Milan are the new Serie A champions. The Rossoneri succeeded to Inter after easily disposing of Sassuolo in the last campionato round on Sunday night. Milan needed just one point at the Mapei Stadium to clinch the title but Stefano Pioli’s boys went above and beyond and scored three times in the first half already to dispose of the Neroverdi‘s weak opposition.
The Diavolo benefited from goals from Olivier Giroud – who bagged a brace – and Frank Kessié – who thus bid farewell to the Rossoneri in the best way. But, moreover, Milan benefited from a sumptuous Rafael Leao who served all three assists of the game.
In the meantime, Inter beat Sampdoria 3-0 at the San Siro to end their campionato on a positive note. However, the Nerazzurri scored all their goals when Milan had already build a three-goal cushion so they were never really in contention to snatch the title out of their cross-town rivals’ hands.
The Cult of Calcio followed both games with live updates so below is our recap of this great calcio afternoon.
? SIAMO NOI, SIAMO NOI, I CAMPIONI DELL'ITALIA SIAMO NOI! ?? ?#SassuoloMilan #SempreMilan#AlwaysWithYou pic.twitter.com/4tEngKpDzR
— AC Milan (@acmilan) May 22, 2022
Minute 92: It’s Over! Milan Beat Sassuolo 3-0 to Be Crowned Italian Champions!
Referee Daniele Doveri just blew for full time at the Mapei Stadium, certifying Milan’s triumph. The Rossoneri beat Sassuolo 3-0 to clinch the Serie A title for the first time since 2011.
Minute 90: Inter Beat Sampdoria 3-0
It’s over at the San Siro. Inter did their job as they beat Sampdoria 3-0 with goals from Ivan Perisic and Joaquin Correa (twice) but it wasn’t enough. The Nerazzurri will pass the Scudetto baton to their cross-town rivals.
Minute 81: Celebration Have Started at the Mapei
Milan are already in celebration mode. Stefano Pioli is applauding his fans. Sassuolo are resorting to their last substitutions, even sending in backup goalkeeper Giacomo Satalino in Consigli’s place.
Minute 77: Ibrahimovic’s Goal Disallowed
Ibra found the back of the net with a header but saw his winning effort canceled by a Rafael Leao offside position in the build-up. The Portuguese had just served his FOURTH assist of the night before being caught offside!
Minute 72: It’s Ibrahimovic Time!
Stefanio Pioli sent Zlatan Ibrahimovic in, replacing goal-scorer Olivier Giroud who received a standing ovation as he left the pitch. Brahim Diaz also got in the game in for Rade Krunic.
As expected, Milan have been going in cruise control mode so far in the second half.
Minute 57: El Tucu Correa Scores Twice in Three Minutes
Inter want to honor their supporters – who have not stopped chanting from the San Siro stands despite the bad news coming from Reggio Emilia – and match Milan’s performance at least when it comes to the score.
Joaquin Correa scored twice in three minutes to bring Inter at 3-0 as Sampdoria seem to have vanished from the pitch. First, El Tucu finalized an exchange with Hakan Calhanoglu and Ivan Perisic, then he made the best out of a swift counterattack to bag his personal brace.
Sassuolo – Milan 0-3
Inter – Sampdoria 3-0
Current Standing:
Milan 86
Inter 84
?? | TUCU
? L'esultanza del @tucu_correa dopo la doppietta
⚽⚽#InterSampdoria 3️⃣ – 0️⃣#FORZAINTER ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/RLnEcY1Y56— Inter ??? (@Inter) May 22, 2022
Minute 49: Perisic Puts Inter Ahead!
It was Inter’s most in-shape man – Ivan Perisic – to finally open the scoring for the Nerazzurri with a fine left-foot shot from a Barella assist. Inter did what they needed to do.
Sassuolo – Milan 0-3
Inter – Sampdoria 1-0
Current Standing:
Milan 86
Inter 84
Minute 47: Audero Denies Barella!
Emil Audero denied Nicolò Barella with a fine save to keep the score unchanged at the San Siro.
Half Time: Milan Built a Comfortable Three-Goal Cushion
The afternoon at the Mapei Stadium is turning into an absolute triumph for Milan as the Rossoneri are thrashing Sassuolo 3-0 at half time. Milan’s first Scudetto since 2011 has never been this close.
Sassuolo’s opposition was weak to say the least and the Rossoneri were merciless as they took advantage of every single mistake made by Alessio Dionisi’s men. Olivier Giroud bagged a brace while Frank Kessié scored in what most likely was his last game as a Rossonero. A brilliant Rafael Leao served all the assists that lead to Milan’s goals.
The match at the San Siro between Inter and Sampdoria is still scoreless and offered little to report. Simone Inzaghi and his boys’ motivation is low as they are obviously seeing their title chances vanish. To grab the title, the Nerazzurri would need to still beat the Blucerchiati and hope that Sassuolo suddenly remember to be a football team and score four (!) to Milan.
Dreamland. #SassuoloMilan 0-3 #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/z0EuilzO8Q
— AC Milan (@acmilan) May 22, 2022
Minute 43: Not Much to Report from the San Siro
The news coming from the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia obviously had an impact on Inter’s morale. Lautaro Martinez and Denzel Dumfries tried to shake things up but neither shot was on target.
