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Tag: Serie A

  • Serie A Matchday 9: Heavyweights meet in Milan as Juve visit San Siro

    Reigning Serie A champions AC Milan take on fellow giants Juventus at the San Siro this weekend.

    Elsewhere, Udinese host Atalanta in a tantalising clash, while leaders Napoli visit winless Cremonese.

    Inconsistent Inter Milan face a tough test at Sassuolo, with Jose Mourinho’s Roma hosting Lecce on Sunday night.

    Game of the week: AC Milan vs Juventus (Saturday, 5pm)

    Two of Italy’s biggest clubs meet in what should be a titanic clash in Lombardy.

    Milan (two) and Juventus (four) are among the three teams that have lost the fewest Serie A matches in 2022, alongside Napoli (three).

    However, the Bianconeri have been underwhelming on the road this term, managing just two points from their three away games.

    The Rossoneri, meanwhile, have been strong on their own patch — but their six-match Serie A winning streak at the San Siro was ended in their last home match against Napoli.

    They will hope Ante Rebic can maintain his positive record of scoring against Juventus — he has four goals in all competitions against them since joining Milan in 2019-20, the joint-most of any player in that period.

    AC Milan's Ante Rebic has been lethal from close range this term
    AC Milan’s Ante Rebic has been lethal from close range this term

    Udinese vs Atalanta (Sunday, 2pm)

    Third-place Udinese host unbeaten Atalanta hoping to jump above their table.

    The visitors are unbeaten in their last nine Serie A meetings with their hosts (seven wins, two draws) and will hope to keep it that way by extending that record to 10 in a row.

    Games between these two outfits are usually entertaining and 30 goals have been scored in their last six clashes.

    Both sides are in excellent form, with Udinese having won each of their last six matches, while Atalanta have won their last four on the road without conceding.

    If preserving their unbeaten status was not enough motivation, Gian Piero Gasperini’s 300th game in charge of Atalanta certainly will be — and they will be keen to mark the occasion appropriately.

    Cremonese vs Napoli (Sunday, 5pm)

    Cremonese are one of just two clubs yet to record a win in this season’s Serie A — while league leaders Napoli are one of only two that remain unbeaten.

    The Partenopei are heavy favourites and will certainly set out on the front foot — no side in the competition has attempted more shots than their 150, while no team has faced more than the hosts’ 138.

    Cremonese will do their utmost to put Napoli off their passing game. Luciano Spalletti’s unit have racked up the highest number of pass sequences that involve 10 or more passes in the league (112), while their opponents have made the most interceptions (99).

    It seems highly likely that Napoli will extend their 12-game Serie A unbeaten streak (10 wins, two draws) against a struggling side, whose wait for a first league win of the season is expected to go on.

    Napoli continued their strong start to the season by beating Torino last Saturday
    Napoli continued their strong start to the season by beating Torino last Saturday

    Sassuolo vs Inter Milan (Saturday, 2pm)

    Inter sit a disappointing ninth with four wins and four defeats from their first eight games — one place below Sassuolo on goal difference.

    The hosts have kept five clean sheets so far, with only Barcelona (six) managing more in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

    The Nerazzurri will be relying on Edin Dzeko and Robin Gosens to continue their strong individual records against Sassuolo, in the hopes of breaching their stubborn rearguard.

    Dzeko has only scored more times in Serie A against Atalanta and Bologna (seven) than he has against Sassuolo (six), while Gosens (four) has not netted more against any other team in the competition.

    Attacking wing-back Robin Gosens has an impressive goalscoring record against Sassuolo
    Attacking wing-back Robin Gosens has an impressive goalscoring record against Sassuolo

    Roma vs Lecce (Sunday, 7.45pm)

    Roma will expect to get a result against Lecce based on recent history between the two teams.

    The Giallorossi have won eight of their last nine Serie A meetings with this week’s opponents (one defeat) and have won 13 of the previous 15 clashes at home (two draws).

    Mourinho’s men have been strong at the Stadio Olimpico, losing just one of their last 11 at home in the Italian top flight (six wins, four draws).

    But they have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their previous four league outings — and Lecce will hope to capitalise on those recent deficiencies at the back.

