SERIE A · SCUDETTO SPECIAL EDITION
3 MAY 2026 · SAN SIRO / GIUSEPPE MEAZZA, MILAN
INTER MILAN | 2 — 0 | PARMA |
| San Siro (Meazza), Milan | Serie A – Round 35 3 May 2026 | Ref: Davide Bonacina |
San Siro erupted on Sunday evening as Inter Milan clinched their 21st Serie A title with a commanding 2–0 victory over Parma on Matchday 35. Marcus Thuram opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time before Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed the triumph ten minutes from time, sending thousands of Nerazzurri supporters into the streets of Milan for a night of fireworks, flares and historic celebration.
The Piazza del Duomo was a sea of blue and black moments after the final whistle. Cristian Chivu's side entered the fixture knowing a single point would suffice — Napoli having been held to a goalless draw by Como on Saturday — but the Romanian manager and his players chose a far more emphatic statement.
Inter now sit on 82 points, an unassailable 12 points clear of Napoli with three matches remaining, claiming the Scudetto in front of their home crowd for the first time since 1989. The near four-decade wait made the evening all the more extraordinary.
The first half followed the expected pattern of sustained Inter dominance. With 59% possession, Chivu's side probed a Parma defensive block that had been organised according to principles borrowed from Mikel Arteta, where head coach Carlos Cuesta learned his trade.
The clearest early moment came on twenty-five minutes when Nicolò Barella drove a powerful close-range shot against the underside of the crossbar — a strike that both illustrated Inter's control and the tension building around the San Siro. Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, excellent all evening, repelled everything thrown at him until the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
The breakthrough arrived through the combination that has defined much of Inter's season. Piotr Zieliński — one of the most underappreciated players in Serie A this term — threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the run of Marcus Thuram, who arrived unmarked and slotted with precision beyond Suzuki to ignite the stadium.
The French international's tenth goal of the campaign put Inter one step from history. The second half brought two of the most discussed moments of the match. Parma substitute Nesta Elphege bundled the ball into the net on seventy-two minutes, briefly silencing the San Siro, before VAR confirmed Pontus Almqvist had been offside in the build-up and the goal was correctly disallowed.
Mkhitaryan's eightieth-minute goal — assisted by Lautaro Martínez, the Serie A scoring leader who returned from injury as a substitute — ended all suspense. At thirty-seven years of age, the Armenian's decisive contribution was one of the most fitting images of the night.
| MIN | EVENT | SCORE | TEAM |
| 45+1' | Marcus Thuram (assist: Piotr Zieliński) | 1 — 0 | Inter Milan |
| 80' | Henrikh Mkhitaryan (assist: Lautaro Martínez) | 2 — 0 | Inter Milan |
| INTER MILAN | MATCH STATISTICS (Sofascore) | PARMA |
| 2.09 | xG (Expected Goals) | 0.27 |
| 59% | Possession | 41% |
| 12 | Total Shots | 4 |
| 5 | Shots on Target | 0 |
| 5 | Shots off Target | 3 |
| 8 | Corners | 3 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Offsides | 3 |
| 9 | Fouls Committed | 7 |
| 23 | Throw-ins | 10 |
| 4 | Goal Kicks | 10 |
| 7 | Free Kicks | 9 |
With 59% possession and an xG of 1.98 — nearly five times Parma's 0.41 — Inter's statistical dominance was total. Chivu has built on Inzaghi's transitional foundations with greater pressing structure and positional organisation. The wing-back roles of Darmian and Dimarco were central to widening Parma's block and creating the corridors in which Zieliński and Barella operated. With 8 corners compared to Parma's 3 and 5 shots on target to Parma's zero, the gulf in offensive output was stark. Parma managed just three shots in total, all off target — a defensive performance that was disciplined but ultimately overwhelmed by Inter's quality.
Carlos Cuesta's Parma arrived with a clear gameplan: hold shape in a 3–5–2 defensive block, limit Inter's through-ball opportunities, and rely on Suzuki's quality when beaten. For long stretches, it worked. Parma's three offsides reflected an active defensive line, and Suzuki — who made a remarkable save from Frattesi's close-range volley late in the match — was arguably the best individual performer on the pitch. But at 0.41 xG, Parma were always fighting against the statistical tide. Against the highest chance-creating unit in Serie A this season, survival required a near-perfect performance — and Inter were too good for that to be possible.
