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Inter continue Serie A title party as Abraham saves Roma at Napoli

football28 April 2024 18:00| © AFP
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Hakan Calhanoglu © Getty Images

Inter Milan began their official Serie A title party on Sunday as the newly-crowned champions were acclaimed by crowds throughout their city after a straightforward 2-0 win over 10-man Torino.

The 75 000 fans present at Sunday's on-pitch ceremony have followed their victorious team around Milan ahead of their imminent approach towards joyous hordes at the Italian city's iconic, and packed, Piazza del Duomo.

Supporters lined the streets and let off flares as the team began a four-hour journey, their passage away from the San Siro hampered by a huge crowd hailing their heroes who won the Scudetto with five matches to spare.

Most of those fans were denied the chance to see Inter win their 20th league championship in the flesh on Monday night by beating local rivals AC Milan as the away team in a thrilling derby.

Those who were at the San Siro on Sunday saw Hakan Calhanoglu's second-half double, a fine first-time strike in the 56th minute and a penalty four minutes later, earn Inter a 28th league win of the season.

Calhanoglu's role in winning the lunchtime clash was appropriate as the Turkey captain has been key to Inter's charge to the title, becoming one of Europe's best deep-lying playmakers since being signed from AC Milan three years ago.

The 30-year-old is a hate figure for AC Milan supporters but he has rubbed his former fans' faces in it this season, which with Euro 2024 on the horizon has probably been the best of his career.

His brace took his all-competitions goal tally for the season to 15 and extended Inter's lead on second-placed Milan to a whopping 19 points.

"Today is a wonderful day, I don't want to talk about that other lot (AC Milan). Today I'm going to have fun," added Calhanoglu.

Inter were helped when Torino's Adrien Tameze was sent off in the 49th minute for bundling over Henrikh Mkhitaryan, referee Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi overturning her original decision to book Tameze after a check at the pitch-side monitor.

Ferrieri Caputi had a much easier decision to make when Matteo Lovato brought down Marcus Thuram, allowing Calhanoglu to slam home from the spot and turn attentions to the post-match festivities.

ABRAHAM SAVES ROMA

Tammy Abraham snatched a potentially crucial point in the battle to reach the Champions League with his first goal in a year which earned Roma a 2-2 draw at Napoli.

England international Abraham has missed almost the whole of this season after tearing knee ligaments at the end of the last campaign.

The substitute was on hand to nod home his first goal since his return from a perfect flick-on form Evan Ndicka, who started in defence after being cleared to play following his on-pitch collapse at Udinese earlier this month.

Roma, who took the lead in the 59th minute through Paulo Dybala's penalty before being pegged back by Mathias Olivera's heavily deflected strike and a late Victor Osimhen spot-kick, are fifth and in the final Champions League spot.

Daniele De Rossi's team are four points behind Bologna who are fourth and were earlier held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Udinese.

Roma have a tough end to the season with the first leg of their Europa League semifinal against German champions Bayer Leverkusen coming up on Thursday and clashes with Juventus and Atalanta among their last four league fixtures of the campaign.

They have Atalanta, who have a game in hand on all of their top-five rivals, breathing down their necks with just two points separating the pair after a simple 2-0 win over Empoli for the Bergamo-based team.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta have their own Europa League semi with Marseille on Thursday after also reaching the Italian Cup final.

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