sgrigna scored a stunning goal to give Vicenza the lead, skipping past two defenders to drill past the goalkeeper from just inside the box. Gaetano Masucci drew Sassuolo level when he was left unmarked for a free header on Francesco Magnanelli's set play and the momentum seemed to be with the visitors after Valerio Di Cesare's second bookable offence. The home side clung on to the point for the final half-hour.
Triestina 1-0 Grosseto
Grosseto continued their dismal start to the campaign with a second consecutive defeat. Defender Alain Nef got the winner by rising above the crowd to nod in a corner kick on the half-hour mark.
Crotone 0-0 Brescia
Brescia are stuttering at the start of this season and were fortunate to scrape a point at little Crotone. The game was played behind closed doors as the stadium failed a security test, but the home advantage still counted as Crotone had three clear-cut chances. Antonino Bonvissuto should've given them the lead just before half-time, but Michele Arcari did well to save his penalty following Andrea Rispoli's foul on Nicola Petrilli. In the final moments Arcari was again called into action, palming Antonio Galardo's effort on to the bar.
Modena 1-2 Ascoli
Ascoli caused an upset with this victory at the Stadio Braglia, leaving Modena still to get off the mark. Alessandro Romeo made the most of a Marcello Gazzola assist just before half-time, then Marco Bernacci doubled the advantage after Aiman Napoli wasted two chances for the home side. Yet the Canarini nearly completed a shock comeback, as Simone Gozzi's header was quickly followed by Roberto Cortellini wasting a golden opportunity.
Cittadella 2-1 Albinoleffe
Cittadella fought back for an impressive victory over promotion hopefuls Albinoleffe. The visitors took the lead early on when Dario Bergamelli connected with a free kick, but Leonardo Pettinari's angled drive from distance and an Matteo Ardemagni tap-in turned it around. Daniele Dalla Bona should've extended the lead, but missed from the penalty spot.
Ancona 2-0 Salernitana
Ancona eased past Salernitana on home turf with the visitors struggling to create any meaningful chances. Argentine Luciano Zavagno was the key man, as he set up veteran Roberto Colacone's opener and then scored the second himself.
Gallipoli 0-2 Cesena
Giuseppe Giannini's Gallipoli could regret this home defeat to fellow relegation candidates Cesena. Guilherme Do Pradoo's cross connected with a Emanuele Giaccherini diving header, then he took control to convert a penalty. Ciro Ginestra struck the woodwork for the hosts late on.
Monday 31 August
Torino 3-0 Empoli
Torino leapt to the top of the table on Monday with a scintillating display to demolish fellow promotion hopefuls Empoli. It all took place in the final half-hour, when David Di Michele came sliding on to a Massimo Loviso cross from the left. Francesco Pratali scored against his former club with a towering header and finally Rolando Bianchi nodded in the third.
Source: Football-Italia
Parma have confirmed the signing of Italy World Cup winner Cristian Zaccardo from Wolfsburg.
The 27-year-old defender, who spent just one season with the German Bundesliga champions, joins up again with former Palermo boss Francesco Guidolin at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
Zaccardo is Parma's second signing of the weekend after experienced striker Nicola Amoruso arrived from Torino.
The newly-promoted club spent just one season outside the top flight and have steadily strengthened their squad in recent weeks with former Roma defender Christian Panucci a major acquisition.
The Gialloblu, who opened their Serie A campaign with a creditable 2-2 draw away to Udinese last week, play their first home game of the season against Catania on Sunday evening
Source: Reuters
Klaas Jan Huntelaar will face a Serie A baptism of fire on Saturday evening when he makes his bow in the Milan derby.
The Netherlands forward joined Leonardo's AC Milan this summer from Real Madrid and missed the opening Serie A fixture through suspension.
Unlike city rivals Inter, the Rossoneri enjoyed a fine start to the campaign with two goals from Alexandre Pato firing them to a 2-1 win at Siena.
Now comes what is always one of the biggest matches of the season and Huntelaar cannot wait to get a taste of the atmosphere.
"I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful game for my debut," he said. "It's a derby, a very hard game and it will be great to play this game for the first time.
"We hope to win and play a great match."
Defending champions Inter, who completed the signing of Wesley Sneijder from Real on Friday, will be looking to clinch their first win after dropping two points last week against newly-promoted Bari but will be without their new signing.
The Nerazzurri fans will be in the minority in this derby at the San Siro as they are officially the away team.
Juventus will be boosted by the presence of captain Alessandro Del Piero when they travel to the Eternal City for Sunday's big clash at Roma.
Del Piero missed his team's 1-0 triumph over Chievo with a muscular injury but has recovered and will lead his team onto the pitch at the Stadio Olimpico.
Later on Sunday, Fiorentina host Palermo seeking their first win of the season after a 1-1 draw at Bologna on the opening day.
Lazio have winning momentum on their side as they go up against Chievo in Verona.
Davide Ballardini's men won the Supercoppa Italiana, cruised to a 3-1 aggregate triumph over Elfsborg in the UEFA Europa League play-off and beat Atalanta in their Serie A opener.
Udinese hope in-form striker Antonio Di Natale can maintain his goalscoring form when they travel to Genoa to meet Sampdoria.
