Title sealed at San Siro after four decades
Marcus Thuram scored before halftime and Henrikh Mkhitaryan added another in the 80th minute as Inter Milan secured the Serie A trophy with a 2-0 victory over visiting Parma on Sunday. Lautaro Martinez, returning from an injury layoff, set up the second goal.
Inter moved an unassailable 12 points clear of defending champion Napoli with three rounds remaining. It is the club's 21st Serie A title—still second to Juventus's record 36—and third in six years. The timing mattered as much as the tally: Inter had not sealed the title before its home fans at San Siro since 1989, nearly four decades ago.
The record does not need much decoration; it already does the talking.
The win triggered fireworks, dancing, and celebrations in the stadium. Thuram placed an angled shot just beyond the reach of Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Mkhitaryan, at 37, capped the evening by converting Lautaro's pass for his first league goal since October.
A first-year coach completes a personal circle
For Cristian Chivu, Inter's first-year coach, the trophy came against the club he led last season—helping Parma avoid relegation. Chivu was hired nearly a year ago to replace Simone Inzaghi and played on the Inter team that won a treble under José Mourinho in 2010. He has now added silverware in his maiden manager ial campaign.
"Since I arrived at Inter, it's been a team that loves to stay together—on and off the field—and that's our strength," Thuram said. He was born in Parma while his father, Lilian Thuram, played for the club.
Rivals stumble as the chasing pack shrinks
While Inter celebrated, AC Milan and Juventus both faltered in the race for Champions League qualification. Milan lost 2-0 at Sassuolo, finishing with 10 men after Fikayo Tomori was sent off, for its fourth loss in seven matches. Domenico Berardi scored early for Sassuolo, his 12th career goal against Milan.
Juventus drew 1-1 at home against Hellas Verona. After Verona took the lead, Dusan Vlahovic equalized with a free kick—the striker's first goal since October. The result left third-placed Milan just two points ahead of fourth-placed Juventus, with Como three points behind in fifth. Three rounds remain.
Christian Pulisic, who came on in the second half for Milan, has now gone 17 league matches with out scoring—a career-long goalless streak. The attacking woes compound a mid-season slide that has seen Milan score only one goal in its last five matches.