COMO, Italy :Inter Milan ended their Serie A campaign with a 2–0 win at 10-man Como on Friday which was not enough to retain the Scudetto title due to Napoli’s 2-0 victory over Cagliari.
Despite getting the job done at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Inter fell short in a tense season finale, having entered the match one point behind leaders Napoli in the title race.
With a Champions League final against Paris St Germain looming and serving a touchline ban, coach Simone Inzaghi rested several regular starters but his side still delivered when it mattered.
“We did our part, we knew we were depending on others. We couldn’t have done more today, but we have to put it behind us and prepare for the final,” Inter captain Stefan de Vrij told DAZN.
“We didn’t deserve (the title) because if we’re not top after 38 games, then whoever is top deserves it, but there’s a feeling that we could have done more in the league.”
Inter came close to an early opener when Federico Dimarco sent a cross from the left to set up Matteo Darmian whose volley was brilliantly cleared by Maximo Perrone.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when De Vrij rose to meet Hakan Calhanoglu’s pinpoint corner, powering a header past Como goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
Inter nearly doubled their lead, but Reina, making his final career appearance, denied Mehdi Taremi with a sharp one-on-one save.
However, the Spaniard’s farewell turned sour when he was sent off shortly before halftime following a VAR review for a last-man foul on Taremi.
Joaquin Correa made it 2–0 six minutes into the second half, cutting inside a defender before finishing coolly, but any hopes of a dramatic title twist quickly faded as news came through that Napoli’s Romelu Lukaku had scored almost simultaneously.
“There’s a huge desire to play a great final next week. We’ve worked really hard this year and done very well in the Champions League. We’ll do everything we can to finish on a high,” De Vrij added.
