Inter's Scudetto charge continues against Napoli after Champions League pain

Wednesday's gutting penalty shoot-out defeat by Atletico Madrid was a huge blow to Inter, who as well as cruising to the league championship, were gunning for another deep run in Europe's top club competition.

Last year's losing finalists led after the first leg in Italy after missing a hatful of chances and then threw away a two-goal aggregate lead after going ahead in Madrid through Federico Dimarco.

The level of disappointment at the loss, the first match Inter didn't win of 14 played in 2024 across all competitions, risks making an almost inevitable Scudetto triumph seem like an anti-climax.

Inter had looked like a true contender for the Champions League after dominating the first leg and the manner of defeat left a bitter taste for Italy's champions-elect. "We're disappointed for the whole Inter family, but the boys should be proud of what they've done in this year's Champions League," insisted coach Simone Inzaghi.

"Tonight we should have done better in the key moments. We made a lot of mistakes and unfortunately in these matches that makes the difference."

But there is still plenty to play for as with a 16-point lead over AC Milan with 10 games remaining Inter just need five more wins to seal the title and pip their local rivals to 20 league crowns.

Title victory could even come against Milan - who had their headquarters raided by police on Tuesday as part of an investigation of their 2022 sale to US fund RedBird - as next month's derby is the fifth of Inter's next five league fixtures.

That would not only rub their local rival's faces in it, it would also allow Inter to equal Napoli and Juventus' record of winning the championship with five games to spare. Napoli are Inter's only real test between now and the derby, and