Sport
Italian Football Faces Champions League Debacle
Inter Milan’s Champions League exit puts Italian football at risk of having no Serie A clubs in the last 16 for the first time since 1987
Italian football faces a historic setback as the possibility of no Serie A clubs reaching the Champions League last 16 looms.
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Inter Milan’s shock exit to Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday has left Juventus and Atalanta with daunting tasks to preserve Italy’s record.
Since the reintroduction of the last-16 knockout round in 2003-04, at least one Italian team has always featured. In the past 22 years, three Italian clubs have reached this stage on 12 occasions.
The streak of at least one Italian side in Europe’s last 16 dates back to 1987-88, when Napoli was eliminated by Real Madrid in the European Cup.
Inter, Champions League finalists last season, suffered a 3-1 first-leg defeat away before losing 2-1 at San Siro, marking the first time the Milan giants were eliminated by a team outside Europe’s top five leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France).
Juventus trail Galatasaray 5-2 on aggregate ahead of their Turin return leg, while Atalanta face a 2-0 deficit versus Borussia Dortmund.
Both sides must overturn their first-leg deficits to prevent Italian football from a “complete debacle.”
Italian football journalist Daniele Verri said, “Juventus will need to win 4-0 and Atalanta need to win 3-0. [For them all to go out] would be a complete debacle, a disaster for our clubs.”
The dramatic exit underscores concerns over Serie A’s competitiveness in Europe, highlighting the challenges facing Italian clubs in maintaining their historical presence on the continent’s biggest stage.
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Ronaldo and Christian Vieri were present at San Siro, symbolizing the contrast between Italy’s glorious past and the present struggles of its top clubs.
Cristiano Ronaldo announces his retirement from Portugal international duty after 23 years, ending a career that included 146 goals in 234 games
On 5 November 2026, Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international duty, bringing an end to a 23-year career with the national team just as a rift with manager Jorge Jesus appeared to have been patched up.
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The 41-year-old posted a video on social media in which he declared that the time had come to hang up the number 7 jersey.
“Portugal will always be in me,” he said. “The time has come to hang up the number 7 of our national team. I never felt it was exclusively mine, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it.”
Ronaldo added that the decision was not easy and had been taken with both the head and the heart.
He leaves as Portugal’s most capped player and the highest goalscorer in men’s international football history, with 146 goals in 234 appearances.
His career highlights include the Euro 2016 title and two UEFA Nations League triumphs.
The announcement comes a day before Jorge Jesus was due to name his squad for the November Nations League fixtures, following reports that Ronaldo had been included in the preliminary selection after a September fallout over playing time.
In October, Ronaldo had accused Jesus of breaking his word after being left as an unused substitute against Norway, leading him to leave the national team camp.
He later apologised and stated he remained available after any punishment.
The pair were reported to have cleared the air, yet Ronaldo has now chosen to step away entirely.
The decision closes one of the most remarkable international careers the sport has seen and leaves Portugal without its long-serving captain for the remainder of the Nations League campaign.
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Football has been stunned by the sudden end to Ronaldo’s Portugal chapter. While he continues at club level with Al Nassr, the national team must now look to the future without its greatest ever player.
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