Inter win first Serie A title in 11 years
Inter Milan clinched their first Serie A title in 11 years on Sunday after Sassuolo drew 1-1 with Atalanta to assure Antonio Conte's side of the league crown.
Inter are 13 points clear in first place with four games remaining, and their triumph ends a run of nine consecutive title wins for Juventus.
The league title is Inter's first since winning the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League Treble in 2009/10 under Jose Mourinho, and their 19th overall.
Inter have therefore overtaken AC Milan, who have 18 Serie A titles, to become the second-most successful club in league history behind Juventus, with 36 league wins.
Inter beat Crotone 2-0 on Saturday to go 14 points clear at the top.
Coach Antonio Conte's consistency in selection aided his side's consistency in performance. Inter have grown into the season after a shaky start, and their league form was undoubtedly helped by a disappointing group stage elimination from the Champions League at the end of 2020.
Conte's side lost to AC Milan and dropped points against Parma and Atalanta as they struggled to juggle domestic and European exertions.
But after finishing bottom of a group with Real Madrid, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Shakhtar Donetsk in December, Inter were the only team in Serie A's top seven that had no European distractions remaining.
That allowed Conte's side a full week of preparation for most league games, and they went on to become the first Serie A team to start the second half of a season with 11 consecutive wins.
Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte said his players deserve praise. "The season we are having is the result of a constant growth from every point of view, not only technical and tactical, of mentality, sharing, living it intensely," Conte told Sky Italia.
Meanwhile, Manchester City were also on the brink of a third Premier League title in four seasons after a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday secured with goals by Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres.
City's title will be confirmed if Liverpool win at Manchester United on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's side have 80 points with four games left, while second-placed United are on 67 with five to play.
"We can start to put the champagne in the fridge -- not to open yet but to think about it," said Guardiola, whose side face Paris St Germain on Tuesday in the home leg of their Champions League semi-final with a 2-1 lead.
"The Premier League is already there -- it is in our hands. We need one more victory, two more points."
In La Liga, Real Madrid's Brazilian duo Eder Militão and Casemiro struck in the second half to secure a 2-0 home win over stubborn Osasuna on Saturday and keep the heat on the La Liga leaders, Atlético Madrid.
Atletico Madrid stayed in charge of La Liga's four-way title race by grinding out a 1-0 win at struggling Elche on Saturday but rode their luck to the extreme when the hosts missed a penalty in stoppage time.
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