Inter Are Italian Champs, Clinch First Title In 11 years

Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) are the new Italian League champions for the 2020/2021 season.

Clinching their first Serie A title in 11 years, Inter, nicknamed “The Well-Cherished One” have in the process brought to an end Juventus’ long-running era of dominance of the Scudetto.

Scudetto is decoration worn by Italian sports clubs that win the annual championship of their respective sport in the previous season. It was created in the 1920s to honour the winner of the National Association Football League and the first team to wear it was Genoa C.F.C. in 1924.

Antonio Conte’s men wrapped up the league title following Atalanta’s one-all draw with Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium on Sunday. That result left Inter having an unassailable 13 points lead atop the table with four matches remaining.

The 51-year-old Conte had faced resistance among the fans because of his Juventus background. But in just two seasons, he has proved them wrong by successfully knocking the Old Lady off their high pedestal.

Though the Nerazzurri’s title victory looks easy, it has been anything but that. They worked incredibly hard to stop Juventus’ unprecedented run of nine consecutive titles.

After beating Crotone 2-0 in their last outing, Inter knew they were on the brink of glory and can now officially start celebrating their 19th Scudetto. Their win at Crotone marked their 25th victory of the season; four more than any other team, with seven draws and just two defeats in the kitty.

They also have the best defensive record and the second-best attacking record behind Atalanta, while their +45 goal difference is currently superior to all of their main rivals. Unbeaten in 17 league matches, Inter’s last defeat came away at Sampdoria on January 6, 2021.

It is a triumph for unity, discipline and endeavour. More than that, it is victory for Antonio Conte; vindication of his footballing philosophy and confirmation of his status as one of the finest coaches of the modern era.

For the man, who put Juve back on their perch, after Calciopoli (match fixing scandal in Italy’s top professional football league, Serie A, and to a lesser extent Serie B), has knocked them off it in just his second season at San Siro.

Consequently, while Conte still has his critics, and some of the allegations leveled at him are valid, nobody can now dispute his greatness.

He is right when he says Inter was “the ultimate challenge” for him, “the most difficult choice” he could ever have made.

As a result, this might just be his finest achievement to date, given he has had to fight his corner right from day one… – With Goal.com reports