Juventus clinched its record 28th Serie A title when nearest challenger AC Milan drew with Palermo 3-3 on Friday.
The draw gave Juventus an unassailable four-point lead over Milan, which has only one game remaining.
It looked as if Juve would have to wait another two days to clinch the title when Milan led Palermo 3-1 with 13 minutes remaining.
PHOTO: AFP
But Palermo was awarded a penalty that Luca Toni converted in the 77th, and Simone Barone equalized when Milan's defense failed to take advantage of several clearing chances in the 79th, silencing San Siro stadium except for a small pocket of pink-clad Palermo fans.
Palermo is a city also known for its support of Juventus, and the fans were likely just as excited about helping the Turin club as drawing with Milan.
Palermo is also trying to secure a place in next season's UEFA Cup.
Milan played its 37th-round match early to give it more time to rest before Wednesday's Champions League final against Liverpool in Istanbul, Turkey.
With the Champions League final in mind, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti fielded mostly reserves against Palermo.
Still, Milan controlled most of the play early on.
Eight minutes in, Brazilian midfielder Serginho took advantage with Palermo goalkeeper Matteo Guardalben out of position to score an easy opening goal.
But a minute later Palermo equalized when Milan's 39-year-old defender Alessandro Costacurta scored an own goal. Costacurta was trying to head the ball back to goalkeeper Christian Abbiati but placed it too far out of reach, and not even a desperate dive by Abbiati could stop the ball.
In the 16th, Argentine striker Hernan Crespo's expert heel pass set up Serginho's second goal.
Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomasson made it 3-1 in the 32nd with an acrobatic play from the center of the area off a bouncing cross.
Milan midfielder Cristian Brocchi hit the post with a long shot in the 43rd.
Ancelotti also used the match to see which striker he will line up alongside Andriy Shevchenko in Istanbul. Crespo played the opening 64 minutes and produced several scoring chances, including the assist on Serginho's goal. Filippo Inzaghi came on as a substitute for Crespo and made a few runs at Palermo's goal.
Tomasson also impressed, nearly scoring a second goal with a long shot that went wide in the 64th.
Real Madrid offered Juventus 70 million euros (US$88 million) for Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
"Zlatan is the best in the world right now. That's why Real Madrid wants him," his agent, Mino Raiola, told Swedish newspaper Goteborgs-Posten. "They bid on him the other day."
According to Raiola, Juventus turned down the bid.
"They didn't want to sell," Raiola said.
Real Madrid has one of the most star-filled rosters in soccer, but lost this year's Spanish league title to FC Barcelona. Madrid already has Ronaldo, Michael Owen and Raul Gonzales in attack.
Chelsea `financially doped'
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Chelsea could dominate English soccer for a decade because it has the advantage of being "financially doped."
Wenger said Friday that the Premier League changed when Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich took charge at Chelsea two years ago, paying off its substantial debts and injecting 220 million pounds (324 million euros) worth of players into the club.
Asked if Chelsea could be like Liverpool in the 1970s and Manchester United in the 1990s, Wenger said: "I feel yes, because they are a financially doped club."
"They have enhancement of performances through financial resources which are unlimited. For me, it's a kind of doping because it's not in any way linked to their resources," Wenger said. "It puts pressure on the market that is not very healthy. They can go to Steven Gerrard or Rio Ferdinand and 'say how much do you earn, we'll give you twice as much.'"
Wenger has already experienced Chelsea's financial muscle. Arsenal defender Ashley Cole is under investigation by the Premier League over allegations Chelsea tried to poach him.
Wenger is preparing for the FA Cup final on Saturday, where Arsenal meets Manchester United. It's the only chance for a trophy for both clubs after Chelsea won its first league title in 50 years. The Blues also won the League Cup.
Chelsea finished 12 points ahead of Arsenal and 18 ahead of Manchester United.
Before Chelsea, the only other club to win the Premier League was Blackburn in 1995.
"Chelsea now look to be the third force, if not the first one at the moment, and that will make it more interesting," Wenger said. "For a time, I had expected that to be Liverpool because when you look at English history, they have won 18 titles and cannot stay forever behind. They will also certainly come back some day."
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