    The weekend’s other games

    Bologna vs Sampdoria (Saturday, 7.45pm)

    Torino vs Empoli (Sunday, 11.30am)

    Monza vs Spezia (Sunday, 2pm)

    Salernitana vs Verona (Sunday, 2pm)

    Fiorentina vs Lazio (Monday, 7.45pm)

    Source: Livescore

  • Mourinho not motivated by breaking Sir Alex’s European wins record

    Roma head coach Jose Mourinho says he is not thinking about breaking Sir Alex Ferguson’s mark for winning the most European competition games during the Champions League era.

    Mourinho matched former Manchester United boss Ferguson with 106 victories in the Champions League and Europa League when he led Roma past HJK 2-1 in the Europa League last month.

    Only Carlo Ancelotti has more victories (120), with the era dating back to the Champions League’s introduction in 1992.

    Ferguson and Mourinho had a tense rivalry during the Scot’s latter days at Old Trafford, spawning from the Portuguese’s breakout stint at Porto before regularly locking horns during his first spell at Chelsea.

    The Portuguese, who led the Italian club to Conference League glory last term, can surpass the former Manchester United manager when Roma take on Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday.

    “It’s not an extra motivation,” Mourinho told reporters. “I am proud of the 106, and when the 107th arrives, either tomorrow or next week, I don’t know, but when it comes it’ll be a proud moment in my career.

    “I’ve always said that I’ll think about this kind of thing when I finish my career. When I finish my career I have so many things to think about and remember, but at this moment, no.

    “Right now, the only thing that I am worried about is winning the next game, I’m always [thinking about] the next one and the next one is tomorrow.

    “As I said before, it will certainly be difficult, it is a high-level game, very high. But there’s no such thing as winning one more game than Sir Alex.

    “This is not [why I want to win]. I want to win because we need to.”

    Mourinho has won 85 Champions League games and 21 Europa League games, compared to Ferguson’s 105 wins in Europe’s top club competition along with one UEFA Cup (Europa League) victory.

    The former Inter, Real Madrid and Porto boss has two Champions League titles and two Europa League titles to his name, the latter with United. Ferguson, who retired in 2013, lifted the Champions League three times.

    Ancelotti, who has won the Champions League four times, moved to 103 Champions League wins with Madrid’s 2-1 triumph over Shakhtar Donetsk, while he has 13 Europa League wins too.

    Source: Livescore

  • Allegri claims Juventus must take ‘one step at a time’ to revive fortunes

    Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri says his side must take matters “one step at a time” after breaking a month-long winless streak against Bologna on Sunday.

    The Bianconeri ran out 3-0 winners at the Allianz Stadium, clinching their first victory in all competitions since the end of August thanks to goals from Filip Kostic, Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik.

    The result arrested Juventus’ slide into mid-table mediocrity in Serie A, although they remain four points adrift of the top four and seven shy of early-season leaders Napoli.

    The difficulty of the challenge facing Juve is not lost on Allegri, who says his team need to avoid getting ahead of themselves in the coming weeks.

    “We need to take it one step at a time, and hopefully, we can close the gap,” he told DAZN. “We closed it last season, so [we know] we can do it again.

    “We needed patience and focus to build the performance and get the result. I almost felt like we couldn’t believe it when we got back to the locker room.

    “It needs to be one small step at a time. We can’t make up that difference all in one go. At this moment, we need clear and cool heads.”

    Kostic netted his first goal in club colours to round off a superb run from Vlahovic, who arguably delivered his best performance of the season in Turin.

    Kostic said he would look to repay the favour by teeing up his fellow Serbia international in the future, stating: “I do a good job with Dusan, I thanked him for the assist and I hope I can give one back next time.”

    Source: Livescore

     

  • Juventus 3-0 Bologna: Bianconeri ease pressure on Allegri

    Goals from Filip Kostic, Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik helped Juventus snap their month-long winless streak as they returned to Serie A action with a 3-0 victory over Bologna.

    Heading into Sunday’s encounter, Massimiliano Allegri’s side had not won across all competitions since the end of August, to leave the head coach’s future at the club in serious doubt.

    But an assured display from the Bianconeri against Thiago Motta’s embattled side has likely assuaged immediate fears at Allianz Stadium, while the scope of the Bologna boss’ task is becoming readily apparent.

