Fifth consecutive scudetto
Barcelona secured their second consecutive title on Sunday in Spain. However, there was something better being achieved just a few hundred miles across the Mediterranean in Italy. Jose Mourinho helped Milan claim their 5th consecutive title in the Serie A while Mourinho claimed his second in as many years.
Inter sealed the win on the last day of the season with a 1-0 win away at Siena, thanks to a second half strike by Argentinean midfielder Diego Milito. Inter Milan finished the season with 82 points on the table; 2 points above Claudio Ranieri’s Roma who won 2-0 on the night at Chievo Verona. However, they could not secure more points. As a result, Roma had to stay content with yet another second place finish in the league.
Roma would have been celebrating the scudetto on the streets of Rome if both the matches had ended prior to half time. They were leading against Verona 2-0 at half time while matters in Tuscany were still tied at 0-0. Diego Milito broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. The striker finished with a sublime strike after his captain Javier Zannetti on the wings had done all the hard work.
The Argentinean, who scored his 22nd goal of the season, screamed wildly as he knew that the fate of the Italian title had been sealed. Marko Vucinic and Danielle De Rossi netted the goals in Juliet’s city of Verona but the celebrations were subdued as they knew of the result in Tuscany had gone against their wishes.
With this win, Inter have secured the domestic double with the scudetto after winning the Italian Cup earlier in the season by defeating Roma in the final. Inter will now have their sights set on the Champions League final in Madrid in less than a weeks’ time. They will face Luis Van Gal’s Bayern Munich in Madrid in a bid to complete a coveted treble of trophies.
If Inter manage to defeat Bayern in the final, for which they are the firm favorites, it will be a stunning feat for Jose Mourinho’s side that have long lived under the shadows of Juventus and AC Milan. However in recent years, their fortunes have dramatically improved and are now dominating the Italaina League. The team is also fighting for the top honors in Europe; such is the influence of Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho, who has expressed his dislike for the Italian league has been widely speculated to leave the club in the summer with Real Madrid being the likely destination. After the match, Jose said that he has not decided on his future as yet.
"At this point, I am not thinking of myself, my only thoughts are Inter and my players," he told the club's television channel.
"After the final in Madrid, there will be time for me to be a little bit selfish for one, two or three days and I will think what makes me happier from a professional standpoint.
"But right now, I can say with 100% certainty that it's not true that I have one foot and a half at Real or that I am already the Real coach. In fact, I am very far away from being Real coach."
Real will be courting the Portuguese in the summer after a disappointing season. Nevertheless, he is under contract at the club until 2012.
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