Di Natale struck twice as his team secured a point in their 2-2 draw against Parma last weekend.
Genoa beat Roma 3-2 in their opening match of the campaign and coach Gian Piero Gasperini will expect his team to build on that success when they meet Atalanta in Bergamo.
Cagliari were excellent in their home matches last season and the game against Siena marks their first encounter at the Stadio Sant'Elia this term.
The Sardinian outfit won 11 and lost just four of their 19 encounters at home in 2008-09.
Livorno must overcome the loss of striker Alessandro Diamanti, who was sold to West Ham United this week, as they travel south to meet Napoli.
Parma and Catania battle it out at the Stadio Ennio Tardini with both sides' main aim this campaign to avoid the drop.
Saturday's early game sees Bari go into their home game against Bologna inspired by their 1-1 draw at Inter.
Inter's search for an attacking midfielder has ended with the signing of Wesley Sneijder from Real Madrid for a reported 15million euros.
The Dutch international has signed a four-year contract with the Italian champions after two seasons in Spain, where he scored eleven goals in 52 Primera Liga appearances, helping Madrid win the championship in 2008.
"I think Inter is an amazing club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I'm very happy to be a player of Inter," Sneijder told a press conference. "[The transfer negotiation] has been long, but finally I am here."
Sneijder started his career with Ajax, spending five years at the club and picking up two Eridivisie titles before moving to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 25-year-old has been capped 55 times by the Netherlands representing the Oranje at every major international tournament since his debut in 2003, aged 18.
He joins fellow summer signings Samuel Eto'o, Diego Milito, Lucio and Marko Arnautovic in Jose Mourinho's new-look squad and could make his Serie A debut in the derby with AC Milan on Saturday night.
Source: UEFA
Udinese have completed the double signing of Paolo Sammarco and Francesco Lodi.
Midfielder Sammarco joins the North-East club on a season-long loan from Serie A rivals Sampdoria, with an option to buy out half his contract.
Striker Lodi has also joined on loan from Serie B promotion hopefuls Empoli, with the Bianconeri having an option of making the deal permanent at the end of the season.
Pasquale Marino's side have been busy in the summer transfer market with the arrivals of Bernardo Corradi, Jose Carlos Alemao, Jaime Romero Gomez, Leandro Caruso, Fabian Orellana, Rafael Romo amongst others.
Source: Udinese
Italy Under-21 coach Pierluigi Casiraghi has named six new faces in his squad for next week's UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying double-header against Wales and Luxembourg.
Casiraghi is in the process of building a new group of players, with the initial aim to navigate through the tricky qualifying stages and reach the 2011 tournament in Denmark.
The 23-man squad includes 16-year-old Inter midfielder Lorenzo Crisetig, who could make history as the youngest ever player to feature for the Azzurrini at this level.
Sampdoria pair Guido Marilungo and Roberto Soriano are also called up for the first time, as are Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin, and defenders Gabriele Angella of Empoli and Alessandro Tuia of Monza.
Manchester United sensation Federico Macheda, Inter star Mario Balotelli, and Parma hitman Alberto Paloschi are some of the more high-profile players who will gather for training in Milan on Monday.
Italy, who reached the semi-finals of this year's European Championships in Sweden, begin their qualifying campaign against Wales in Swansea on September 4 at 19:45 (UK time), followed by the home game against Luxembourg in Novara at 20:00 four days later.
The Azzurrini are in qualifying Group 3, which is already underway and contains Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary.
If Crisetig plays any part in the upcoming matches, he will beat the current record of youngest Under-21 player held by Macheda, who made his debut aged 18 in the 3-2 defeat to Russia in a friendly earlier this month.
Italy squad
Goalkeepers: Vincenzo Fiorillo (Sampdoria), Mattia Perin (Genoa), Andrea Seculin (Fiorentina).
Defenders: Gabriele Angella (Empoli), Lorenzo Ariaudo (Juventus), Giuseppe Bellusci (Catania), Davide Brivio (Vicenza), Matteo Gentili (Varese), Andrea Ranocchia (Bari), Andrea Rispoli (Brescia), Alessandro Tuia (Monza Brianza).
Midfielders: Antonino Barilla (Reggina), Francesco Bolzoni (Frosinone), Ivan Castiglia (Cittadella), Lorenzo Crisetig (Inter), Mattia Mustacchio (Ancona), Andrea Poli (Sampdoria), Roberto Soriano (Sampdoria).
Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Inter), Federico Macheda (Manchester United), Guido Marilungo (Sampdoria), Alberto Paloschi (Parma), Ivan Pasquato (Empoli).
Source: FIGC
The three Italian clubs in the inaugural UEFA Europa League have been handed tricky draws for the group stage of the competition.
Roma face Swiss club Basel, English outfit Fulham and CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria in Group E, while city rivals Lazio are in Group G, along with Spanish side Villarreal, Austria's Salzburg and the other half of the Bulgarian capital, Levski Sofia.
Genoa meet Spanish giants Valencia, French club Lille and Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic in Group B.
Gian Piero Gasperini's Genoa defeated Danish side Odense 4-2 on aggregate to reach the group stage, while Davide Ballardini's Lazio beat Sweden's Elfsborg 3-1 and Luciano Spalletti's Roma eased past Slovakian club Kosice 10-4 in the play-off round on Thursday.
