SNAPSHOTS | Inter vs. Fiorentina and the record season of 1989

MILAN - Our first opponents of the new season will be Fiorentina, but 31 years ago, we finished the season against them in memorable circumstances. The Nerazzurri will be hosting the Viola at 20:45 CEST at San Siro.

Our first snapshot takes us back in time to the 25 June 1989, when Inter were already Serie A champions. It was a summer's afternoon at San Siro, and the Nerazzurri had the chance to secure the highest-ever points tally in the history of the Italian top flight, back when Serie A was composed of 18 teams, and two points were awarded for a win.

The referee, Walter Cornieti, stands surrounded by Inter players. They were protesting for a reason: Lothar Matthäus had just been sent off in the 34th minute for a kick in response to yet another heavy challenge. This was by no means a dull end-of-season affair: for Fiorentina, a place in the UEFA Cup was on the line, and defeat would send them into a play-off against Roma. Inter may have been down to ten men, but they their concentration never faltered, keen as they were to secure another victory after a remarkable season. Also joining the huddle of Nerazzurri players surrounding the referee is Napoli number 10 Roberto Baggio, aged 22.

The second snapshot from that sunny afternoon features Ramón Díaz. In his first season with the Nerazzurri, he proved to be a formidable strike partner for Aldo Serena, and it was a fairy-tale ending to his time at Inter, with his departure coming just before the Jürgen Klinsmann era. It was Díaz who scored the opener for the Nerazzurri off Andreas Brehme’s assist.

The result was sealed in the 76th minute with a goal from Alessandro Bianchi, meaning that Inter finished the season on 58 points. The win over Fiorentina that day sent Sven-Göran Eriksson’s Fiorentina  into an end-of-season play-off tie against Roma that ultimately saw them secure a place in UEFA Cup. But it was Inter's celebrations that took the headlines that day. The photos below tell the story of an unforgettable afternoon, with San Siro packed to the rafters by the 60,000 fans in attendance, while construction of the third tier was underway in preparation for the 1990 World Cup.

Pictured in this week’s snapshots: A triumphant Giovanni Trapattoni, the team celebrating with an enormous Scudetto with the number 13, black and blue balloons released into the blue skies over Milan. Brehme and his teammates embrace one another, not only showing their joy at their triumph, but also the immense pride that they took in pursuing victory right until the end of the season.