Shevchenko goal wins title for AC
Defeat for second-placed Roma left them nine points behind leaders Milan with two games left to play.
Milan's Ukrainian striker Andrei Shevchenko scored the winner in the second minute a firm header from a Kaka cross for his 22nd goal of the season.
Victory for Milan, their 24th of the campaign, sealed their 17th championship success and their first since 1999.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, who won the Champions League with Milan last season, paid tribute to his players, who trailed Roma by six points before the winter break.
"Today, we played fantastic and overall we deserved the Scudetto," he added. "It was an extraordinary season and I am truly happy."
Roma coach Fabio Capello said the two defeats to Milan proved decisive in the race for the title.
"The difference was that they beat us twice without those six points things could have turned out very differently," he said.
"But I have to say well done to Milan they are an exceptional team."
In other matches, Parma leapt up to fourth place after defeating relegated Ancona and are now in pole position to claim the final Champions League place ahead of Lazio and Inter Milan.
Inter lost 2-1 at Lecce, while Lazio were held to a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Reggina.
Perugia kept alive their slim hopes of staying up by winning 1-0 at home to last season's champions Juventus.
In Spain, the destination of the championship now rests firmly in the control of Valencia after they opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Spanish first division with a 2-0 win over Real Betis yesterday.
Valencia are now well on their way to lifting their second title in three years with 74 points from their 35 games, and three still to play.
Spanish international defender Curro Torres chose a good time to get his first league goal of the season when he got Valencia's opener after 36 minutes.
Baraja then got Valencia's second himself four minutes after the break, a sure sidefooted shot from the edge of the area after Pablo Aimar had dashed down the right wing.
Reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid stay in second but their grip on their crown loosened badly when they went down 2-0 at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
A Ronaldinho-inspired Barcelona made up further ground on Real by beating Espanyol 4-1 at the Nou Camp. The Catalan giants are now only a point behind Madrid but still trail leaders Valencia by five points.
Albacete and Real Mallorca almost guaranteed their Spanish first division survival, after flirting with relegation for much of the season, with vital home victories.
Mallorca can again thank the sharpshooting skills of the African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto'o, whose two goals in the island side's 2-1 win over Malaga took his tally to 15 for the season.
Bottom club and already relegated Murcia left it late before getting a rare victory, only their fourth this season, with a 2-1 win over struggling Valladolid who have not won in seven games.
Sevilla kept alive their hopes of getting into next season's UEFA Cup when they were comfortable 2-0 winners over a lacklustre Athletic Bilbao, who stay in fifth despite the loss.
In Germany, Werder Bremen retained their six-point advantage at the Bundesliga summit with a resounding 6-0 win over SV Hamburg on Saturday and can dethrone Bayern Munich as champions in next Saturday's showdown in Bavaria.
"We will find out then who the best team in Germany is," warned Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness.
Werder effectively need one point against Bayern to seal the title as they have a far superior goal difference 12 goals better than Bayern with just three games remaining.
Bayern have not waved the white flag but needed all their resilience to defeat Cologne 2-1 and cling to Bremen's coat tails.
Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who announced his decision to quit in 2005, embodied Bayern's never-say-die spirit.
"This was an important win and we have still not given up on the championship," he said.
Cologne became the first team to be relegated from the Bundesliga following the defeat with their tally of 20 points from 31 games condemning them to the drop.
Stuttgart are now four points adrift of Bayern and need a helping hand from Bremen next Saturday.
In the French title race Paris St Germain wasted a chance to move level on points with French league leaders Lyon when they were held to a goalless draw by struggling Strasbourg on Saturday.
The side from the capital on 67 points, one behind Monaco who beat Nice 2-1 on Friday to warm up for their Champions League semi-final return match against Chelsea. Lyon lead the standings on 70 points after drawing 1-1 with Bordeaux yesterday.
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