Italian football was turned on its head on the final day of the Serie A season on Sunday as Como qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history, AS Roma booked a return to Europe’s most elite club competition after a seven-year absence, and serial contenders AC Milan and Juventus were left to contemplate a campaign in the Europa League next term.
In what will be remembered as one of the most dramatic final days in Italian football, Como, a club pulled from the third tier of Italian football just six years ago sealed a fourth-place finish with a commanding 4-1 victory over already-relegated Cremonese, capitalising on Milan’s extraordinary defeat at San Siro.
Milan Collapse at Home
Seven-time European champions AC Milan produced a performance that will haunt their supporters long into the summer, losing 2-1 to a Cagliari side with nothing to play for at their own San Siro fortress. The result dropped Milan from third place to fifth on the final standings, eliminating any hope of Champions League football next season. Their form through the latter stages of the campaign has been poor, and Sunday’s defeat served as a damning verdict on a season that promised far more than it delivered.
It’s up there with all my achievements for how it was done and with whom we did it. We did this with very young players almost all under 23 years old. That’s amazing. Cesc Fàbregas, Como Head Coach
Como’s Extraordinary Rise
The story of Como’s qualification is one of the most remarkable in modern European football. Acquired by Indonesian tobacco giant Djarum in 2019 when they were competing in Serie C, the third tier of Italian football, the club have undergone a transformation that has moved at a pace that defies logic. In just six years, they have gone from a third tier team to Europe most prestigious competition, and they have done so without ever having competed in European football at any level in their entire history.
At the helm is Cesc Fàbregas, the 39-year-old former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder who has translated his decorated playing career into a managerial philosophy built around youth. His squad is strikingly young, the vast majority of his players are under 23 years of age and Sunday’s coronation in Cremonese stands as perhaps the greatest achievement of the Spaniard’s life in football.
Roma’s Long-Awaited Return
AS Roma secured their return to Champions League football with a composed 2-0 victory over already-relegated Hellas Verona to finish third in the final standings. Roma’s last appearance in the competition came in the 2018/19 season, when they were eliminated by Porto in the last-16 stage
Under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma’s third-place finish represents a genuine mark of progress, and a return to Champions League football will be viewed as a success by all parties.
Juventus Also Miss Out
Juventus, one of the most decorated clubs in Italian football history, also fell short of the top four after being held to a 2-2 draw in the Turin derby against city rivals Torino on Sunday. The Old Ladies of Serie A finish sixth in the final standings and will contest the UEFA Europa League next season, a competition that, however prestigious in its own right, represents a step down from the expectations attached to a club of their stature and history.
Relegated From Serie A – 2024/25
Cremonese – relegated, also lost 4-1 to Como on the final day
Hellas Verona – relegated, lost 0-2 to Roma on the final day
Pisa – bottom of the table, relegated to Serie B