2025 Sport Flashbacks: Inter, PSG, Sinner, Alcaraz & More

Inter and the PSG nightmare in the Champions League, Marquez and Pogacar cannibals, Sinner vs Alcaraz endless derby – The flashbacks of 2025 in sport

Another year full of great emotions in the world of sport comes to an end. Let’s see the main emotions of this 2025 in a nutshell

– Napoli’s scudetto

Fourth championship in the history of Napoli signed this time by Antonio Conte on the bench. Aurelio De Laurentiis’ club comes out on top after an exciting head-to-head against Inter by one point. There were many twists and turns, the biggest perhaps being that of the penultimate day, when the Nerazzurri were on the verge of making the sensational overtaking: Napoli held 0-0 at Parma and Inter ahead 2-1 over Lazio: in the 90th minute a penalty for the Biancocelesti (touch with Bisseck’s arm) converted by Pedro for the final 2-2. The Neapolitans remain one point ahead and in the last round they close the score by beating Cagliari 2-0 at Maradona.

– PSG wins the Champions League, destroys Inter in the final

Inter’s ride to the Champions League final deserves a standing ovation. After eliminating Feyenoord (who had eliminated Milan in the playoffs) in the round of 16, the Nerazzurri beat Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals (2-1 away win and 2-2 return at San Siro). The masterpiece is in the double semi-final against Barcelona of a Lamine Yamal who puts on a show and is at times irrepressible: 3-3 at the Camp Nou and 4-3 at San Siro in a crazy match that sees Inter go ahead 2-0 (like in the first leg…), being overcome at 2-3, reaching Barça in the 93rd thanks to a goal from the penalty area by Acerbi and then Frattesi’s final 4.3 in extra time. A beautiful novel that of Inter in the Champions League until 31 May. the match against PSG is a nightmare with Luis Enrique‘s team pulverizing the one coached by Simone Inzaghi. It ends 5-0: Paris Saint Germain’s first European triumph and final with the widest margin of difference in the history of the top club competition of the Old Continent. For Italy there is a smile: that of Gigio Donnarumma who wins the Champions League after a season as a protagonist defending the Parisian goal.

Kvaratskhelia and Doue, stars in the Champions League final against Inter – Photo Lapresse

– Chelsea World Club champion

Luis Enrique’s PSG cherishes the hope of achieving a sensational poker: after the treble (Championship, French Cup and Champions League) he comes one step away from victory in the first Fifa Club World Cup. And it does so with authority, eliminating Bayer Munich in the quarterfinals (2-0) and crushing Real Madrid (4-0) in the semifinals. The dream was shattered in the decisive match with Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea who triumphed 3-0, closing the game in the first half with a brace from Palmer and a goal from Pedro.

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea world champions – Photo Ipa

– Italy postponed to the Playoffs for the 2026 World Cup

Italy loses badly on 6 June in Norway (3-0), in the autumn, after a change on the bench (Salletti was sacked and Gattuso arrived), he won the various matches against Israel, Moldova and Estonia, obtaining qualification for the playoffs. Then they lost badly again against Norway in the last match at San Siro (1-4) in which she was already certain that she could not win first place in the group. Italy-Northern Ireland on 26 March 2026 in the semi-final (in Bergamo) and then the possible play-off against Wales and Bosnia on 31 March to hope to return to the World Cup after two consecutive eliminations.

Erling Haaland’s Norway sends Italy to the Playoffs – Photo Lapresse

– Federica Brignone: the Alpine Skiing World Cup, the injury and the dream of Milan Cortina 2026

A simply incredible Federica Brignone: dominates the overall CDM, winning it for the second time in his career. The Italian champion finishes with 1594 points against the 1272 of the Swiss Lara Gut (Sofia Goggia on the podium with 931). She also won the Downhill and Giant Downhill specialty cups, finishing second in Super-G. A few days later, during the Italian Championships, he suffered a serious injury to his left leg (multifragmentary fracture of the tibial plateau and the head of the fibula, as well as injury to the anterior cruciate ligament). The surgery, a long rehabilitation process, but the La Salle Tiger, showing all his character once again, returned to ski training at the end of November, dreaming of participating in the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics.

