At four o’clock in the afternoon on a warm day by Lake Como, a sole Inter fan was taking refuge from the sun in the shadow of the giant war memorial that stands at the edge of Stadio Sinigaglia. 

Waiting for his own Nerazzurri cavalry to arrive, Mattia was taking a minute to recover from the marathon 11-hour journey from Cosenza that had seen him travel the length of Italy for just the faintest whiff of a Scudetto celebration. 

“Inter win, I go here – in the lake,” he said, pointing to the sparkling blue water. “I’ll run back to my city, no train, no nothing – very happy.” These were the promises of a man who, deep down, knew he’d never have to keep them. 

Or maybe they were just bargaining chips of a supporter dealing with the grief of a season that had promised so much.

For so long it looked for all the world as though they would be celebrating a title. Hell, even the Treble was talked about at a stage in the season when Inter topped the table and were surging through the Coppa Italia and Champions League. There was a party being planned on the lake – a small city sweating on a calcio invasion the size of which it had never seen before. 

That all changed. Ousted by neighbours Milan in the semi-finals of the cup and surrendering their lead at the top of Serie A, Inter were in need of the unlikeliest of helping hands from a Cagliari side who have struggled to help even themselves this season.

It felt like every Inter fan knew it, too. Around Como, Inter-shirted pairs mingled with locals and the swathes of tourists, almost apologetically. They talked quietly with each other, edging their way towards the stadium with no great purpose. There was an air of resignation, the spattering of blue a far cry from the expectant scenes further south where a city waited to erupt. 

There were no fireworks, no flares. Even on the pitch, Simone Inzaghi – consigned to the stands after his sending-off during the 2-2 draw against Lazio last weekend that sealed Napoli’s place as hot favourites – sent out a team lacking any sense of conviction.

Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella were among those rested, Inzaghi putting all his eggs in the Champions League final basket. 

Instead, it was the home side with more cause for celebration. A top-half finish for a side promoted just 12 months previously, Como have impressed all in the manner they left the relegation scrap and those who had ascended with them in their dust. This was not the straightforward match that Inter might have envisaged looking at the fixture list back in August. 

The next step for their manager was also a reason for cheer, Bayer Leverkusen having been informed that Cesc Fabregas’s immediate future lay solely at the Sinigaglia. 

It is inevitable there will come a time when the Spaniard is vying with Inter for honours – be those domestic or European – but for now his focus remains on the project that he’s invested the last three years of his life in.

There was the retirement of Pepe Reina and the last appearance of club stalwart Alessio Iovine. The feel-good factor appeared to be emanating from one place alone. 

And yet there was still a glimmer. A shaky Napoli had stumbled towards the finishing line. Nervy draws with Genoa and Parma, two sides dwelling at the other end of the table, was a cause for Inter optimism. This was not a rival charging relentlessly towards the title. 

Twenty minutes in, the scent of the implausible got a little stronger. Stefan de Vrij barely celebrated his header but it had just put Inter back on top of Serie A with 70 minutes of the season remaining. The ball was now in Napoli’s court.

As Cagliari scrapped away, defending their goal at the Stadio Diego Maradona as if their lives depended on it, thoughts began to drift to what might be.

Twenty minutes later, a wave of noise snapped Inter fans out of their daydream, as Como supporters revealed the visitors’ worst fears had been realised in that way only a football stadium on the final day of a season can.

The feeling of anti-climax, after Scott McTominay had scored in Naples, became contagious. Pepe Reina, on his final outing, ended his professional career with a red card. His friends and family, clad in his jersey in the stands, held their heads in disbelief.

A clever second from Joaquin Correa after the break just about cemented the result for Inter. The news of the goal would have made for a few uncomfortable shuffles in Naples, had they not been distracted by celebrating Romelu Lukaku doubling his side’s lead at that exact same moment.

The spectacle disintegrated into preservation status, Inter minds beginning to fix on the climax of their season and a Champions League final in Munich against Paris Saint-Germain.

At full-time there was a trapse over to their supporters, who had climbed the railings to converse with their players. There is one more chance to make a success of this season and neither set wants to deal with the grief of another near miss.

Inter – and Mattia – must hope they can finally make a splash in Munich.