    Aside from an off-target Manuel Locatelli effort in the first minute, the early exchanges provided scant entertainment in Turin as both sides sought to settle into the game.

    But it was Juventus who looked the livelier of the two and when Vlahovic picked off a loose ball in midfield, the crowd rose to roar on his blazing run.

    Kostic ran crafty support along the left flank, and when the ball came wide to him, his low strike beyond Lukasz Skorupski back across the box was a worthy opener.

    Bologna seldom looked like they would disturb that lead and the visitors were made to pay again just before the hour mark when Vlahovic powered Weston McKennie’s cross home with a header.

    Merely three minutes later, Milik took advantage of a defensive lapse to rifle a vicious volley into the roof of the net, and from there the hosts cruised to full-time for a morale-boosting result.

    What does it mean? Juventus steady ship

    Having last tasted victory at the end of August with a 2-0 win over Spezia, the Bianconeri had since gone five without victory until this weekend.

    With serious questions looming over whether they would be able to force their way back into the top four again, even at this early juncture, this result offers a much-needed optimism.

    Vlahovic maintains happy streak

    After an opening-day brace, it all went a little bit quiet for Dusan Vlahovic, but the Serbian got back to goalscoring ways with a fine bit of work here.

    Bologna are one of his favourites to face too – he has scored in each of his last four league games against them, having only achieved a similar feat against Sampdoria.

    Motta facing fight to survive

    If the new Bologna boss was in any doubt as to the difficulty of the task he has inherited, Thiago Motta will be significantly more aware now, with Sinisa Mihajlovic’s successor overseeing a chastening trip to Turin.

    He will be more frustrated by the fact his side actually had more possession (52 per cent) but were particularly ineffective with the ball at their feet.

    Key Opta Facts

    – Juventus scored three goals for the first time since the opening-day win over Sassuolo.

    – This was Manuel Locatelli’s 50th appearance with Juventus in all competitions.

    – Dusan Vlahovic has scored in each of his last four league games against Bologna.

    – Arkadiusz Milik has scored five goals against Bologna in Serie A – his best return against any team in the division.

    What’s next?

    Juventus return to Champions League action with a match against Maccabi Haifa on October 5. Bologna, meanwhile, will wait for the next Serie A round, when they face Sampdoria on October 8.

    Source: Livescore

     

  • Serie A Matchday 8: Struggling giants clash at San Siro

    Two giants of the Italian game meet as Inter Milan host Roma at the San Siro with both looking to improve on inconsistent starts to their respective seasons.

    Joint-league leaders Napoli and Atalanta are in action at home hoping to extend their unbeaten league starts against Torino and Fiorentina, respectively.

    Reigning champions AC Milan will feel they have a point to prove as they visit Empoli having slipped out of the top four, sitting behind Lazio on goal difference.

    Juventus, meanwhile, are down in eighth and need a win at home to Bologna to spark some life into their season.

    Game of the week: Inter Milan vs Roma (Saturday, 5pm)

    Both sides will be desperate for a big win to inject some positivity into their league campaigns — but Inter will fancy their chances.

    The Nerazzurri have won more games (75) and scored more goals (290) in Serie A against Roma than any other opponent in their history.

    Additionally, Inter have not lost any of the last 10 meetings between the pair in the competition (four wins, six draws), with Roma last triumphing in 2017.

    While the hosts sit seventh in the table, they can rely on their strong home form having won each of their last seven league outings at San Siro — keeping four clean sheets in that period.

    Roma will rely on striker Andrea Belotti to turn the tide in their favour — since 2016, no player has scored more away goals against Inter than he has (four).

    Napoli vs Torino (Saturday, 2pm)

    Napoli's attacking numbers have made them Serie A contenders
    Napoli’s attacking numbers have made them Serie A contenders

    Napoli are one of just two teams yet to lose in Serie A this season — and they will be intent on keeping it that way against Torino.

    In fact, the Azzurri are unbeaten in their last 11 outings in the competition (nine wins, two draws) and also boast a 14-game unbeaten record (10 wins, four draws) against Saturday’s opponents.

