By Liam McLaughlan
Scott McTominay was the hero as Napoli beat Cagliari 2-0 to pip Inter Milan to the Serie A title in their final game of the season.
Goals from McTominay and former Manchester United teammate Romelu Lukaku at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium ensured that Napoli secured their second championship in three years.
Heading into the final day, just one point separated the two Italian giants. Inter needed Napoli to slip up to have any chance of lifting the Scudetto but, despite a 2-0 win away to Cesc Fabregas’ Como, it wasn’t enough.
The dramatic final day caps an exciting title race that saw both clubs alternate for top spot over the course of the campaign.
McTominay Crowned Serie A MVP
Following the match, Scott McTominay was awarded Serie A’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2024/25 season.
“I’m lost for words. It’s incredible, you know, the sacrifice that every single player in the group has put forward to the cause,” said McTominay after the match.
“And the people deserve it because they’ve been behind us from day one, and for me to come and experience this is a dream.”
The Scot’s performance capped off a stellar season that saw him score twelve goals and register six assists across 34 league matches.
Having signed for £25.7 million from Manchester United in the summer, McTominay has been a key figure for Napoli, helping the club rise from a tenth-place finish last season to reclaiming the Italian championship.
Conte’s future in doubt
Despite returning Napoli to the summit of Italian football after a dismal campaign the season prior, Antonio Conte’s future at the club remains in doubt.
Conte has reportedly had a fraught relationship with president Aurelio De Laurentiis throughout the season, with the manager publicly stating his unhappiness with the way the club is run.
When asked about his future last month, Conte said: “You have to live in the present…the people want to win and are ambitious. I’m open to everything, but we need to see where we are.”
Having lost Kvicha Kvaratshkelia to Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, Napoli failed to find an adequate replacement for the Georgian winger, despite interest in players like Alejandro Garnacho and Karim Adeyemi.
And with the club still looking to offload Victor Osmihen in the summer once he returns from loan from Galatasaray, Conte will demand swift reinvestment in order to keep his side competitive next season.
Known for his combative style and frequent fallouts with club hierarchies in the past, Conte’s future in Naples is anything but guaranteed, despite his success this season.
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Inter’s season teetering on Champions League Final
Having missed out on the title, Inter will now turn their attention to their Champions League Final clash with Paris Saint-Germain in Munich.
The Nerazzurri were on course to repeat the treble achieved under Jose Mourinho in 2010, but a slowdown in their domestic form has left them chasing the Champions League to salvage their season.
Inter crashed out of the Coppa Italia semi-finals to inner city rivals AC Milan and have only won four of their last eight Serie A fixtures.
A 90th-minute equalizer by Pedro in a 2-2 draw against Lazio in their penultimate fixture proved decisive in the title race, ultimately handing the advantage to Napoli.
Now, Simone Inzaghi’s men will aim to save their season in Europe’s biggest match.
It will be Inter’s seventh European Cup final, and their second in three seasons, having narrowly lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the 2022/23 final.
PSG, still seeking their first Champions League triumph, stand in their way, and Inter will need to rediscover their best form to avoid finishing the season empty-handed.
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Newsjustnews writers 
Geoffrey H. Latayan