Inter Milan wins third straight Italian title

Inter Milan won its third straight Italian league title Sunday by beating Parma 2-0 on the final

day of the season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, returning from a six-week injury layoff, scored both goals

to help Inter finish the season with 85 points, three more than AS Roma, which tied 1-1 at

Catania.

“All of Italy was rooting against us, which gives us even more pride,” Inter president Massimo

Moratti said.

Ibrahimovic was out injured when Inter wasted chances to clinch the past two weekends, first

with a loss against city rival AC Milan and then last week with a tie against Siena. “After we lost

the derby a lot of (negative) things were written about us,” Inter captain Javier Zanetti said.

“Everyone was rooting for Siena and everyone wanted Roma to win, but unfortunately the party

is still going to be in Milan. This was a group response.”

The Sweden striker came on in the 51st minute in driving rain at Parma and scored one goal

with each foot. In the 62nd, he used his right foot to connect on a low shot from beyond the

penalty area. He then volleyed in a cross from Maicon with his left foot in the 79th.

Inter fans were barred from attending the game in Parma, but thousands of supporters

celebrated outside the stadium, and fans back in Milan chanted in front of the city’s Duomo

cathedral.

Roma needed to win and hope for help from Parma. It looked good for the Giallorossi when

Mirko Vucinic scored in the eighth minute, but Roma let up after news of Ibrahimovic’s goals

reached Catania and Jorge Andres Martinez tied the score for the Sicilians in the 85th.

“We weren’t supposed to win it today. The difference came during those two months of the

season when Inter struggled but won nine of 10 games,” Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi said.

“Nobody ever doubted Inter was a great team.”

Fiorentina beat Torino 1-0 to secure fourth place and Italy’s final Champions League berth.

AC Milan finished fifth despite a 4-1 win over Udinese, and will miss out on the top European

competition next season.

Argentine forward Pablo Osvaldo scored with a bicycle kick in the 76th minute for Fiorentina

at Torino, which had a goal by Aimo Diana disallowed for offside in the 60th.

Udinese led Milan when Giandomenico Mesto scored in the 32nd minute, but the Rossoneri

responded with goals from Alexandre Pato, Filippo Inzaghi, Cafu and Clarence Seedorf.

“We’re not ending the year how we’d like to, but let’s not forget that we won the Club World

Cup this season,” Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said, also recalling that his team won its

seventh European Cup last season. “After two seasons when our focus has been elsewhere,

next year we’re going to focus fulltime on the league.”

Juventus finished third with 72 points and was followed by Fiorentina with 66 and Milan with

64.

Alessandro Del Piero finished as the league scoring leader, getting two goals in Juventus’

3-3 tie with Sampdoria on Saturday. Del Piero finished with 21 goals, teammate David Trezeguet

had 20 and Genoa’s Marco Borriello ended with 19.(source: yahoo/ap)