Inter Milan reached the summit of European soccer for the first time in 45 years when Diego Milito scored two superb goals to give it a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final Saturday. The 30-year-old Argentine struck after 35 and 70 minutes to seal a deserved victory for Inter at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium and complete an unprecedented treble for a Serie A club following its Italian league and Cup double. Milito was named Player of the Match. It was also a personal triumph for Inter's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho who became only the third man to win the European Cup with two clubs. Milito, who had spent much of his career as a journeyman striker, has reached the heights this season with 22 goals in his first Serie A campaign for Inter. He scored the goal that clinched the Italian title last weekend, got the winner in the Italian Cup final and sent the Inter fans wild in Madrid with a clinically-taken opening goal that set it on its way to its latest triumph. He nodded goalkeeper Julio Cesar's long punt down to Wesley Sneijder, ran on to the Dutchman's pinpoint through ball and then shimmied to make space for himself before lifting a shot high into the net over goalkeeper Hans Joerg-Butt. His second goal was also superbly taken leaving Bayern defender Daniel Van Buyten bamboozled and beaten before Milito fired past Butt into the far corner of the net. “It's a joy I've never experienced. Incredible. I am so happy for Inter because we wanted this so badly. We are so happy and it's a unique sensation,” Milito told reporters. Before his decisive second goal, Bayern twice came close to an equalizer through striker Thomas Mueller and pacy Dutch winger Arjen Robben. Inter also went close to more goals, especially from Sneijder just before halftime, but it was denied by some excellent goalkeeping from Butt. The build-up was dominated by the coaching duel between Bayern's Louis Van Gaal and his one time Barcelona assistant Mourinho but almost from the kick-off it was clear both coaches had given the same instructions to their teams – go for goals. “Inter were the better team over 90 minutes and deserved to win,” Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer told German TV. Their dislay was typified by excellent skipper Javier Zanetti who will never forget his 700th match for the club. The marvellous Mourinho will never forget what might be his last match in charge of Inter either. Linked with a move to Real Madrid he followed Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld as the only man to win the European Cup with two different sides following his success with Porto in 2004. Blackpool earns promotion Blackpool, in the bottom tier of the English football league 10 years ago, secured a place in the Premier League with a 3-2 Championship (Division Two) playoff final triumph over Cardiff City at Wembley stadium Saturday. Striker Brett Ormerod hit the decisive goal in first-half injury time for the northwest England seaside club, known for its tangerine kit, sealing a return to the top flight for the first time since 1971. “This is absolutely magnificent, not just for the team but for the whole area we come from,” said a hoarse Ian Holloway, Blackpool's manager. “You don't understand what it means, we're going to have so much money,” he told Sky Sports, referring to the Deloitte estimated 90 million pounds ($129.3 million) reward for the winner of the match dubbed the ‘richest game in football.' Ormerod, who has played in all four English football divisions, was lost for words. “I honestly don't know what to say,” the 33-year-old mumbled, fighting back the tears. Even a club finishing bottom of the Premier League in 2011 will receive 40 million pounds with so-called parachute payments expected to total 48 million over the next four years.
