A spectacular scissor kick from Scott McTominay set Napoli on their way to a 2-0 win over Cagliari that sealed theSerie Atitle for Antonio Conte’s side in their final league game of the season.
Napoli went into the match leading the Italian table by just one point from Inter, who kicked off at the same time on Friday night away to Como. When Stefan de Vrij put Inter ahead via a corner after 20 minutes, they leapfroggedNapoliin the live standings, but the goal from the former Manchester United midfielder McTominay in the 42nd minute, acrobatically converting Matteo Politano’s cross, eased nerves in Naples.
Romelu Lukaku doubled Napoli’s lead six minutes after the restart by latching on to a long ball, shrugging off a defender and calmly finishing past the Cagliari keeper Alen Sherri. The rest of the match turned into a celebration at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium as flares and smoke filled the pitch before the final whistle blew and fireworks lit up the Naples sky.
McTominay’s night got even better when he was named Serie A’s player of the season after the title race was decided. The Scotland midfielder has been vital for Napoli, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists in 34 league matches. The 28-year-old told DAZN: “The sacrifice of every single player in this group is just incredible. The people deserve it, as they’ve been behind us from day one. For me to come here and experience this, it’s just a dream.”
In Naples he now goes by the name “McFratm” among supporters, a playful fusion of his name and “Fratm”, the Neapolitan word for “my brother”. “My Italian is OK, I can understand, but speaking it takes more confidence and it’s not easy. It is much easier to do it with people who don’t speak any English. I can feel a lot of love,” McTominay said, adding that he just had learned the words “festeggiamo, andiamo”, meaning “let’s go celebrate”.
While Joaquín Correa also made it 2-0 to Inter at Como’s Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, it was not enough forthe Champions League finalists. Serving a touchline ban, the Inter head coach, Simone Inzaghi, rested several regular starters before the European final on 31 May but his side still had enough to win.
“We did our part, we knew we were depending on others. We couldn’t have done more today, but we have to put it behind us and prepare for the final,” the Inter captain De Vrij told DAZN. “We didn’t deserve [the title] because if we’re not top after 38 games, then whoever is top deserves it, but there’s a feeling that we could have done more in the league.”
Sign up toFootball Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
Inter came close to an early opener when Federico Dimarco sent a cross from the left to set up Matteo Darmian, whose volley was brilliantly cleared by Máximo Perrone. The visitors broke the deadlock when De Vrij rose to meet Hakan Calhanoglu’s pinpoint cross, powering a header past the Como goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Inter nearly doubled their lead but Reina, making his final career appearance, denied Mehdi Taremi with a sharp one-on-one save.
However, the Spaniard’s farewell turned sour when he was sent off shortly before half-time following a VAR review for a last-man foul on Taremi. Correa doubled Inter’s lead six minutes into the second half, cutting inside a defender before finishing coolly. De Vrij added: “There’s a huge desire to play a great final next week. We’ve worked really hard this year and done very well in the Champions League. We’ll do everything we can to finish on a high.”