Rome, May 15: Inter Milan won the Italian Cup on Wednesday after beating Lazio 2-0 and completing a domestic double alongside their 21st Serie A title.
An Adam Marusic own goal and Lautaro Martinez’s tap-in, both in the first half, gave Inter both a comfortable victory in Rome and a 10th Cup triumph.
“We deserved the trophies after a good season,” said Inter coach Cristian Chivu to Mediaset.
“Winning the league and cup is never something you can take for granted. We’re very happy.”
For Lazio it was another depressing note of a long, arduous season in which their hardcore supporters have boycotted home matches in protest at long-time owner Claudio Lotito’s stewardship of the club.
Their fans did show up for the final, making a fair old racket until Martinez doubled Inter’s lead in the 35th minute, and chanting “Lotito piece of shit” towards the final whistle.
But they will again be absent from the stands at weekend for the Rome derby in which their hated local rivals Roma could take a big step towards the Champions League.
“I’m disappointed for the boys, because morale is low at the moment, and for the fans who came back tonight, who came back in numbers tonight,” said Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri.
“Tonight we just came up against a better team than us.”
PSG clinch fifth straight Ligue 1 title
Paris Saint-Germain secured their fifth straight French Ligue 1 title on Wednesday as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s strike set up a decisive 2-0 win away to nearest rivals Lens.
The Georgian netted his 19th goal of the season just before the half-hour mark and substitute Ibrahim Mbaye added a late second as PSG took an unassailable nine-point lead at the top with one match of the season remaining. Luis Enrique’s team had all but clinched another league triumph last weekend when they beat Brest 1-0 to go six points clear of Lens with two games left while also boasting a far superior goal difference.
That meant even a Lens victory here could not realistically have prevented the Parisians from extending their domestic dominance. PSG have now won a record 14 French titles overall with 12 of them coming in the last 14 years, a period in which they have been transformed under Qatari ownership.
Five in a row is the longest streak of successive Ligue 1 titles since Lyon claimed seven on the bounce between 2002 and 2008. This latest league title adds to their trophy haul for the season, in which they had already won the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup and French Champions Trophy.
There might yet be more to come, as the defending European champions face Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30 — they will become just the second team in the modern era to win back-to-back European Cups if they defeat the Gunners.
Alaves end Barca’s bid for 100-point record
Newly-crowned Spanish champions Barcelona suffered a 1-0 defeat by Alaves on Wednesday, ending their bid to match the all-time La Liga record points total of 100.
Hansi Flick’s side needed to win their remaining three matches to reach that figure but fell at the first hurdle in Vitoria.
Ibrahim Diabate’s goal in first half stoppage time earned Alaves a vital victory in their battle against relegation, taking Quique Sanchez Flores’s team out of the drop zone and up to 15th.
Earlier, Sevilla produced a sensational comeback from two goals down to beat Villarreal 3-2 and climb towards safety.
Espanyol defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at home to win their first match in 2026, ending an 18-game run without a victory.
City keep pressure on Arsenal
Manchester City’s second string eased past Crystal Palace 3-0 on Wednesday to climb just two points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal with two games remaining of a captivating title race.
Pep Guardiola made six changes from the side that beat Brentford 3-0 at the weekend, with Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku among those on the bench, while Palace boss Oliver Glasner also made tweaks.
First-half goals from Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush put City in control at a damp Etihad and a late strike from Savinho added gloss to the scoreline.
The tide appeared to have turned in City’s favour in the title race over recent weeks but last week’s costly 3-3 draw at Everton put Arsenal firmly back in the box seat.
The City players experienced the agony of seeing a stoppage-time equaliser for West Ham against Arsenal ruled out following a VAR check on Sunday as the Gunners battled to a 1-0 win.
The three-goal win takes City to 77 points, two behind Arsenal. City now have a superior goal difference of plus one and have scored seven more goals.
City take on Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, gunning for a domestic cup double after lifting the League Cup earlier this season.
Despite the narrow gap, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal remain overwhelming favourites to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
If the Gunners overcome relegated Burnley next Monday, City must beat Bournemouth, who are chasing Champions League qualification, the following day, to keep the title race alive. (AP)
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