    The Partenopei may be forced to wait to score, however. Torino have only conceded one goal in the first half of matches — and five of the other six have come in the 80th minute or later.

    Luciano Spalletti’s men can also expect plenty of set-piece situations to exploit, with Torino committing the second-most fouls in the division (108) while Napoli have won the second-most (99).

    Empoli vs AC Milan (Saturday, 7.45pm)

    Milan will be out to right some wrongs after losing their unbeaten status in a 2-1 defeat to title rivals Napoli last time out.

    In Empoli, they face an opponent against whom they boast a strong record. The Rossoneri have won the last three league meetings in a row and have only lost one of the last 11 in the competition (six wins, four draws).

    The 2021-22 champions will be wary of Empoli striker Mattia Destro, however, who has scored the joint-most Serie A goals against them of any player since 2019 (four).

    Atalanta vs Fiorentina (Sunday, 5pm)

    Atalanta come into this game unbeaten in Serie A this season and level on points with league leaders Napoli as they welcome Fiorentina.

    Remarkably, though, most of their success has come on the road this term. In fact, Atalanta have only won one of their last nine Serie A games at home (five draws, three defeats).

    Conversely, Fiorentina have not travelled well of late. They have lost five of their last six league games on the road (one draw), scoring just three times in that run. ]

    La Viola have attempted the second-most crosses of any team in Europe’s top five leagues this term (138) but have failed to convert any of those into a goal.

    They will need to be more creative if they are to break through the team with the best defensive record in Serie A this season (three goals conceded).

    Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi, meanwhile, has two goals and two assists in his last five league appearances against Fiorentina and will be keen to add to his tally.

    Ruslan Malinovskyi is pulling all the strings for Atalanta
    Ruslan Malinovskyi is pulling all the strings for Atalanta

    Juventus vs Bologna (Sunday, 7.45pm)

    A glance at the history books makes it almost inconceivable that Juventus should slip to defeat against Bologna.

    The Bianconeri have lost only once in the last 39 league meetings between the pair (28 wins, 10 draws) and Bologna have not drawn (49) or lost (78) more Serie A games against any other opponent.

    Bologna’s recent away form in the Italian top flight leaves much to be desired, managing just one win in their last 13 matches on the road (five draws, seven defeats).

    Additionally, Juventus boss Max Allegri has 15 wins against Bologna — the second-most of any coach against a team since the 1994-95 season.

    Juventus are struggling to get the ball into their dangerous players
    Juventus are struggling to get the ball into their dangerous players

    The weekend’s other games

    Lazio vs Spezia (Sunday, 11.30am)

     Sassuolo vs Salernitana (Sunday, 2pm)

    Lecce vs Cremonese (Sunday, 2pm)

    Sampdoria vs Monza (Sunday, 2pm)

    Verona vs Udinese (Monday, 7.45pm)

    Source: Livescore

  • Conte rubbishes ‘disrespectful’ Juventus links ahead of North London Derby

    Antonio Conte described reports linking him with a return to Juventus as “disrespectful” ahead of Tottenham’s North London Derby clash with Arsenal.

    Spurs are unbeaten in their seven Premier League games this season and trail the Gunners by just one point ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Emirates Stadium.

    Should Tottenham avoid defeat at the home of their local rivals, it will be just the second time they have gone unbeaten through their first eight games of a Premier League season, having previously done so in 2016-17.

    Conte’s work with Tottenham has seen him linked with a return to Juventus, who he led to three consecutive Serie A titles between 2011-12 and 2013-14.

    Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri is under pressure after they recorded just two wins in their opening seven Serie A matches this season, but Conte has rubbished speculation he would be tempted by a return to Turin.

    “This is incredible. In this period I think this is disrespectful for the coach that works in Juventus and for me working in Tottenham,” Conte said on Thursday.

    “We have just started the season. Many times I have spoken about this topic and I’ve always said I’m happy and enjoying my time with Tottenham.

    “We have the whole season to find the best solution for the club and for me, and for sure I’m enjoying my time at Tottenham. I have a great relationship with the owner [Daniel Levy] and [sporting director Fabio] Paratici.

    “I don’t see any problems at the moment in the future. We both signed the contract. I don’t want to listen to someone speaking about this.”