Cristian Chivu's achievement is remarkable by any measure. Winning a Serie A title in his first full season as a top-flight head coach — and doing so while developing rather than merely maintaining a squad — places him among the most impressive managerial stories in Italian football in years. He took over from Simone Inzaghi not to rebuild but to evolve, adding more structured pressing, sharper defensive organisation and greater squad rotation across a 57-match campaign. He has repaid Inter's faith completely.
There is a particular symmetry in the fact that the title was clinched against Parma — the club Chivu managed last season, guiding them to Serie A survival. His post-match words captured the collective nature of the achievement: 'I always said that you can make mistakes on the field, but this team never lost the desire to stay together.' For a squad that has played more competitive matches than any other in Italy this season, that solidarity has been decisive.
| Inter Milan — Player Ratings | Assessment | Sofascore Rating |
| Yann Sommer | Parma managed zero shots on target — Sommer barely needed to intervene. Distribution calm. | 6.7 |
| Yann Aurel Bisseck | Offered width on the right; part of a backline that conceded nothing. | 7.6 |
| Manuel Akanji | Commanding in the aerial battle; composed in possession throughout. | 7.4 |
| Alessandro Bastoni | Elegant build-up play from deep; stepped forward to initiate attacks. | 7.7 |
| D. Dumfries | Industrious on the right wing-back channel; stretched Parma's shape. | 6.5 |
| Nicolò Barella | Hit the crossbar; tireless energy and creative impetus through 90 minutes. | 7.8 |
| Piotr Zieliński | The assist for Thuram's opener was perfectly weighted — a defining pass. | 7.4 |
| Petar Šušić | Growing influence; combined well with Barella in the first hour. | 7.1 |
| Henrikh Mkhitaryan (sub) | Scored the decisive second goal at 37 — iconic in a historic night. | 8.1 |
| Federico Dimarco | Near-perfect delivery throughout; his cross almost set up a third. | 7.5 |
| Marcus Thuram | Scored the opener; relentless movement to unlock Parma's defensive block. | 6.9 |
| Lautaro Martínez (sub) | Assisted Mkhitaryan's winner on return from injury — a statement cameo. | 7.5 |
| F. P. Esposito | Almost scored immediately; his volley was superbly saved by Suzuki. | 6.5 |
| Parma — Player Ratings | Assessment | Sofascore Rating |
| Zion Suzuki | Outstanding all evening — made a decisive save from Frattesi late on. Best on the pitch. | 6.9 |
| Alessandro Circati | Solid in the defensive block; rarely caught out of position against Inter's width. | 6.7 |
| Mariano Troilo | Organised in the backline; part of a coherent defensive unit under sustained pressure. | 6.3 |
| Abdoulaye Ndiaye | Made key clearances; contributed to a defence that conceded relatively little for long stretches. | 6.1 |
| Enrico Del Prato | Diligent in tracking Inter's runners but stretched in the second half. | 6.6 |
| Adrián Bernabé | Parma's most progressive player in possession; showed quality in short moments. | 7.2 |
| Hans Nicolussi Caviglia | Won duels in central areas to limit Inter's midfield penetration. | 6.7 |
| Mandela Keita | Combative; often overwhelmed by Inter's circulation but showed effort. | 6.7 |
| Emanuele Valeri | Defensive duty restricted his involvement going forward. | 6.6 |
| Gabriel Strefezza | Isolated but worked hard to link on the counter with limited service. | 6.9 |
| Mateo Pellegrino | Fought hard in a difficult attacking role; rarely saw the ball. | 6 |
Inter's 21st Scudetto places them third in the all-time Italian title standings behind Juventus (36). It is their third championship in six seasons and confirmation of their status as the dominant force in Italian football in the modern era.
The statistical foundation of the title has been built on 59.6% average possession, 87.3% pass accuracy, 134 big chances created and a defensive record of just 15 goals conceded in Serie A — all among the best in the division.
Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martínez and a midfield engine anchored by Barella and Calhanoglu have been the driving forces. Napoli, last season's champions, finish 12 points adrift.
For Parma — back in Serie A after earning promotion — a 12th-place finish represents a creditable return for a young squad. Zion Suzuki's performances have been among the stories of the season at the other end of the table.