Inter Milan rule Champions League

MADRID (AP): Diego Milito scored twice as Inter Milan cruised to an easy 2-0 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich yesterday to end a 45-year wait for a third title.

The Argentina striker scored in the 35th and 70th minutes at the Bernabeu Stadium to add the title to Inter's triumphs back in 1964 and '65.

The merited victory - Inter dominated the game - meant that Inter coach Jose Mourinho completed the triple triumphs of the Champions League and domestic league and cup successes and became only the third coach to win the title with two different clubs. Mourinho is tipped to be thinking of moving on to another club.

Mourinho, who won it with FC Porto in 2004, out-thought Bayern coach Louis van Gaal, the man he worked for while they were at Barcelona. This time the pupil was the master as Mourinho relied on his solid defence to snuff out the threat of Bayern's Arjen Robben and expertly won the game on the counter-attack.

Milito's two goals were taken with style and he had great support from attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder and defensive midfielders Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, the Inter captain who collected the trophy in his 700th appearance for the club.

big one for Mourinho

The triumph was also a big one for Mourinho amid speculation that he might walk out on Inter and move to Real Madrid, the club that plays at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The first half was a tale of the contrasting fortunes of two Dutchmen.

Bayern's Arjen Robben, left rolling on the ground after three solid tackles by Inter defenders in the first 13 minutes, earned himself three shooting chances but couldn't recreate the accurate strikes that eliminated Fiorentina and Manchester United.

Inter's Wesley Sneijder, by contrast, forced Bayern keeper Joerg Butt into a punching save and set up the first half strike by Milito.

From a huge kick upfield by Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Milito headed the ball on to Sneijder who returned it immediately with a superbly accurate pass through the Bayern defence. Milito held off a defender before firing past the keeper from 12 metres.

In a fast-moving sequence in the opening minute of the second half, Bayern almost equalised and then went close to falling 2-0 behind.

Bayern opened up the Inter defence and Hamit Altintop presented Thomas Mueller with a clear shooting chance only for the 20-year-old striker to see his shot bounce off the keeper's legs.

Inter survived that scare to break out at the other end. Milito burst down the left and crossed to Goran Pandev, whose left-footed lob was acrobatically finger-tipped over the bar by Butt.

Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar matched that when Robben's shot from the corner of the area appeared to be curling inside the far post but the Brazilian dived to push it away.

It was a crucial save as Inter broke out to score a second which effectively killed off the game.

Samuel Eto'o's pass found Milito on the left and the striker twisted past Daniel van Buyten before firing inside the far post in front of the Inter fans.