MADRID, (Reuters) – Inter Milan reached the summit of European soccer for the first time in 45 years when Diego Milito scored two superb goals to give them a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final yesterday.
The 30-year-old Argentine struck after 35 and 70 minutes to seal a deserved victory for Inter at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium and complete an unprecedented treble for a Serie A club following their Italian league and Cup double.
It was also a personal triumph for Inter’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho who became only the third man to win the European Cup with two clubs.
Milito, who had spent much of his career as a journeyman striker, has reached the heights this season with 22 goals in his first Serie A campaign for Inter.
He scored the goal that clinched the Italian title last weekend, got the winner in the Italian Cup final and sent the Inter fans wild in Madrid with a clinically-taken opening goal that set them on their way to their latest triumph.
He nodded goalkeeper Julio Cesar’s long punt down to Wesley Sneijder, ran on to the Dutchman’s pinpoint through ball and then shimmied to make space for himself before lifting a shot high into the net over goalkeeper Hans Joerg-Butt.
His second goal was also superbly taken leaving Bayern defender Daniel Van Buyten bamboozled and beaten before Milito fired past Butt into the far corner of the net.
Before the decisive second goal, Bayern twice came close to an equaliser through striker Thomas Mueller and pacy Dutch winger Arjen Robben.