There are 48 teams at this stage of the competition, split into 12 groups of four, with the top two qualifying for the Round of 32. They will be joined at that stage by the eight teams that finish third in their UEFA Champions League group.
The first round of matches are scheduled for Thursday 17 September, with fixtures continuing on 1 October, 22 October, 5 November, 2/3 December, and 16/17 December.
The final will take place in Hamburg, on Wednesday 12 May, 2010.
Shakhtar Donetsk, who triumphed in the last ever UEFA Cup in May, will be aiming to become the first team to win the competition in its new format.
Meanwhile, UEFA is to experiment during the group stages with having two extra assistant referees per match in an attempt to combat simulation by players to win penalties, and to help resolve other issues such as infringements and to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal-line when there is doubt.
UEFA Europa League 2009-10
Group Stage Draw
Group A: Ajax, Anderlecht, Dinamo Zagreb, Timisoara.
Group B: Valencia, Lille, Slavia Prague, Genoa.
Group C: Hamburg, Celtic, Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Rapid Vienna.
Group D: Sporting Lisbon, Heerenveen, Hertha Berlin, Ventspils.
Group E: Roma, Basel, Fulham, CSKA Sofia.
Group F: Panathinaikos, Galatasaray, Dinamo Bucharest, Sturm Graz.
Group G: Villarreal, Lazio, Levski Sofia, Salzburg.
Group H: Steaua Bucharest, Fenerbahce, Twente, Sheriff.
Group I: Benfica, Everton, AEK Athens, BATE Borisov.
Group J: Shakhtar Donetsk, Club Brugge, Partizan Belgrade, Toulouse.
Group K: PSV Eindhoven, Copenhagen, Sparta Prague, Cluj.
Group L: Werder Bremen, Austria Vienna, Athletic Bilbao, Nacional.
[Fixtures]
Source: UEFA
English Premier League outfit West Ham United have completed the signing of Alessandro Diamanti from Livorno for an undisclosed fee.
Diamanti has inked a five-year deal at the London-based club after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.
West Ham's Italian coach Gianfranco Zola has been chasing striker Diamanti for some time and he has finally landed his man.
Diamanti, who starred in the Amaranto's promotion to Serie A last term, is delighted with the opportunity to join West Ham and play under Zola.
"I am very happy to be at West Ham United and to get the chance to play for Gianfranco Zola," Diamanti told the club's official website.
"This is a big club and I want to give everything for the supporters."
Livorno, meanwhile, have been busy spending the money from the Diamanti sale with the signings of Mozart from Brazilian side Palmeiras and Nelson Rivas from Inter.
Source: Sky Sports
Genoa, Lazio and Roma have booked their safe passages to the UEFA Europa League group stage after completing the qualifying job in tonight's play-off round second leg matches.
Roma went into the second leg of their meeting with Kosice locked at 3-3 from the first leg, but roared into a 5-0 lead at the Stadio Olimpico after just 18 minutes and eventually cruised through 10-4 on aggregate, with Francesco Totti scoring a hat-trick.
City rivals Lazio could afford a 1-0 away defeat to Elfsborg, with the Biancocelesti effectively having wrapped up the tie with a 3-0 first-leg win, while Genoa had a comfortable 3-1 lead over Odense and a 1-1 draw away from home helped the Grifoni progress without alarm.
Following last weeks draw in Slovakia, Roma knew they could not afford to make any mistakes in front of their own fans and they started in blistering form.
A quick fire double from Totti got Luciano Spalletti's side on their way, while Stefano Guberti made it comfortable as he added a third inside the first eight minutes.
Alessio Cerci and Jeremy Menez scored within a minute of each other to give the Giallorossi a stunning 5-0 lead inside 18 minutes.
Jan Novak did pull one back before the interval for the hapless visitors but Roma completed the rout in the second half with late goals from John Arne Riise and Totti, who recorded his second hat-trick of the competition.
Lazio took a commanding 3-0 lead to Elfsborg and despite a narrow 1-0 defeat, Davide Ballardini's side were comfortable in Sweden.
Denni Avdic scored for the hosts but the goal, scored with 20 minutes remaining, proved to be only a consolation for the tie overall. However, Lazio will now be without the suspended Aleksandar Kolarov after he was sent off late on.
Genoa secured their progression to the group stage with a 1-1 draw away to Danish outfit Odense.
In a balanced encounter, Gian Piero Gasperini's side fell behind to an own goal from first-leg hero Luciano Figueroa on the stroke of half time. But Domenico Criscito levelled for the visitors eight minutes into the second half, ending any chances of a comeback from the home side.
The Italian trio join 35 other play-off winners, along with the 10 UEFA Champions League play-off losers, for Friday's group stage draw.
Roma are amongst the top seeds for the draw, while Lazio are in the second pot and Genoa in the fourth.
