Italy

MILAN - CBS Sports has secured exclusive rights to screen Serie A matches in the United States for the next three seasons, Italy's top flight soccer league and the U.S. TV group said in a joint statement on Thursday.

Besides 380 league matches per season, the deal also includes some Italian Cup matches and the one-off national Super Cup Final, they added.

A source familiar with the matter said CBS Sports will pay some $200 million to screen the Serie A games over the 2021-2024 period, and $21 million for the Italian Cup.

ROME - The great-grandson of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini has signed his first professional contract with Serie A soccer team Lazio.

Romano Floriani Mussolini, 18, was called up to the Roman club’s Under-19 team in February and has featured in four of their last five matches, earning a three-year deal.

The teenager, son of Alessandra Mussolini, a former member of the European parliament for the Forza Italia party, posted a picture of himself signing a contract on his Instagram page, where he goes by the name Romano Floriani.

Cesare Prandelli has resigned as manager of Fiorentina after a disappointing second spell in charge, the Serie A club confirmed on Tuesday.

The former Italy national team coach returned to Florence to take over from Giuseppe Iachini in November, managing the club for the second time following a spell between 2005 and 2010. But the veteran coach's return did not go to plan as he oversaw just five league wins to leave Fiorentina languishing in 14th in the Serie A standings and, in a lengthy resignation letter, he hinted this job could be his last.

STOCKHOLM - AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimović shed a few tears of pride as he returned to Sweden's national team after a four-year absence for their World Cup qualifiers and recounted how his son did not want him to leave home to join up with Janne Andersson's squad.

The 39-year-old, who quit international football after Euro 2016, choked up when he was asked what his boys, Maximilian, 14, and 12-year-old Vincent, thought of his decision to answer his country's call again and return to the world stage.

Benevento dented Juventus' Serie A title hopes on Sunday when Adolfo Gaich’s second-half strike sealed a shock 1-0 victory in Turin and ended the relegation battlers’ 11-match winless run.

The Argentine pounced on a careless pass from Juve midfielder Arthur Melo to fire in the decisive goal after 69 minutes, and the toothless hosts failed to find a way past goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò.

BENEVENTO TAKE THE LEAD AGAINST JUVENTUS pic.twitter.com/qbaoLYMyEI

There are few things in life that irk me more than men who say they won’t watch women’s sports because they think they aren’t as good as men’s sports. Anyone who makes such naïve comments clearly has never taken the time to actually watch women’s sports and probably has some deep-rooted misogyny they need to work out. Just look at this Roma Women bicycle kick from Marija Banušić, which proved to be the winner in a 4-3 thriller against Inter Milan on Saturday.

Former Italy captain Daniele De Rossi has joined Roberto Mancini's national team staff as technical coach, the Italian Federation said on Thursday.

Ex-Roma midfielder De Rossi is fourth on Italy’s all-time appearance list having played 117 times for the Azzurri, and takes up his first coaching role after retiring from playing last year when he left Boca Juniors.

Real Madrid was a bit fortunate to escape its first-leg Round of 16 Champions League match with Atalanta with a win. It fully deserved its win back at home on Tuesday. 

Karim Benzema capitalized on an awful mistake from Atalanta’s keeper to set Real Madrid on its way to a 3-1 win on Tuesday in Madrid. Los Blancos advanced to the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate.

TURIN, Italy - Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick inside 32 minutes as Juventus bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit by beating Cagliari 3-1 away in Serie A on Sunday.

The 36-year-old striker found the net with a header, a right-footed penalty and a left-foot shot and celebrated by pointing to his ear in an apparent response to recent criticism.