Milan wins 1st Serie A title in 11 years

MILAN: AC Milan clinched its first Serie A title in 11 years after earning a convincing 3-0 victory at Sassuolo on Sunday.

An Olivier Giroud brace and a Franck Kessie goal helped Milan finish the season on 86 points, two more than the second-placed Inter Milan (84 points), which defeated Sampdoria 3-0 on the final day.

Stefano Pioli’s team came into the last round of fixtures knowing a point would be enough for it to bag the title. After Giroud squeezed the ball home in the 17th minute, a 19th Serie A crown for Milan never looked in doubt. French forward Giroud stabbed the ball home for the second goal in the 32nd minute after fine work by Rafael Leao.

Kessie made it 3-0 four minutes later to effectively put the match and the title race to bed by half-time. “We deserved this Scudetto because we have been more consistent and we have won difficult matches,” said Pioli.