MILAN, Italy, 5 May 2008 — Inter Milan will have to wait at least one more week for its third straight Serie A title after losing to city rival AC Milan 2-1 yesterday.
Filippo Inzaghi scored in the 51st minute — his ninth goal in the last five games — with a header off a cross from Kaka. Five minutes later, Kaka made it 2-0 by beating Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar with a low shot from inside the area.
Inter striker Julio Ricardo Cruz cut Milan’s lead in the 76th with a free kick from well outside the area that curved around the defensive barrier and beat goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac, who didn’t move.
Second-place AS Roma defeated Sampdoria 3-0 to cut Inter’s lead to three points with two games to go.
Inter has 81 points, followed by Roma with 78, Juventus with 70 and Milan with 60. Inter beat Roma 4-1 in their first meeting this year in Rome and the teams drew 1-1 in Milan, which means that Inter takes the title if the teams finish with the same number of points.
Inter needs one victory in its last two games to take the championship. If Roma loses one of its last two games, Inter would also win the league title. The victory moved Milan into fourth place, one point ahead of Fiorentina, and into the last spot for next year’s Champions League. After an early exit from the Champions League this year and a disappointing season, Milan has struggled to reach fourth place.
Inter next play at home against Siena, which moved clear of the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory over Juventus and might not have much motivation. Roma hosts mid-table Atalanta.
Also yesterday, it was: Atalanta 3, Livorno 2; Cagliari 2, Fiorentina 1; Catania 1, Reggina 2; Empoli 0, Udinese 1; Lazio 1, Palermo 2; Parma 1, Genoa 0; and Torino 2, Napoli 1.
Arsenal, Liverpool Both Earn
1-0 Wins in Premier League
In London, Nicklas Bendtner scored with a late header yesterday to give Arsenal a 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League, and Liverpool beat Manchester City by the same score.
Bendtner jumped to head a cross from Armand Traore past Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 77th minute.
Arsenal’s win means it still has a chance to overtake Chelsea for second place and an automatic spot in the group stage of next season’s Champions League.
Arsenal, with 80 points, trails Chelsea by one, but the Blues have two games to go and can still win the league title. Manchester United leads the league with 84 points with one game remaining - at Wigan next Sunday.
Chelsea plays at Newcastle today and then hosts Bolton in the final round next Sunday.
United and Chelsea also play in the Champions League final on May 21 in Moscow. Liverpool, which got a 23rd-minute goal from Fernando Torres, has 73 points and has already secured fourth place.
Everton could have guaranteed itself a spot in the UEFA Cup with a draw, but instead stayed with 62 points. The team hosts Newcastle on the final day of the season next Sunday. Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann went onto the field at the end of the game to say farewell to the fans after playing the second half as a substitute for Lukasz Fabianski. The German, who has lost his starting job to Manuel Almunia, is out of contract at the end of the season.
