Inter Milan return to their Serie A title march with the visit of Napoli on Sunday night as both teams lick their wounds after painful eliminations from the Champions League.
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.
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