AC Milan crowned Serie A champions

Stefano
Pioli’s
men
went
into
the
final
day
of
the
season
knowing
they
simply
needed
to
avoid
defeat
to
clinch
their
first
Scudetto
in
over
a
decade.

The
Rossoneri
had
established
a
two-point
lead
over
rivals
Inter
Milan
–
against
whom
they
also
held
a
head-to-head
advantage
–
at
the
Serie
A
summit.

SERIE
A
POINTS
TABLE
|

RESULTS

And
they
made
sure
of
their
success
with
a
3-0
defeat
of
Sassuolo,
thanks
to
goals
from
Olivier
Giroud
and
Franck
Kessie.

Milan
travelled
to
Sassuolo
having
made
light
of
a
challenging
run-in,
winning
five
consecutive
games
to
tee
up
their
historic
triumph,
as
they
matched
the
Nerazzurri’s
tally
of
19
Italian
top-flight
titles.
Only
Juventus
(36)
have
more
than
the
two
Milanese
giants.

While
Inter
avoided
handing
the
title
to
the
Rossoneri
following
a
hard-fought
3-1
win
over
Cagliari
last
weekend,
their
result
against
Sampdoria
on
the
final
day
was
ultimately
immaterial
as
Milan
made
their
advantage
count
at
the
end
of
an
absorbing
title
race.

The
Rossoneri’s
last
title
triumph
came
under
the
tutelage
of
Massimiliano
Allegri
some
11
seasons
ago,
with
Zlatan
Ibrahimovic,
Alexandre
Pato,
and
Robinho
each
scoring
14
Serie
A
goals
apiece
as
Milan
finished
six
points
clear
of
Inter.

Pioli’s
men
have
been
able
to
rely
on
a
fantastic
defensive
record
to
get
them
over
the
line,
conceding
just
eight
league
goals
since
the
turn
of
the
year.

Indeed,
11
of
Milan’s
17
Serie
A
clean
sheets
this
season
have
come
in
2022,
and
last
week’s
crucial
2-0
win
over
Atalanta
marked
the
first
time
they
had
kept
five
consecutive
home
clean
sheets
in
Serie
A
since
a
run
of
six
under
Carlo
Ancelotti
in
2002.

The
Rossoneri’s
title
win
also
marks
the
first
major
trophy
of
Pioli’s
coaching
career,
and
the
club’s
first
trophy
win
since
the
2016
Supercoppa
Italiana.