UEFA Europa League 2009-10
Play-off Round, Second Leg
Thursday 27 August
AEK Athens 3-0 Vaslui (Agg: 4-2)
Aktobe 0-2 Werder Bremen (Agg: 3-8)
Amkar Perm 1-0 Fulham (Agg: 2-3)
Aston Villa 2-1 Rapid Vienna (Agg: 2-2ag)
Austria Vienna 3-2 Metallurg Donetsk AET (Agg: 5-4)
Basle 5-1 Baku (Agg: 8-2)
Club Brugge 1-0 Lech Poznan AET (Agg: 1-1, Pens: 4-3)
Cluj 2-1 Sarajevo (Agg: 3-2)
Crvena Zvezda 2-1 Slavia Prague (Agg: 2-4)
Dinamo Moscow 1-2 CSKA Sofia (Agg: 1-2)
Elfsborg 1-0 Lazio (Agg: 1-3)
Fenerbahce 2-2 Sion (Agg: 4-2)
Levadia Tallinn 1-1 Galatasaray (Agg: 1-6)
Metalist Kharkiv 0-1 Sturm Graz (Agg: 1-2)
Hamburg 3-1 Guingamp (Agg: 8-2)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv 1-1 Teplice (Agg: 3-2)
Hearts 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb (Agg: 2-4)
Heerenveen 0-0 PAOK Salonika (Agg: ag1-1)
Hertha Berlin 3-1 Brondby (Agg: 4-3)
Lille 4-2 Genk (Agg: 6-3)
Litex Lovech 0-4 BATE Borisov AET (Agg: 1-4)
MSK Zilina 0-2 Partizan Belgrade (Agg: 1-3)
Odense 1-1 Genoa (Agg: 2-4)
PSV Eindhoven 1-0 Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv (Agg: 2-0)
Qarabag 0-0 Twente (Agg: 1-3)
Roma 7-1 Kosice (Agg: 10-4)
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Sivasspor (Agg: 6-0)
Sigma Olomouc 1-1 Everton (Agg: 1-5)
Slovan Bratislava 1-2 Ajax (Agg: 1-7)
Slovan Liberec 0-3 Dinamo Bucharest AET (Agg: 3-3, Pens: 8-9)
Sparta Prague 1-0 Maribor (Agg: 3-0)
St. Patricks 1-2 Steaua Bucharest (Agg: 1-5)
Toulouse 0-1 Trabzonspor (Agg: 3-2)
Tromso 1-1 Athletic Bilbao (Agg: 3-4)
Valencia 4-1 Stabaek (Agg: 7-1)
Villarreal 6-1 NAC Breda (Agg: 9-2)
Vorskla Poltava 2-1 Benfica (Agg: 2-5)
Zenit St. Petersburg 1-1 Nacional (Agg: 4-5)
UEFA Europa League 2009-10
Group Stage Draw
Friday 28 August, 1145 (UK time)
> The 48 clubs are split into four seeding pots, with one from each to be drawn into the 12 groups, though no team can meet another from the same nation.
> Matchday 1 takes place on 17 September, with fixtures continuing on 1 and 22 October, 5 November, 2/3, and 16/17 December.
> The top two sides from each section will progress to the Round of 32, where they will be joined by the eight teams which finish third in their UEFA Champions League group.
Pot 1: Shakhtar Donetsk, Werder Bremen, Villarreal, Roma, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Hamburg, Benfica, Valencia, Panathinaikos, Ajax, Steaua Bucharest.
Pot 2: Fenerbahce, Basle, Lille, Celtic, Everton, Club Brugge, Heerenveen, Galatasaray, Anderlecht, Austria Vienna, Copenhagen, Lazio.
Pot 3: Hertha Berlin, Sparta Prague, Dinamo Bucharest, AEK Athens, Slavia Prague, Levski Sofia, Athletic Bilbao, Partizan Belgrade, Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Twente, Dinamo Zagreb, Fulham.
Pot 4: CSKA Sofia, Toulouse, Cluj, Genoa, Rapid Vienna, Timisoara, BATE Borisov, Nacional, Salzburg, Sturm Graz, Ventspils, Sheriff.
Source: UEFA
Newly-promoted Serie A club Bari have reached an agreement with Celtic regarding Massimo Donati.
The Italian midfielder has spent the last two years in Scotland, but now looks set to head back to his homeland.
"Celtic have accepted Bari's offer for the transfer of midfielder Massimo Donati," read a statement released by Bari.
"The contract formalities will be completed on Friday. The player has agreed a four-year deal and he is expected in Bari on Monday."
Donati began his career at Atalanta, before moving on to AC Milan in 2001.
He struggled to make an impact at the Giuseppe Meazza, though, and was often sent out on loan, taking in spells at Parma, Torino, Sampdoria, Messina and back at Atalanta.
The 28-year-old then moved to the Scottish Premier League in 2007 and helped Celtic to the domestic league title in his first season.
Giampiero Ventura's Bari have also secured the services of Spanish youngster Yago Falque from Juventus on a season-long loan.
Source: Sky Sports
The four Italian clubs in the UEFA Champions League have been handed tough draws for the group stage of the competition.
Serie A champions Inter will face holders Barcelona and former star Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Group F, while city rivals AC Milan will welcome back Ricardo Kaka of Real Madrid in a tough Group C.
French giants Marseille and Swiss champions FC Zurich are also in Milan's group, with Dinamo Kiev of Ukraine and Russia's Rubin Kazan complete Inter's group.