Federica Brignone and Sofia Goggia, first and third in the 2025 Ski World Cup – Photo Lapresse

– Marc Marquez MotoGP world champion

Ninth career world title for Marc Marquez and seventh in MotoGP. The 32-year-old Spanish phenomenon in his first year in the official Ducati team gives his rivals no chance, winning 11 races and scoring 545 points. Halfway through the season it is already clear to everyone that there is no story, no one is able to counter it. At the end of the championship his brother, Alex, was second at 478 (with Team Gresini’s Ducati 2024), while Marco Bezzecchi (protagonist of a splendid season on Aprilia) finished third at 353 ahead of a great Pedro Acosta (on Ktm) with 307. Difficult year for Pecco Bagnaia with the other Ducati of the Factory team, fifth at 288.

Pecco Bagnaia – Marc Marquez, the two faces of the 2025 Ducati – photo Ipa

– Lando Norris wins his first World title in Formula 1. McLaren dominates among the constructors

After 4 consecutive World titles by Max Verstappen, 2025 saw the victory of Lando Norris. First time for the 26-year-old born in Bristol who achieved success in the last race, in Abu Dhabi, thanks to a third place finish which allowed him to maintain a lead of just two points in the standings – 423 against 421 – over Verstappen, (winner of the GP). The Dutchman wasn’t able to hit the poker table like the great Michael Schumacher did in his time, but he fought until the end with his Red Bull against a dominant Mclaren team capable of winning the Constructors’ World Championship by a landslide with 833 points won against 469 for Mercedes who finished in second place. A figure after the Dutch GP at the end of August Max was -104 Oscar Piastri (then third in the end with 410 points) and -70 behind Norris.

Lando Norris, Formula 1 world champion with McLaren – Photo Lapresse

– Jannik sinner Australian Open Open e Wimbledon. Alcaraz Conquista Roland Garros E US OPEN

A duopoly at the command of world tennis: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (number 1 ATP at the end of 2025). The Italian tennis player won his second Australian Open by beating Alexander Zverev (6-3, 7-6, 6-3). In Melbourne, the only Major in which the Italian and the Spaniard did not face each other, then only the two of them in the final. Carlos won at Rolang Garros after an epic battle that lasted almost five and a half hours: 4–6, 6–7, 6–4, 7–6, 7–6. And in the fourth set Sinner had 3 match points (on Alcaraz’s serve). The rematch at Wimbledon with Jannik winning with authority (4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4) And Carlos who at the end of the third set says to his corner: “He’s playing much better than me. From the baseline he’s much stronger than me. He’s playing much better than me”. The US Open is a solo for Alcaraz: 6/2, 3/6, 6/1, 6/4. The year ends with another beautiful clash, at the ATP Finals with Sinner winning 7/6, 7/5.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the duopoly of world tennis – Photo Lapresse

– Tadej Pogačar right off the cycling: France Tour, World and Terones Speed

The 28-year-old Slovenian confirms his invincibility: he wins his fourth Tour De France with almost 4 and a half minutes on his great rival Jonas Vingegaard (who consoled himself in September by winning the Vuelta in the absence of Pogacar), took his second World title in the road race in Kigali (Rwanda) by breaking away with 100 kilometers to go, with Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) at 1’28”. And he also wins 3 Monument Classics: Tour of Flanders (for the second time), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (third triumph) and Tour of Lombardy (5 participations and 5 times first).

Tadej Pogačar celebrates his fifth Lombardy with the world champion jersey – Photo Lapresse

– Golden Italy in Volleyball

If the national football team hopes to rediscover the joy of participating in the World Cup, in volleyball Italy dictates the law: the Azzurri coached by Fefé De Giorgi won the title by beating Poland in the semi-finals with a resounding 3-0 and a 3-1 against Bulgaria in the final. Fifth gold medal in our history, only the old Soviet Union did better (at 6). The girls led by Julio Velasco, one year after the triumph at the Paris Olympics, confirmed themselves in the World Cup after two incredible matches: tie break victories first against Brazil and then Turkey.

Men and women, Italy Volleyball is twice world champion – photo Lapresse