Minute 35: Kessié Bids Farewell with a Goal!
Frank Kessié bid farewell to Milan in the best possible way, scoring the third goal of the day – once again from a Rafael Leao service. Kessié whipped the ball past Consigli with a spectacular shot from outside the box after Maxime Lopez made yet another defensive mistake for the Neroverdi.
Milan are getting closer and closer to their Scudetto dream but Sassuolo’s performance so far has been frankly embarrassing.
Sassuolo – Milan 0-3
Inter – Sampdoria 0-0
Current Standing:
Milan 86
Inter 82
Minute 31: Giroud Bags a Brace!
Olivier Giroud bags a brace and now the Scudetto really seems to be taking the path to Milanello!
Sassuolo continued to inexplicably try to build up their play from their defensive third. Gian Marco Ferrari got the ball snatched out of his feet by Leao, who served again Giroud in the middle of the box. All the Frenchman had to do was push the ball into the back of the net from point-blank range.
Sassuolo – Milan 0-2
Inter – Sampdoria 0-0
Current Standing:
Milan 86
Inter 82
Minute 28: Candreva Gives Inter a Scare!
Former Nerazzurro Antonio Candreva gave his ex-team quite a scare with a vicious shot that missed the target by just a few inches as Sampdoria went unexpectedly close to score.
Minute 23: Inter Pressure Fruitless So Far
As expected, Inter are commanding the operations at the San Siro as Sampdoria are pegged back in their own half. However, Simone Inzaghi’s side is yet to create any serious problem to the Blucerchiati. Inter have collected three corners so far, their most dangerous chance being a Lautaro Martinez header that sailed above the crossbar.
Minute 21: Tonali’s Shot Defused by Consigli
Milan continue to attack as Sassuolo are struggling to re-organize themselves after conceding the opener. Sandro Tonali went for a long-range shot, calling once again Consigli to action.
Minute 16: Giroud Strikes for Milan!
Milan’s domination in the early stages of the game bore fruit as the Rossoneri opened the scoring via Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman was well served by Rafael Leao, who took advantage of one the many defensive mistakes made by Sassuolo so far to nutmeg Consigli and bring his side closer to the Scudetto.
This is the 10th goal for Giroud, the first time he manages to score more than 9 league goals since the 2016/17 season.
Sassuolo – Milan 0-1
Inter – Sampdoria 0-0
Current Standing:
Milan 86
Inter 82
Minute 6: Giroud Challenges Consigli, Milan Close to Score!
Both the Milanese sides have had an aggressive start but Milan really came close to open the scoring with a close-range header from Olivier Giroud that Sassuolo’s goalkeeper Andrea Consigli somehow managed to defuse.
Immediately after, the Rossoneri took advantage of a defensive mistake to trigger Rafael Leao, whose shot was blocked by defender Gian Marco Ferrari.
Inter Official Lineup: Lautaro and Correa to Lead the Attack
For Inter, Simone Inzaghi will count on Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa to boost his offensive potential. The rest of the Nerazzurri‘s usual 3-5-2 lineup will feature no surprises.
Samir Handanovic will be between the sticks, protected by Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij, and Alessandro Bastoni at the back. Denzel Dumfries and Ivan Perisic will cover the wingback roles, with Nicolò Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, and Hakan Calhanoglu completing the midfield package.
?| FORMAZIONE
I nostri 1️⃣1️⃣ per #InterSampdoria ?⚽
Powered by @EASPORTSFIFA #FORZAINTER ⚫? pic.twitter.com/dKPLL3mZUx
— Inter ??? (@Inter) May 22, 2022
Milan Official Lineup: Krunic Plays Trequartista
Milan’s official lineup has been released. As already announced, Stefano Pioli will line up Rade Krunic as a trequartista behind lone striker Oliveir Giroud. Krunic will be supported by Alexis Saelemaekers and Rafael Leao on the two flanks.
Sandro Tonali and Frank Kessié will fill the double pivot roles, while the defensive package will feature as usual Davide Calabria, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, and Theo Hernandez. Mike Maignan will start in goal.
#SassuoloMilan: the starting line-up
We want to see 11 lions ?#SempreMilan@EASPORTSFIFA pic.twitter.com/HqXiEFZzK7— AC Milan (@acmilan) May 22, 2022
The Situation: Milan Only Need One Point
As it stands, Milan top the Serie A table with 83 points, two more than their cross-town rivals. The Rossoneri are the masters of their own destiny as all they need to grab their first title since 2011 is one point in Sassuolo. Inter can only hope in a misstep from Milan but even in case of the Diavolo’s defeat, they would still need to beat Sampdoria to pass their opponents in the last lap.
If both teams end tied at 84, Milan still grab the title as they have a better records in their head-to-heads with the Nerazzurri.
Today is THE DAY.
?⚫️ ? ⚫️?: who will win #SerieA??#WeAreCalcio #ALLIN90MINUTES @acmilan @Inter_en pic.twitter.com/OCA9SmmHMB— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) May 22, 2022