Juventus have been drawn together with German giants Bayern Munich in Group A, while they will also face French title winners Bordeaux and Maccabi Haifa of Israel.
Fiorentina, who edged to an away-goals rule victory over Sporting Lisbon in the play-off round this week, will meet English giants Liverpool and Hungarian champions Debrecen in Group E. They will also face French side Lyon for the second consecutive year.
The 32 teams were split into eight groups of four with last season's runners-up Manchester United drawn in Group B alongside CSKA Moscow, Besiktas and Wolfsburg. Former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti will guide his new club Chelsea in Group D, which includes Porto, Atletico Madrid and Apoel Nicosia.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are drawn with AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos and Standard Liege in Group H, while Sevilla will meet Rangers, Stuttgart and Unirea Urziceni in Group G.
The group-stage fixtures will begin with Matchday 1 on 15/16 September, with fixtures continuing on 29/30 September, 20/21 October, 3/4 November, 24/25 November and 8/9 December.
The group winners and runners-up will progress to the first knockout round in the spring, with the final to be staged at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Saturday 22 May 2010. Teams finishing third in each group will transfer to the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.
The fixtures were released shortly after the draw with Leonardo's Milan kicking off their European campaign on 15 September with a trip to Didier Deschamps' Marseille. Ciro Ferrara's Juve welcome Laurent Blanc's Bordeaux on the same night.
Jose Mourinho's Inter will start off with welcoming Barcelona to the San Siro on 16 September, while Fiorentina, like last year, begin with a trip to Lyon.
UEFA Champions League 2009-10
Group Stage Draw
Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa.
Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg.
Group C: Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich.
Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Apoel Nicosia.
Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen.
Group F: Barcelona, Inter, Dynamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan.
Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni.
Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege.
[Fixtures]
Source: UEFA
Fiorentina have qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the second successive season after coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon, going through on the away-goals rule.
Following a 2-2 draw in last week's first leg in Lisbon, Sporting knew they had to score in Florence to progress.
Joao Moutinho did just that with a trademark free-kick ten minutes before the break, but the introduction of Stevan Jovetic changed the face of the game and the Montenegrin levelled soon after coming on.
The Viola were the better side after that and held on to go into the hat, alongside nine other play-off winners this week, for Thursday's group-stage draw.
Cesare Prandelli's men will also join the 22 automatic entrants including fellow Serie A sides Inter, Juventus and Milan. However, only the Rossoneri are amongst the top seeds for the draw, while both Inter and Juve are in the second pot and Fiorentina are in the third pot.
UEFA Champions League 2009-10
Play-off Round, Second Leg
Tuesday 25 August
Anderlecht 1-3 Lyon (Agg: 8-2)
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Panathinaikos (Agg: 5-2)
Debrecen 2-0 Levski Sofia (Agg: 4-1)
FC Zurich 2-1 Ventspils (Agg: 5-1)
Maccabi Haifa 3-0 Red Bull Salzburg (Agg: 5-1)
Wednesday 26 August
Apoel Nicosia 3-1 Copenhagen (Agg: 3-2)
Arsenal 3-1 Celtic (Agg: 5-1)
Fiorentina 1-1 Sporting Lisbon (Agg: ag3-3)
Olympiakos 1-0 Sheriff Tiraspol (Agg: 3-0)
Stuttgart 0-0 Timisoara (Agg: 2-0)
UEFA Champions League 2009-10
Group Stage Draw
Thursday 27 August, 1700 (UK time)
> The 32 clubs are split into four seeding pots, with one from each to be drawn into the eight groups, though no team can meet another from the same nation.
> Matchday 1 takes place on 15/16 September, with fixtures continuing on 29/30 September, 20/21 October, 3/4 November, 24/25 November and 8/9 December.
> The top two sides from each section will progress to the first knockout round, while those finishing third will enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.
Pot 1: Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Milan, Arsenal, Sevilla, Bayern Munich.
Pot 2: Lyon, Inter, Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Porto, AZ Alkmaar, Juventus, Rangers.
Pot 3: Olympiakos, Marseille, Dynamo Kiev, Stuttgart, Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid, Bordeaux, Besiktas.
Pot 4: Wolfsburg, Standard Liege, Maccabi Haifa, FC Zurich, Rubin Kazan, Unirea Urziceni, Apoel Nicosia, Debrecen.
Source: UEFA
Fiorentina have completed the signing of Lorenzo De Silvestri from Serie A rivals Lazio.
De Silvestri has left Lazio after recently falling out with club President Claudio Lotito.
The Italy Under-21 international has agreed a four-deal with Fiorentina after Lazio agreed to pay a reported fee of around 5.5million euros for his signature.
"Fiorentina announce they have bought the rights to the sporting services of the footballer Lorenzo De Silvestri," read a Fiorentina statement.
De Silvestri will not be able to make his Fiorentina debut until mid-September, as he is currently recovering from a knee injury.
De Silvestri was one of three players to fall out with Lotito, and reports claim that the other two - Goran Pandev and Cristian Ledesma - could also soon be sold.
It is claimed that Lazio are looking to offer Pandev and Ledesma in exchange for Udinese's Italian international midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino.
