The odds may be stacked against Inter winning the title on Sunday but manager Simone Inzaghi has been in the exact same position as a player and won.

Inter are two points off top spot going into the final match matchday of the season and their only hope of retaining the Scudetto is to beat Sampdoria on Sunday and hope Milan lose at Sassuolo.

Although Sassuolo have beaten all of the top teams this season, Milan are heavy favourites to get the job done at the Mapei and win their first Serie A title since 2010-11.

However, all Juventus had to do on the final day of the 1999-2000 season was win at midtable Perugia but they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat allowing Inzaghi’s Lazio to overtake them on the final day of the campaign to win the title by a single point.

With four matches remaining, Lazio thought they had blown then title when they conceded a 92nd-minute Gabriel Batistuta equaliser to draw 3-3 at Fiorentina which allowed Juve to open up a five-point gap.

But two games later, Juve were stunned 2-0 at Verona and it meant the two sides went into the final day of the season separated by two points with Carlo Ancelotti’s Bianconeri in front.

Lazio eased to a 3-0 win over Reggina in the Roma sunshine in their final-day match with Inzaghi opening the scoring from the penalty spot but it was a different story in stormy Perugia.

The match was suspended for over an hour as the heavens opened. Referee Pierluigi Collina, with an umbrella above his head, continually dropped the ball on the pitch to see if he could get a bounce.

Despite Juve protests, Collina ordered the match to restart and Perugia won 1-0 thanks a solitary goal by Alessandro Calori.

Perugia finished 10 that campaign, while Sassuolo are in 11th going into the final match day.

A repeat of that famous May 14, 2000 is improbable but, as Inzaghi knows, it’s certainly not impossible.

8 thought on “Inzaghi did exactly what Inter need to win title as player with Lazio in 2000”
  1. Yes, it was called theft and Collina’s major blunder. That ball wouldn’t roll or bounce in a completely waterlogged pitch. Should have been replayed and Juve wouldn’t have lost. So unless the ref is anti Milan, the conditions for a fair contest this weekend will mean that it’s for Milan to lose, not Inter to win.

  2. Inter and Inzaghi are trying to convince themselves with all sort of nonsense to hang on a thread of a hope. The truth is the scudetto is Milan‘s to lose and they can decide their fate.

    The 2000 scudetto was quite different and I remember it very well.
    Juve had a +1 point advantage over Lazio, not +2. Milan have +2 and they only need a draw.
    Also, Collina that day in Perugia made an absolutely horrendous decision to play the match! And he admitted to this years later. He should’ve had two bits of sense to postpone it, and take the word of the players since they were the ones who had to kick the ball, not him!! It was truly a miraculous incident that played a role in that scudetto.

  3. Collina had stopped the game and decided to restart it almost and hour and half later. Juve already a goal down, had more pressure on them knowing Lazio won their game. It was even worse by the unplayable pitch. Milan has the momentum and have grown in confidence. Barring another VAR mishap, Milan will most likely win.

  4. Yes, there’s possibility that Milan slips. However, current Milan and 1999/2000’s Juve are totally different. Milan has consistency for being undefeated for the last 15 games, having the best defense in the league and they won against top 10 teams, especially in AWAY match. 1999/2000’s Juve on the other hand was flopping near the end of the season.

  5. Sorry, but this is an Italian favourite past time activity; blaming referees. It goes for my beloved AC Milan, Inter, Juve, Roma fans, and fans of most other teams.

    Stop it.

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