If numbers can tell stories, 45 was the scariest one for Inter Milan as it stood for the years of a long, excruciating wait that ended with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich and the lifting of the European Champions League.
“And now, together, let’s fulfil the dream,” read a huge banner that Inter fans displayed at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium ahead of the game.
The dream came true thanks to a goal in each half from Diego Milito as the club secured its third continental title and a mythical treble, which Bayern also had at hand, completed after successes secured this month in the Italian Cup and in the Serie A.
Among the players on the pitch, Argentine Javier Zanetti celebrated an impressive tally of 700 games in 15 seasons at Inter, while Argentine compatriot Militos stunning brace brought his scoring tally to 30 goals from 52 games in his first season at Inter.
His goals were six in 11 tournament games, but he remained behind Barcelona’s compatriot Lionel Messi, on eight, while Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Bayern’s Ivica Olic also did better on seven goals.
The striker’s ruthlessness was pure ecstasy for at least half of the 80,000 filling Madrid’s stadium, plus the about 50,000 that crowded the central Duomo square in Milan.
Several thousand more enjoyed the final at two other screens set up by the city at the central train station and at the Arena stadium, a 19th-century facility where Inter and other city clubs played early in the 1900s.
As usual for major football events, television sets for public viewing cropped up all over Italy, but the Champions League confirmed its status of global event as the game was broadcast in 230 countries through 34 cameras providing coverage to about 1 billion viewers.
Among those who manned the stands in Madrid, some were reported to have paid scalpers up to 1,200 euros (1,500 dollars) for a ticket, but the price was said to have fallen in the final minutes to around 300 euros.
