The day of destiny for Serie A could have ended in tears - and in fact it did but not from the expected source.
As AS Roma accepted their fate with a rare show of stoicism, it was a strange sight indeed to see Jose Mourinho welling up with emotion as the feat of taking Inter to the league and Cup double was itched into his heavily-stubbled face.
A cynic may say they were crocodile tears or the tears of the showman milking his last current call, but the emotion did seem genuine enough from a man who likes nothing better than a sense of theatre.
There had been drama for nearly an hour as AS Roma held the advantage with their two goals at Chievo but then as on so many occasions this season Diego Milito popped up to burst the Roman bubble and set the bubbly on ice in Siena.
With history made on the domestic front there is nothing to keep the Portuguese on these shores anymore even if he fails to land the Treble in Madrid.
There is no hope of even Massimo Moratti with all his deep pockets retaining the services of his star attraction even if the man in question was happy with life in Italy â which he isnâÂÂt.
After all, Mourinho has stated many times that he wants to win the title in England, Italy and Spain.
He will soon be setting up home in the Spanish capital and let us hope he is a bit more respectful of his surrounding there than he has been in belittling his current abode.
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Even in the moment of InterâÂÂs triumph as the players danced around the Artemio Franchi stadium â well park pitch with a couple of rickety stands bolted on â Mourinho was turning the knife one last time.
"This is not my home; itâÂÂs not an easy place to work and be happy," he told those self-same reporters whom he had been ignoring for the last two months.
It was a calculated dig at his hosts who pride Italy as one giant casa where everyone is invited to pop in for a bowl of mamaâÂÂs homemade pasta â and it was also a veiled warning to any foreign coach considering a move to Serie A and having the temerity to even try and emulate his achievements.
So watch out then Rafa Benitez, if Massimo Moratti comes a calling.
There is also the issue that this Inter team has peaked and if they defeat Bayern Munich next Saturday then what next for those history-making players â a repeat performance is unlikely to happen.
It is an aging side, with only Mario Balotelli and Davide Santon under 20 while Wesley Sneijder and Goran Pandev are in their mid-20s â but the remainder of the squad are heading into or already in the twilight years of their careers.
Mourinho built this squad for such a moment as Sunday, and off course to win the Champions League - and although Moratti can go out and potentially land just about any player he wants there will be no massive turnover of playing personnel next season.
Mou would love to take Sneijder and Milito to Madrid but that seems very unlikely: Moratti will not let his old employee cherry-pick his team, but Sneijder is already a Real reject while the Argentine for all his rapier-like goalscoring is no Galacticos photo-fit.
However, such concerns can be left to another day for now â and it may have been Roma that put the romance back into the title race but the real drama has only ever centred on one man.
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