Source: Sky Sports
Maurizio Beretta has been elected the new President of Lega Calcio after receiving the backing of the majority of Serie A and B clubs today.
As Italian club football prepares for the top-flight to split from the second tier in 2010, Beretta will replace Giancarlo Abete in September at the the head of the governing body for the top two tiers of Italian football until the end of the current season.
Abete, President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), had been appointed the Extraordinary Commissioner in May on a temporarily basis after the Lega Calcio's member clubs failed to re-elect or agree on a successor to previous President Antonio Matarrese.
After months of dispute and negotiations, an historic decision to split Serie A from B, and to create an independent league in time for the 2010-11 season was agreed on and approved by the clubs, sporting authorities and the government last month.
Beretta, who received 36 out of 40 votes to head the Lega Calcio at today's General Assembly meeting in Milan, was handed the role of interim President of the new 'Lega Calcio Serie A' in April to steer the transition and form the new league, which will become functional from July 2010.
The subject of the landmark split first came to the fore last October following a number of disagreements between the Lega Nazionale Professionisti's (Lega Calcio) 42-member clubs over financial issues and how money from television and commercial rights should be distributed.
At the same time the top clubs have complained about not getting a bigger slice of revenue to compete against their English and Spanish counterparts in European club competition and the player transfer market.
The plan was also prompted by the desire of the top sides to match the success of England's Premier League after it broke away from the other Football League divisions in 1992.
Meanwhile, Roma President Rosella Sensi is set to take the role of vice-President of Lega Calcio, while AC Milan deputy Adriano Galliani and Triestina President Stefano Fantinel will be the voice for the 20 Serie A and 22 Serie B clubs, respectively, inside Lega Calcio's Via Rosellini headquarters until June 30, 2010.
Serie A champions Inter were surprisingly held 1-1 by newly-promoted Bari in their opening match of the new season, while Juventus started with a win, Genoa defeated Roma in a five-goal thriller and Palermo beat Napoli.
Inter 1-1 Bari
Inter managed only a 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Bari in their opening game of the Serie A campaign. The defending champions went ahead after 56 minutes when Samuel Eto'o scored on his league debut from the penalty spot after Diego Milito was brought down inside the area by Leonardo Bonucci. The visitors, who had enjoyed few chances up to then, hit back with 16 minutes remaining when Vitaly Kutuzov struck an equaliser. Dropping two points at the San Siro has added to a frustrating start to the season after Jose Mourinho's side lost the Supercoppa to Lazio earlier this month.
Juventus 1-0 Chievo
Juventus got their campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 home victory over Chievo. Diego, Juve's big summer signing from Werder Bremen for around 25million euros, sent in a cross for Vincenzo Iaquinta to head home after just 11 minutes. Ciro Ferrara's side dominated the first period and seemed destined to pile on more goals, but they eased off after the break and, in the end, had to be content with one at the Stadio Olimpico.
Genoa 3-2 Roma
Genoa defeated Roma by the odd goal in five after all the goals were scored in a dramatic second half at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Domenico Criscito opened the scoring for Genoa after 49 minutes, but Roma turned the game around with goals from Rodrigo Taddei after 54 minutes and Francesco Totti 10 minutes later. But Genoa refused to lie down and levelled again through an Alberto Zapater free-kick on 69 minutes before Giuseppe Biava grabbed the winner seven minutes from the end.
Palermo 2-1 Napoli
Fabrizio Miccoli was the hero for Palermo as the home side recorded a 2-1 victory over Napoli. Marek Hamsik was on hand to cancel out Edinson Cavani's opener before Miccoli bagged the winning goal. It was the ideal start for the Sicilian club under new coach Walter Zenga, while Napoli's search continues for their first Serie A away win of 2009.
Lazio 1-0 Atalanta
Tommaso Rocchi ensured Lazio got their campaign off to a winning start against Atalanta as his team won 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. The Italian striker netted the only goal after 22 minutes against a team that made the hosts sweat for the victory. Atalanta were unlucky not to come away with a point after having plenty of opportunities to level the score.
Catania 1-2 Sampdoria
A last minute goal from Daniele Gastaldello ensured Sampdoria snatched a late 2-1 win at Catania. Giampaolo Pazzini got Sampdoria up and running but Takayuki Morimoto levelled before Augustyn Blazej was handed a red card. And Sampdoria made their numerical advantage pay as Gastaldello struck in the dying moments to ensure three points.
Udinese 2-2 Parma
Udinese's Antonio Di Natale denied Parma a winning return to Serie A with an injury-time equaliser in a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Friuli. Francesco Guidolin's newly-promoted side had twice gone ahead, but on both occasions it was the Udinese skipper Di Natale that pulled the hosts level. Milan-owned Alberto Paloschi had put Parma ahead after 42 minutes but they could not even keep the lead into the break - Di Natale scoring an injury-time penalty after Alessandro Lucarelli fouled Christian Zapata in the area. Lucarelli made up for his mistake with a towering header four minutes after the break, and that strike had looked to be the decisive moment before Di Natale bobbed up again in injury time.
