Inter Milan Seals 21st Serie A Title As AC Milan, Juventus Risk UCL Positions

Inter Milan sealed the Italian league soccer title with a 2-0 victory over visiting Parma on Sunday. Inter, which needed only a draw to secure the trophy, moved an unassailable 12 points clear of 2025 champion Napoli with three rounds remaining. It’s Inter’s 21st Serie A title, trailing only the record 36 held by Juventus. Marcus Thuram scored just before the break with an angled shot placed just beyond the reach of Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Then 37-year-old Henrikh Mkhitaryan added another in the 80th after taking a pass from Serie A scoring leader Lautaro Martinez, who came off the bench to mark his return from an injury layoff. Thuram was born in Parma while his father, Lilian Thuram, played there. For Cristian Chivu, Inter’s first-year coach, the trophy was secured against the club he coached last season — having helped Parma avoid relegation. Chivu, who was hired to replace the departed Simone Inzaghi nearly a year ago, played on the Inter team that won a treble under José Mourinho in 2010. In the running for two trophies this season, Inter will face Lazio in the Italian Cup final in 10 days. The domestic success has come in sharp contrast to Inter’s ouster from this season’s Champions League playoffs by tiny Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt. Last season, Inter was routed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Still, it’s an improvement from last season’s Serie A when Inter finished one point behind Napoli. AC Milan and Juventus at risk of losing UCL places While Inter was celebrating, AC Milan and Juventus were at risk of losing their Champions League places. Milan was reduced to 10 men and beaten 2-0 at Sassuolo for its fourth loss in seven matches. Then Juventus drew 1-1 with relegated Hellas Verona. Third-placed Milan was left only two points ahead of fourth-placed Juventus, which is just three points ahead of fifth-placed Como, which is trying to get into the top four and secure a Champions League spot. Three rounds remain in the Italian league. Domenico Berardi scored early on for Sassuolo for his 12th career goal against Milan and Fikayo Tomori was sent off before Armand Lauriente doubled the advantage after the break. Milan has scored only one goal in its last five matches. USA’s Christian Pulisic, who came on in the second half, extended his goalless streak to a career-high 17 league matches. This comes after AC Milan head coach Allegri called Pulisic “very sensitive” following a recent match, adding that the United States star lets his scoring droughts “affect him more.” “He’s a player who gets into tackles and struggles more. He suffers more from this,” Allegri said. “I have to try to give the team balance by playing without a true center forward, he struggles more.” Vlahovic equalizes for Juventus Juventus also dropped points at home against Verona but extended its unbeaten run to nine matches. Kieron Bowie put Verona ahead after intercepting a pass from Juventus defender Gleison Bremer then Dusan Vlahovic equalized for Juventus with a free kick around Verona’s wall for his first goal since October. Also, Bologna was held 0-0 by Cagliari in a regional derby. The Associated Press contributed to this report.