The Treble Season Under Mourinho (2010)

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Lore & Background

The main transfer move was an exchange with Barcelona, as Zlatan Ibrahimović and Samuel Eto'o swapped clubs. From a tactical point of view, the line-up was not made up from this fact: Eto'o was himself a centre-forward. His partner was Diego Milito, acquired from Genoa, like the midfielder Thiago Motta. There were also the arrivals of the centre-back Lúcio and the playmaker Wesley Sneijder. Inter unveiled the season losing the Supercoppa Italiana, due to a 2–1 knockout against Lazio. During the brief pause in September, Inter had four points in the league, which became 16 before the October pause. Meanwhile, the side had started its European adventure, from the group phase, drawing in the first part of the stage: it was renamed the "group of death" due to the presences of only national champions, from Spain (Barcelona, who was the European defending champion), Ukraine (Dynamo Kyiv) and Russia (Rubin Kazan). Inter retained the Serie A title only after a tense final matchday battle, overcoming a strong challenge from Roma to secure the Scudetto, and managed to recover their form in the Champions League, finishing the group in second place behind Barcelona.

In Their Own Story

In the round of 16, Inter defeated Chelsea (the club that José Mourinho coached from 2004 to 2007) via a 3–1 aggregate; in the quarter-finals, CSKA Moscow were beaten 1–0 in both legs. The last obstacle toward the final was, once again, Barcelona. Four days before the first leg, Inter beat Juventus 2–0. The Spanish side lost the first leg, despite having scored the first goal (with Pedro): the final score was 3–1, enough for Inter to progress to the final, despite a 1–0 loss in the second leg, and down to ten men, with a red card to Thiago Motta. As a result, Inter qualified for their first UEFA final in twelve years, since the 1998 UEFA Cup. Prior to the final, Mourinho won an additional two trophies: the Coppa Italia and the second consecutive Scudetto, both won due to Milito's goals and leaving Roma behind. Milito was also Man of the Match for the Champions League final, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory, whereby Inter defeated Bayern Munich, winning this trophy for the first time since 1965, and for the third time overall. In doing so, Inter became the first Italian club to achieve the Treble.

Did You Know?

• Inter became the sixth European club to complete a treble, and the first and only Italian club to achieve this feat to date.
• The Champions League group stage was renamed the 'group of death' because it contained only national champions from Spain (Barcelona), Ukraine (Dynamo Kyiv), and Russia (Rubin Kazan).
• Diego Milito scored both goals in the 2–0 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich and was named Man of the Match.
• Inter won the Champions League for the first time since 1965, and for the third time overall.
• Mourinho's Inter defeated Chelsea in the round of 16, the club Mourinho had coached from 2004 to 2007.