Livorno 0-0 Cagliari
Livorno got a point under their belts at the first attempt as they drew 0-0 with Cagliari on their return to Serie A. The Leghorn side were rock bottom as they dropped out of the division two years ago, but they matched a Cagliari side still smarting from their early Coppa Italia exit. Neither team could dominate as both created chances, but a lack of cutting edge meant the sheets remained clean at both ends.
SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 22 August] - [Sunday 23 August]
The new Serie A season kicked off on Saturday, with AC Milan tasting opening day success at Siena thanks to an Alexandre Pato brace but Fiorentina were held to a 1-1 draw away to Bologna.
Siena 1-2 Milan
AC Milan will be expected to mount a serious challenge to the Serie A title this season, and they kicked off their campaign in positive fashion. The Rossoneri overcame Siena 2-1 on the road, with Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato the star of the show. The Samba starlet opened the scoring on 29 minutes, latching on to a Ronaldinho through-ball before firing home. Abdel Kader Ghezzal did level matters on 34 minutes, but Pato ensured Milan and new coach Leonardo claimed maximum points when he grabbed his second of the night three minutes into the second half.
Bologna 1-1 Fiorentina
Bologna and Fiorentina had the honour of getting the new Serie A season under way and they played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. The hosts took the lead on 24 minutes when former Viola striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo towered above a statuesque defence to nod the opener. Struggling to create chances the Viola, who host Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg with the tie poised at 2-2 on Wednesday, then turned to Romanian talisman Adrian Mutu, and he duly produced a 64th-minute equaliser after less than 20 minutes on the field.
SERIE A REVIEW:
[Saturday 22 August] - [Sunday 23 August]
Roma have signed Argentinian defender Nicolas Burdisso on loan for the season from champions Inter.
The 28-year-old centre-back joined Inter in 2004 from Boca Juniors and, despite never being a first-choice for the Nerazzurri, played 94 games in five Serie A seasons, winning the Scudetto four times.
"It is all done, I'm a Roma player," he said earlier."I'm packing my bags and coming to Rome to sign."
Roma will begin their 2009/10 Serie A campaign away at Genoa on Sunday night and Burdisso is hoping the agreement has been pushed through in time to feature in that contest.
The Giallorossi were held 3-3 at Slovakian outfit Kosice in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off on Thursday.
Source: UEFA
Friday 21 August
Grosseto 0-3 Torino
Torino could not have asked for a better start to life in Serie B, thrashing Grosseto on their own home turf. David Di Michele marked his return from West Ham United with the opener on the counter-attack, set up by Rolando Bianchi. 'Rolandinho' took control in the second half, as his shot came off the bar and he turned in the rebound for 2-0, then smacked a right-foot strike into the top corner.
Lecce 3-0 Ancona
Recently-relegated Lecce made short work of Ancona and have discovered a star in French player Alain Baclet. He scored the first Serie B goal of 2009-10 by nodding in Edinho's cross, then got another header from Angelo's corner kick. Youth product Franco Lepore rounded out the result late on with a daisy-cutter.
Empoli 2-0 Piacenza
Empoli begin another campaign targeting promotion, but had their fair share of luck in this opener. The deadlock was broken when Francesco Lodi converted a penalty, but replays confirm Denis Tonucci brought down Eder just outside the box. When Pietro Zammuto saw red after 70 minutes, there was no way back for Piacenza and Eder doubled the lead after pouncing on a parried strike.
Brescia 1-0 Cittadella
Brescia scraped a victory over Cittadella in their less than enthusiastic debut at the Rigamonti. Ahmed Barusso hit the woodwork early on, but Francesco Bega got the decisive goal with a fierce right-foot free kick from 25 metres. Roland Varga, Maurizio Nassi and Davide Possanzini were wasteful, so Cittadella almost snatched a point through Matteo Ardemagni.
Albinoleffe 2-2 Vicenza
This was an entertaining way to open the 2009-10 campaign in a topsy-turvy encounter. Alessandro Sgrigna converted a penalty awarded for a foul on Davide Gavazzi, but four minutes later the referee had pointed to the spot again for Marco Cellini to equalise. Albinoleffe turned the game around in the second half through a Andrea Cristiano scorcher that curled into the top corner from the edge of the box. However, Daniele Martinelli got his head to a corner to level the scores.
Sassuolo 2-0 Crotone
Sassuolo swept new boys Crotone aside in comfortable fashion. Riccardo Zampagna should've opened the scoring from the spot after Elia Legati brought down Alessandro Noselli, but was fortunate when his penalty was only parried into the path of teammate Luigi Riccio. Substitute Jonathan Rossini thumped in an angled drive to secure the result.
Salernitana 1-2 Frosinone
Salernitana opened up the season with a shock home defeat, though it confirms Frosinone's status as a dark horse. Vincenzo Santoruvo's diving header made the most of a Gennaro Troianiello cross and just before the break Migjen Basha doubled the advantage with a solo effort. Salernitana's fightback was too little, too late, as Francesco Caputo's angled drive failed to make any real difference.
Mantova 0-0 Triestina
Mantova had a tough opening test against Triestina and it was a balanced encounter. The visitors had the best chance of the game when Alain Nef's header was denied only by the crossbar.