    Tottenham overcame Arsenal in a tense battle for Champions League qualification last season, going on to claim fourth place after beating the Gunners 3-0 in May.

    Conte, however, believes Mikel Arteta’s side have improved since then, adding: “For sure Arsenal had a fantastic start, they lost only one game against [Manchester] United. They are showing to be a really good team.

    “In the summer they made good signings and improved the team that, don’t forget, before the last three games of last season, were four points up on us.

    “We are talking about a really good team that, last season, we did a really good job to overcome in the last three games.

    “At the same time, I know the quality of this team, that they are working with Arteta for many years. For me, he’s a really good coach. He can have in front of him a great career.”

    Both Hugo Lloris and Dejan Kulusevski are reportedly doubtful for the trip to Arsenal with minor injuries, and Conte believes the punishing nature of the schedule between now and the World Cup will reveal which sides are genuine title contenders.

    “I have seen that many clubs are having big problems with players that played these two games [in the international break], and for sure Tottenham is one of these clubs,” he added.

    “You have to understand this was the last game [for the players] to show they deserve to play the World Cup, also for the coaches it was the last period to call the players.

    “For sure, to play so many games before the international break, and then again now to play 13 games in 43 days, it’s crazy, it’s crazy.

    “For sure, we have to face it with injuries. In this period, you understand which are the really competitive squads.

    “This is the moment in which you understand who are the title contenders and the teams that are competitive for Champions League.”

    Saturday’s match will be the first North London Derby since December 2007 to begin with one of the sides sitting top of the Premier League.

    Should Spurs win, it would be the first time in top-flight history that either of the teams has beaten the other to replace them at the top of the table.

    Source: Livescore

     

     

  • Maldini confident rumoured Chelsea target Leao wants Milan renewal

    Milan technical director Paolo Maldini is confident Rafael Leao wants to sign a new contract with the Serie A champions.

    Leao joined Milan three years ago in a €35million deal that reportedly also includes a 20 per cent sell-on clause.

    He made only 12 Serie A starts in his first season, but that increased to 22 the following campaign and then reached 31 last term as Milan won the title.

    Leao played a crucial role in Milan winning a first Scudetto since 2011, scoring 11 goals and setting up another eight – his 19 goal involvements was five more than anyone else for the Rossoneri, while only Theo Hernandez (51) laid on more chances than the Portugal international (45).

    The forward’s improved productivity has unsurprisingly seen links to other clubs emerge, with Chelsea reportedly keen on him.

    But Maldini is optimistic about extending Leao’s contract beyond its current expiry in 2024, despite a dispute with former club Sporting CP – whom the player reportedly owes €16.5m after unilaterally terminating his contract in 2018 – threatening to cause a distraction.

    “Leao has a difficult situation deriving from the move to Lille, this is affecting him a lot and has meant that our dialogues have often changed,” Maldini told Gazzetta dello Sport.

    “But Rafa is grateful to us, and I’m interested in what he tells us. He understands that the path in the coming years must be at Milan, he understands it and tells us [this].

    “Then there will be a negotiation, but we know that strong players must be paid their worth. If the team continues to grow, Leao will have everything to compete to the fullest.

    “But of course, there is no non-transferable [player] for all the teams in the world.”

    Maldini was then asked if he was confident some form of arrangement could be found with Leao and Sporting, as the player reportedly wants Milan to help fund any future payments to the Primeira Liga side.

    “Yes, with [Leao’s contract], yes [but] we have nothing to do with Sporting.”

    Leao has already scored three times in six Serie A appearances this season, with Milan sitting fifth and three points off the summit after seven matches.

    Source: Livescore

  • Serie A: Juventus loses to recently promoted Monza

    Juventus‘ worries have exacerbated as newly promoted Monza claimed their first Serie A victory by beating the giants.

    Sunday’s match ended with the scoreline 1:0 in favour of Monza.

    Christian Gytkjaer scored the winning goal in the second half for Monza’s first win of the season to move off the bottom of the table.

    Monza were promoted to Serie A for the first time last season.

    The club, owned by former Italy Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, missed out on automatic promotion but emerged through the play-offs.

    Centre-back Pablo Mari is on loan from Arsenal, with Italy internationals Matteo Pessina and Stefano Sensi also in their side.

