ON THE BRINK
Runaway leaders Inter close in on the title
Crotone 0 Inter Milan 2 INTER MILAN moved to within touching distance of a first Serie A title since 2010.
Antonio Conte’s men need just one more point from their final four matches – although they will be crowned champions today if Atalanta fail to win at Sassuolo.
Runaway leaders Inter will end Juventus’ nine-year stranglehold to lift the Scudetto after another win that confirmed their hosts’ relegation.
Inter were twice denied by the woodwork in the first half as Romelu Lukaku glanced a close-range header off the bar before a Lautaro Martinez shot struck the foot of the post.
But Lukaku laid a pass into the path of Christian Eriksen and the Dane’s deflected effort four minutes after coming off the bench found the bottom corner in the 69th minute.
Achraf Hakimi finished off a sweeping counter-attack to extend Inter’s lead in the dying minutes. Asked if he had scored the title-winning goal for Inter, former Spurs star Eriksen said: “Not officially, we have to wait. But we are very close to the title.
“I’m very happy for the goal. I haven’t scored a lot but if this is the Scudetto-winning goal, I will be so happy.”
It would represent another title triumph for Conte, who led Juventus to three consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2014.
The former Chelsea manager has transformed Inter’s fortunes since arriving in May 2019, leading them to a Serie A runners-up finish and the Europa League final last season.