Ibrahimović brings out the lion in Inter

Dejan Stanković described Zlatan Ibrahimović as "absolutely amazing" after the striker came off the bench to seal FC Internazionale Milano's title defence.

Stunning comeback
Having not played since March because of a knee injury, the Swedish international took the pitch in the 51st minute and scored both goals as Roberto Mancini's side won 2-0 at Parma FC to snuff out AS Roma's hopes of stealing the Scudetto. "Zlatan was absolutely amazing," said Stanković. "He hasn't played or trained regularly for a couple of months but proved again what a phenomenal player he is."

Great finishes
Just past the hour mark, Ibrahimović dribbled past a Parma defender and struck a precise right-footed shot into the net to give Inter the lead. In the 79th minute, he volleyed in a cross from Maicon to register his 17th goal of the season. "When you have a champion like Zlatan back in the team, you certainly gain in confidence," said defender Cristian Chivu. "We all know that he can make the difference."

Centenary celebrations
Inter celebrated winning a 16th title in their centenary year but a position of relative comfort at the top of the table had been under threat in recent weeks, with Roma having cut their lead to just one point before kick-off on Sunday. Indeed Roma topped the table as Ibrahimović came on, since they were winning 1-0 at Calcio Catania, though they went on to draw 1-1.

Nervy finale
"We made it difficult to ourselves by throwing some points away in the past few weeks," said Romanian international Chivu. "Roma never gave up trying to catch us until the end of the last game. We are extremely happy for what we achieved today, but now we also want to win the Coppa Italia final again Roma." That game will take place on 24 May.

'We deserve it'
Inter captain Javier Zanetti, who has not missed a game all season, said: "Roma had a great campaign and we pay them our compliments but we proved once again to be the strongest team in Italy." Julio Cruz, whose 13 goals were also crucial to Inter's success, added: We gritted our teeth despite all the injuries and brought home a just victory. Now it's time to celebrate because we deserve it."