On The Continent: Another Scudetto For Inter

INTER RETAIN THEIR SCUDETTO
After having lead the way comfortably for most of the season, Internazionale may have limped towards the finishing line in the Scudetto race, but finally crossed it on the final day of the season yesterday. Going into their game at Parma, they were just a point ahead of second-placed Roma, who were at Catania, and for a while it looked like the Giallorossi were going to snatch the title after Mirko Vucinic put them 1-0 up in the eighth minute against the strugglers.

With Parma also fighting for their Serie A lives, they didn't make it easy for the champions, and six minutes into the second half, with the score still 0-0, Roberto Mancini threw on Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish striker had missed much of Inter's recent action through injury, but certainly made an impact when he replaced Julio Cruz. Within ten minutes he had opened the scoring and put the title back in Inter's grasp, sealing their triumph with 11 minutes to go, relegating Parma in the process.

For Roma, the game was up, and they went on to concede an equaliser to Jorge Martinez with five minutes to go. That goal meant little to them, but everything to Catania as it ensured that they were definitely safe from relegation despite Empoli's 2-1 win over Livorno. Frustrations for the visitors boiled over after the final whistle, with Daniele de Rossi showing little sign of being a gracious loser: "I may be bitter, but I will not forget that in the two months when Inter had the most difficulties, they won the way everyone saw," he said.

Philippe Mexes was equally downbeat: "Roma and our fans deserved this Scudetto," he said. "We wanted it so much and we tried so hard, but we couldn't do it.