The final day of the Serie A season delivered high drama as Roma and Como snatched the remaining Champions League places while AC Milan suffered a humiliating home defeat to miss out on Europe’s elite competition. At the other end of the table, Lecce secured survival with a nerve-shredding victory, but Cremonese’s defeat condemned them to a return to Serie B after just one season.
Roma ended a seven-year absence from the Champions League with a dominant 2-0 win at Hellas Verona. Donyell Malen broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after a handball by Verona’s Bowie, converting the rebound when goalkeeper Montipò saved his initial attempt. Stephan El Shaarawy then sealed the victory in stoppage time, rounding off a move created by Paulo Dybala, who was playing what could be his final game for the club. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini had stressed pre-match the importance of maintaining focus: “We have serenity. We’ve had an important journey. Winning the derby was a great satisfaction. Now we need the last step to achieve a goal that would be positive for everyone.” His side duly delivered, ensuring a return to the tournament they last graced in March 2019, when they lost to Porto in the round of 16.
Como’s fairy-tale rise under Cesc Fàbregas reached a historic pinnacle as they beat Cremonese 4-1 to qualify for the Champions League for the first time ever. Jesus Rodríguez opened the scoring, pouncing on a rebound, and Douvikas added a second before the break. The match turned decisively in the second half when Cremonese were reduced to ten men after Grassi was sent off for protesting a penalty decision—an incident that also saw Djuric dismissed. Da Cunha converted the spot-kick to make it 3-1, and a fourth goal completed the rout. Fàbregas had rallied his squad by saying, “The only thing we can do today is go and win. If we lose or draw, the season is finished. To be remembered, to truly make history, we have to win and see what the others do.” His players responded magnificently, capping a season where expectations soared from mid-table security to a top-four finish.
AC Milan’s season unraveled in catastrophic fashion at San Siro as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat against mid-table Cagliari. The Rossoneri took an early lead but were stunned by Giacomo Borrelli’s header from a corner, which equalized and exposed Milan’s overconfidence. Then Uruguayan Juan Rodríguez’s first Serie A goal—a towering header—gave Cagliari a lead that Milan could not overturn. A late red card to Valentini and missed chances deepened the misery. This collapse meant Milan, who had spent much of the campaign in second place, finished outside the top four entirely, a devastating blow for a club with Champions League pedigree. Pre-match, the Milan sporting director had insisted, “We have shut out external voices. It’s a fundamental match that must bring us to the goal set at the start of the season.” Instead, it became a nadir, raising serious questions about the direction under new ownership and the future of several key players.
Lecce’s 1-0 win over Genoa sparked wild celebrations at the Via del Mare, with manager Eusebio Di Francesco finally breathing a sigh of relief after a tense battle against relegation. Lameck Banda’s early goal proved enough, and news of Cremonese’s collapse later in the day confirmed their safety. Di Francesco, who took over mid-season, managed to steer the side out of the drop zone on the final day, a scenario that seemed improbable just weeks earlier. The ecstasy among fans, some waving jerseys of young star Nico Paz, underscored the magnitude of the achievement.
Cremonese’s defeat compounded a wretched afternoon; they had hoped to pull off a great escape but instead were overrun by Como’s attacking flair. After conceding, the red cards killed any hopes of a comeback, and they sank back into the bottom three. Owner Giovanni Arvedi’s investment had returned the club to the top flight only last season, but this relegation will force a rebuild.
Elsewhere, the Derby della Mole between Torino and Juventus was delayed by an hour to 9:45 PM due to public order concerns, with some Juventus fans burning scarves in protest. With both sides already locked into their final positions—Juventus in fifth—the match carried little competitive weight.
The final standings paint a picture of shifting power: Inter and Napoli had already secured the top two spots, with Roma and Como joining them in the Champions League. Atalanta, Lazio, and Fiorentina will contest the Europa League and Conference League slots. Milan’s failure is the standout shock; their absence from the Champions League will hit finances hard and may accelerate a squad overhaul.
For Roma, the return to Europe’s top table is a vindication of the Gasperini project, blending experienced stars like Dybala with emerging talents. For Como, it is a story of ambition rewarded, marking manager Fàbregas as one of the brightest young coaches in the game. The final day encapsulated everything Serie A offers: tension, joy, heartbreak, and the relentless pressure of a season’s defining moments.
Based on reporting from Tuttosport.