Napoli wins fourth Serie A title with one point over Inter
Napoli fended off Inter Milan's pressure to register its fourth Serie A title on Friday after a 2-0 home victory against Cagliari in the final round
- ROME — Napoli fended off Inter Milan's pressure to register its fourth
Serie A title on Friday after a 2-0 home victory against Cagliari in the final
round, making the Nerazzurri's win over Como to no avail.
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- The Scudetto race was practically a two-horse race before
Friday. Napoli entered its final matchday with 79 points, one point ahead of
Inter, so Antonio Conte's side only needed one victory to secure its Serie A
champion, regardless of Inter's result.
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- Cagliari had confirmed its Serie A status after the 37th
round and had nothing to play for on Friday, but Napoli only broke the deadlock
on the stroke of halftime when Matteo Politano whipped in a cross, Scott
McTominay found the net with a stunning acrobatic scissor kick, reports Xinhua.
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- Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead just six minutes after the
break when the Belgian collected the ball in the midfield and surged forward,
resisting shoulder-to-shoulder challenges before finishing with a low-strike.
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- It is Napoli's second Serie A championship in three
years, as it had relished the glory with huge advantage in the 2022-2023 season
under Luciano Spalletti, ending a 33-year wait.
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- It is also a historic moment for Conte, who became the
first coach to win Serie A title with three different clubs, having already
steered Juventus and Inter Milan to the laurel.
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- Elsewhere, Inter rotated the starting line-up massively
but still rose to a 2-0 away victory with a pair of goals from Stefan de Vrij
and Joaquin Correa, while Como's veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who has decided
to retire after the season, ended his career with a red card when he rushed out
to bring down Mehdi Taremi outside the box in the first half.
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- Inter eventually capped off the Serie A season on second
place with 81 points, one shy of Napoli. But Simone Inzaghi's men have no time
to dwell on the regret, as they have to shift the focus to the Champions League
with the massive final awaiting them on May 31.
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