Napoli wins fourth Serie A title with one point over Inter

Rome, May 24 (IANS) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

--IANS

ab/