AC Milan clinch Serie A title with resounding win to end 11-year wait

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AC Milan clinched their first Italian Serie A title in 11 years after earning a 3-0 final-day victory at Sassuolo on Sunday.

Stefano Pioli’s side came into the final round of fixtures knowing a point would be enough for them to finish top ahead of rivals Inter Milan, with a double from Olivier Giroud and one from Franck Kessie sealing the Scudetto in style.

Inter Milan beat Sampdoria 3-0 in their final game but it was not enough for them to retain the Scudetto as Simone Inzaghi’s side finished runners-up.

Inter needed Milan to lose to have any hope of winning back-to-back titles but the Rossoneri’s victory maintained their two-point advantage to win their first title since the 2010/11 season.

The game at the Citta del Tricolore was all wrapped up at half time, as Giroud scored just 17 minutes in and doubled Milan’s lead past the half-hour mark.

Kessie added the third just minutes later, with Rafael Leao providing two assists.

As news streamed in of Milan‘s goals away at Sassuolo, Inter fans at the San Siro wore a sombre look as silence descended on the historic stadium, even as their team desperately tried to break down Sampdoria’s defence.

But Sampdoria goalkeeper Emil Audero stood firm in the first half, making confident saves to deny Inter who grew more frustrated by the minute and resorted to shots from distance.

The crowd found its voice after the restart, however, and Inter duly opened the scoring when Nicolo Barella found Ivan Perisic in the box and the Croatian fired home.

Inter then scored twice in two minutes through Joaquin Correa as the Argentine forward showcased a deft touch for the first at the end of a flowing move before out-muscling the defence on a solo run to score his second on the turn.

Napoli and Juventus had already tied up third and fourth for Champions League places next season, while Lazio finished fifth, one point and place ahead of city rivals Roma.

Venezia and Genoa have already been relegated, with the third spot between Cagliari and Salernitana. They both play on Sunday night, with the latter club having a two-point advantage at kick-off.

Additional reporting by Reuters