The final matchday of Serie A reshuffled Italian football’s pecking order: while Juventus and AC Milan missed out on the Champions League, Como 1907 and AS Roma secured the coveted spots in Europe’s premier club competition. Cesc Fàbregas’ Como claimed a 4-1 (1-0) victory at relegation-threatened Cremonese, pushing Juventus down to sixth place.
For the historic club from Lake Como, this marks a first-ever Champions League appearance in their nearly 120-year history. Juventus could only manage a 2-2 draw in the Turin derby against Torino – despite fan disturbances delaying the match by over an hour – leaving them unable to overtake Como.
AC Milan’s evening was even more dramatic: Alexis Saelemaekers put the Rossoneri ahead as early as the second minute, but Cagliari turned the match around to win 2-1 (1-1). German striker Niclas Füllkrug, on loan from West Ham, came on in the 61st minute but could not prevent the defeat.
AS Roma were the beneficiaries: Donyell Malen, the former Dortmund forward, scored his 14th goal of the season in his 18th match for the Romans, opening the score in a 2-0 (0-0) win over Hellas Verona – securing the capital club’s first Champions League berth since 2018/19. Stephan El Shaarawy sealed the victory. Champions Inter Milan and SSC Napoli had already secured their places in the competition.
