First Scudetto in eleven years
AC Milan storms to the championship
May 22, 2022, 8:29 p.m
In the closing yards of a close title race, AC Milan left no early doubt that the club would clinch their first league title since 2011. The team around superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic stormed to a home win that was never in danger and quickly destroyed the small hopes of the local rivals.
The traditional club AC Milan is champion in Serie A again for the first time in eleven years. Milan secured the title of the Italian football championship with a sovereign 3-0 (3-0) on the last day of the game at US Sassuolo. Led by double goalscorer Olivier Giroud and three-time assist Rafael Leão, coach Stefano Pioli’s team brought a splendid end to a strong season and were no longer caught by Inter Milan.
The city rivals won the parallel game at home against Sampdoria Genoa 3-0 (0-0). In the end, the defending champions had two points fewer than Milan. Milan secured their 19th league title and drew level with Inter. Juventus Turin is the record champion with 36 titles. AC Milan last triumphed in Serie A in 2011.
In the stadium in Sassuolo, which was almost completely filled with Milan fans, the guests made the preliminary decision early on: veteran Giroud scored a brace (17th/32nd minute), Franck Kessie scored the third goal (36th). All three goals were assisted by Rafael Leão, one of the most exciting players of this Serie A season. A header hit by substitute Zlatan Ibrahimovic in what was possibly his last professional game was disallowed after video evidence.
After the 2011 championship, Milan slipped into the mediocrity of Serie A and even missed out on the European Cup for three years. Coach Pioli was the first to bring the red-blacks back into the Champions League and now to the top in Italy – in 2020 the coach came close to being replaced by Ralf Rangnick.