Saliba ruled out of France squad, Lacroix called up as replacement
Defender William Saliba has been ruled out of France's squad due to injury ahead of this month’s friendlies against Brazil and Colombia, with Maxence Lacroix called up to replace him, the country's football federation (FFF) said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Arsenal's Saliba played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City in Sunday's League Cup final, before the FFF announced his injury.
"The Arsenal centre back is suffering from recurring pain in his left ankle, requiring treatment and a minimum rest period of 10 days," it said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Man City cut Arsenal down to size as O'Reilly double seals League Cup final
Manchester City reasserted themselves as trophy hunters supreme as they gave Arsenal a chastening reality check with a 2-0 victory in the League Cup final thanks to Nico O'Reilly's second-half double at Wembley on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Premier League leaders Arsenal arrived on the crest of a wave and as favourites to win their first silverware since 2020 but were found wanting as City recovered from a rocky start to deservedly win the competition for the ninth time.
Five of those have come since Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016 and the Spaniard is now the most successful manager in the competition's history, moving past Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough who all won it four times, according to Reuters.
Arteta wants final flop to fuel Arsenal's fire
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he wanted his side's chastening 2-0 League Cup final loss to Manchester City to fuel the fire in the belly of his players, who remain in the hunt for three major trophies this season, Reuters reported.
Premier League leaders Arsenal arrived as favourites on Sunday to win their first trophy since 2020, but were steamrolled by a dominant City, who won the competition for the ninth time.
The London side's lacklustre showing will inevitably raise concerns among the club's fans at a crucial stage of the season as they seek their first Premier League title since 2004 and challenge for both the Champions League and FA Cup, according to Reuters.
Inter held to 1-1 draw at Fiorentina as title race comes alive
Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina on Sunday as the hosts' Cher Ndour scored a second-half equaliser to cancel out Francesco Pio Esposito’s ‌first-minute opener and dent the visitors' Serie A title charge, Reuters reported.
Following AC Milan’s 3-2 victory over Torino on Saturday, the result in Florence trimmed Inter’s lead at the summit to six points, leaving the leaders on 69 points with eight matches remaining and offering fresh hope to their city rivals.
"We knew the three points were crucial for us, and Fiorentina deserve credit, but we didn't play our best game, and it's not our best moment. But it's all in our hands," said Inter assistant coach Aleksandar Kolarov.
“They (Fiorentina) have been on good form recently, so I see a point here as relatively positive," he added, stepping in for suspended manager Cristian Chivu, according to Reuters.