Padova 1-0 Modena
Padova celebrated their return to Serie B with a potentially crucial win over Modena. Antonio Di Nardo ran on to Andrea Rabito's long ball and showed great intelligence to lob the on-rushing goalkeeper. The Canarini wasted the opportunity to pick up a point with poor finishing from Salvatore Bruno and Alex Pinardi.
Ascoli 1-1 Gallipoli
Gallipoli celebrated their first ever Serie B game with a precious point at the Stadio Del Duca. Francesco Di Gennaro sprung the offside trap on Piergiuseppe Maritato's backheel flick and waltzed round the goalkeeper to secure a shock lead. The home team poured forward and were eventually able to equalise through Alessandro Romeo's header. Gallipoli ran out of steam towards the end, but Andrea Luci, Simone Pesce and Christian Amoroso wasted golden opportunities to win it.
Monday 24 August
Cesena 0-1 Reggina
Walter Novellino's Reggina got their promotion push off to a strong start with victoty at the Stadio Manuzzi. Cesena went close in the first half, but Ezequiel Schelotto was denied by the crossbar. Introducing youngster Nicolas Viola was the key, as he rose to nod in Antonio Busce's cross three minutes from time.
Source: Football-Italia
Italian football is gearing up for a crucial season with clubs looking to challenge for domestic honours and to make amends in Europe.
Defending champions Inter are favourites to win a fifth consecutive Serie A title, with Juventus seen as the most likely to push Jose Mourinho's team close.
For Inter in particular and Italy's top clubs in general, Europe is the big test, with teams clearly expected to improve on last season's performances - when neither Inter, Juventus, Roma or Fiorentina made it past the last 16 in the UEFA Champions League.
Udinese went further than any other Italian team in Europe, losing to Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. AC Milan, Napoli and Sampdoria had already been knocked out in earlier rounds.
This season, Inter, Juventus and Milan have qualified for the Champions League proper, Fiorentina will join them there if they beat Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon in the play-offs, whilst Genoa, Roma and Coppa Italia winners Lazio are entered into the play-offs for the UEFA Europa League.
The international credibility of the league certainly needs to continue improving following the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal, and recent years of dwindling crowds and declining standards.
Serie A's image has suffered further damage in the off-season with two of its biggest stars both decamping to Spain's Primera Liga; AC Milan's Brazilian playmaker Ricardo Kaka joining Real Madrid for 67million euros and Inter's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic moving to Barcelona for over 50million euros.
Whilst Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o arrived for free as part of the Ibrahimovic deal, there was continued embarrassment across the peninsula that the league's top stars were leaving and not being replaced.
Inter fans have reason to be optimistic with the arrivals of Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from Genoa, and defender Lucio from Bayern Munich.
The Nerazzurri begin the defence of their title against Bari on Sunday evening eager to make amends for their 2-1 Supercoppa defeat by Lazio in Beijing nearly a fortnight ago.
Despite the talent in the Inter side, Italy coach Marcello Lippi, who has a crucial year coming up himself with the FIFA World Cup next summer, has predicted that it will be his former club Juventus and not Inter who will win the Scudetto.
Lippi's prediction infuriated Mourinho, a coach who is easily drawn into controversy and expect plenty more from the self-styled 'Special One' in his second year in Serie A.
Ciro Ferrara, who replaced Claudio Ranieri on a caretaker basis at the end of last season and was appointed full-time coach of Juve earlier this summer, will lead his men against Chievo on Sunday evening.
Juve have looked impressive in pre-season with top summer signing Diego having already shown his value.
The arrival of Felipe Melo from Fiorentina has strengthened the Bianconeri's midfield line following the retirement of veteran Pavel Nedved.
AC Milan were unable to lure all of their summer targets but under new coach Leonardo, they still aim to challenge Inter and Juve for top spot.
It remains to be seen how Milan will adapt without their long-time tactician, Carlo Ancelotti, who has taken the reins of Chelsea.
The Rossoneri will make the journey to Tuscany to meet Siena on Saturday night, but will be without summer signing Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who is suspended for one match from his short spell at Real Madrid.
Fiorentina open the new Serie A campaign at Bologna on Saturday and will once again hope to push for a place in the top four.
Roma are expecting a tough opening game at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris where Genoa await them. The Romans suffered a 3-1 defeat at the Grifoni last term, a result they hope to improve on as they chase a return to the Champions League next season.
The match between Palermo and Napoli at La Favorita also promises to be a fiercely contested game between two sides hoping to crack the top six this season.
Both have been heavily involved in the transfer market this campaign and a Europa League spot is the least they expect at the end of the season.
Atalanta coach Angelo Gregucci will be looking for a more successful stint in his second Serie A coaching job after a disappointing spell at the helm of Lecce five years ago.
Gregucci, whose side travel to Rome to meet Lazio this weekend, was sacked by Lecce just five weeks into the 2005/06 campaign.
Promoted outfit Parma face a challenge from the start when they meet an Udinese side that only lost three of their 19 games at the Stadio Friuli last season.
Coppa Italia finalists Sampdoria will make the journey to Sicily to meet Catania hoping to have a better start than they did last term when they failed to win any of their first four games.
Play-off winners Livorno will be hoping top summer signing Cristiano Lucarelli can make an impact immediately when they entertain last season's surprise package Cagliari in Leghorn.