    Samuele Birindelli, the son of former Juve defender Alessandro Birindelli, came on for Monza with five minutes remaining.

    Massimiliano Allegri’s side have had a poor start to the season and manager Allegri’s position is under threat.

    The side lie eighth in Serie A, having won just twice in seven games, and have also lost both of their Champions League games so far.

  • AC Milan win Serie A for first time in 11 years

    AC Milan won their 19th Serie A title but the first for 11 years by cruising to victory at Sassuolo.

    Olivier Giroud scored twice with Franck Kessie also on target for the visitors.

    The title triumph vindicates Milan’s decision to appoint Stefano Pioli as manager in 2019 – a move that was initially unpopular with Pioli having led city rivals Inter for six months.

    Inter finished two points back, a final-day 3-0 victory over Sampdoria ultimately in vain.

    Napoli were third after a 3-0 win at Spezia while Juventus ended their disappointing season under Massimiliano Allegri – who won the title with Milan in 2010-11 – by finishing fourth but qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

    England international Fikayo Tomori was part of Milan’s title-winning team in his first full season since his permanent move from Chelsea last summer.

    Pioli brings back glory days but has medal stolen

    Milan have suffered more than a decade of disappointment since the title for Allegri in 2011 but Italian Pioli has brought back the glory days.

    Former Serie A players such as Clarence Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Vincenzo Montella and Gennaro Gattuso have all since tried and failed to revive the former European champions.

    Veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was part of that last Milan side that won Serie A and at the age of 40 he lifted the trophy with the club for a second time.

    By winning the title, midfielder Daniel Maldini follows in the footsteps of his father Paolo Maldini, who won seven league titles with Milan, and grandfather Cesare Maldini with four.

    But Pioli left the title celebrations empty-handed after having his winner’s medal stolen.

    “They snatched my medal in the celebrations: if you can make an appeal I thank you, it is the only one I have,” he said.

    Thankfully, Serie A heard his appeal and have promised to give him another medal on Monday.

    Source: BBC

  • Italy sports minister calls for ‘immediate’ halt to Serie A over coronavirus

    Italy’s Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora called Sunday for an immediate suspension of the Serie A season due to the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 233 people in the Mediterranean country.

    “The FIGC (Italian Football Federation) should consider immediately STOPPING Serie A,” Spadafora wrote in a statement on his Facebook page.

    “It makes no sense right now, as we ask citizens to make enormous sacrifices to prevent the spread of the virus, to endanger the lives of players, referees, coaching staff and fans who will surely gather to watch the matches, by not temporarily suspending football.”

    Italy has borne the brunt in Europe of an epidemic that first emerged in China at the end of last year and has spread to almost 100 countries.

    On Wednesday, the league was ordered to play matches behind closed doors until April 3 as part of broader measures imposed nationwide to limit crowds and fight the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

    Italian Footballers’ Association president Damiano Tommasi tweeted on Sunday that “stopping football is the most useful thing for our country right now”.

    “The teams to cheer are playing in our hospitals, in emergency rooms,” Tommasi wrote.

    Spadafora’s comments are the reported reason for Sunday’s first match Parma v SPAL — one of six previously postponed games being played this weekend — being pushed back over an hour to 1245 GMT.

    The clash was supposed to kick off at 1130 GMT but Sky Sport reports that the players were led back into the dressing rooms from the tunnel as they lined up to take the field.

    The confusion comes after Italian media obtained copies of draft legislation that ordered the quarantining of the entire Lombardy region in northern Italy, the worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

    Lombardy capital Milan is Italy’s economic heart, and the region is home to some 10 million people.

    The government decree also covers parts of the Veneto region around Venice as well as Emilia-Romagna’s Parma and Rimini.

    The decree advised people in the quarantine zones to stay at home as much as possible, and it shuts down all night clubs as well as gyms and swimming pools.

    Bars and restaurants will remain open but must ensure that everyone is seated at least a metre (three feet) apart.

    It stresses that entry into and out of the new quarantine zones would only be allowed for “serious reasons”.

    More 5,800 people have been diagnosed with the virus in Italy in the past two weeks.

    Source: France24