Como, Roma reach Champions League, Milan, Juve miss out
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MILAN: Como qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history on Sunday, the lakeside club being joined by Roma in the top four as giants AC Milan and Juve missed out on an eventful final day marred by fan violence.
Como’s 4-1 win at Cremonese, who drop down to Serie B, and AC Milan falling to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Cagliari was enough for Cesc Fabregas’s side to cap their incredible rise from lower leagues to Europe’s top table.
Como will finish the season fourth, two points behind Roma whose 2-0 win at already-relegated Verona ensured third place and an end to their long absence from the Champions League.
Roma have not played in Europe’s elite club competition since being knocked out by Porto in the last 16 in 2019, and a top-four finish is a huge success for coach Gian Piero Gasperini and the American Friedkin family, who own the club.
However, even that achievement pales into insignificance compared to Como, who have never played in European competition in their history and were in the third tier of Italian football when acquired by tobacco giant Djarum in 2019.
Those three results also meant that Juventus will play in the Europa League next season regardless of how their delayed derby at Torino finishes.
Juve’s match kicked off over an hour late for “public safety” after one of the Turin giants’ fans was admitted to hospital following pre-match clashes with rival supporters.
Dusan Vlahovic gave Juve the lead in the 24th minute, and a win for Luciano Spalletti’s side would mean a fifth-placed finish, with Milan, whose livid fans protested loudly against owners RedBird before, during and after a humiliating defeat, dropping to sixth.
Milan started the day in third and looked set to reach the Champions League when Alexis Saelemaekers scored in the second minute.
However, tap-ins in each half from Gennaro Borrelli and Juan Rodriguez left Milan out of the top four and back in another of a series of crises.
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