Milan win Italian title to end Internazionale's dominance

Posted Sunday, May 08, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Rossoneri draw 0-0 at Roma to seal first scudetto since 2004
• Palermo beat Bari before Italian Cup semi-final with Milan

The Milan players toss their coach Massimiliano Allegri into the air as they celebrate winning the Serie A title with a 0-0 at Roma.

Milan got the point they needed to clinch their first Serie A title since 2004 with a 0-0 draw at Roma. The hosts dominated the opening half but the Rossoneri were the better team after the restart and had several chances, including a 46th-minute strike from Robinho that hit the post.

The result at the Stadio Olimpico left Milan nine points clear of city rivals Internazionale, who host Fiorentina tomorrow, with two rounds of games remaining. Inter have won the last five scudettos and the city rivals are now tied on 18 titles each. Juventus have won a record 27.

After the final whistle, Milan began a champagne celebration on the pitch and threw the manager, Massimiliano Allegri, up into the air. The veteran midfielder Gennaro Gattuso said: "They said we were dead, they said I was finished. Winning after seven years is a huge emotion. Allegri deserves a 10; he was the magician behind this success, he was able to keep the group together."

The Milan president and Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, was not at the game but his daughter Barbara, who was recently added to the club's board of directors and has been romantically linked to striker Alexandre Pato, came down to congratulate the players.

"This is a great moment, coming after seven years," said the Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf. "This group will grow a lot after this victory. Now we want to bring the Italian Cup home too."

Milan have a better head-to-head record in their games against Inter this season, which means the Rossoneri would end in first place if the two sides were to finish level on points.

Palermo warmed up for their Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Milan on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Bari.

Simone Bentivoglio put the already relegated visitors in front in the seventh minute, but Fabrizio Miccoli brought the home team level before the interval.

Cesare Bovo's goal in the 53rd minute earned all three points and they could even afford to miss a penalty through Miccoli.