Inter seals Serie A title as San Siro erupts in long-awaited celebration

Inter players celebrate the victory of their 21st championship after a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Parma, in Milan, Italy. (AP )

MILAN, May 4 (AP): Marcus Thuram scored one goal. Lautaro Martinez set up another.

The two players who have been at the heart of Inter Milan's success in recent seasons carried the club to the Italian league soccer title with a 2-0 victory over visiting Parma.

Inter, which needed only a draw to secure the trophy, moved an unassailable 12 points clear of 2025 champion Napoli with three rounds remaining.

It’s Inter’s 21st Serie A title, trailing only the record 36 held by Juventus, and third in six years. But Inter hadn’t sealed the title before its home fans at the San Siro since the 1989 title - nearly four decades ago.

When the game was over, there were fireworks, dancing, and plenty of celebrations.

Thuram scored just before the break with an angled shot placed just beyond the reach of Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Then 37-year-old Henrikh Mkhitaryan added another in the 80th after taking a pass from Serie A scoring leader Lautaro, who came off the bench to mark his return from an injury layoff.

Thuram was born in Parma while his father, Lilian Thuram, played there.

"Since I arrived at Inter, it’s been a team that loves to stay together - on and off the field - and that’s our strength,” Thuram said.

For Cristian Chivu, Inter’s first-year coach, the trophy was secured against the club he coached last season, having helped Parma avoid relegation.

Chivu, who was hired to replace the departed Simone Inzaghi nearly a year ago, played on the Inter team that won a treble under José Mourinho in 2010.

In the running for two trophies this season, Inter will face Lazio in the Italian Cup final in 10 days.

The domestic success has come in sharp contrast to Inter’s ouster from this season’s Champions League playoffs by tiny Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt. Last season, Inter was routed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.