After a thrilling night in European football that determined the fate of many clubs across different leagues, Serie A giants Juventus and AC Milan secured their UCL slots in the last game of the season.
Juventus were on the brink of missing out on their Champions League spot for the first time since 2010/11. They qualified on the last day of the season on Sunday beating Bologna by 4-1, with their top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. Since Napoli couldn’t win against Hellas Verona, Juventus was able to sneak into the top four at their expense.
Besides the former Serie A champions, AC Milan also had a decisive night as they beat in-form Atalanta. The seven-time CL winners managed to finish the season 12 points behind their city rivals Inter Milan and made it to the Champions League for the first time since the 2013/14 season. A brace from Franck Kessie ensured that they reserve their spot in the top 4.
Speaking of their UCL qualification, AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli was exhilarated upon meeting this target and believed that they deserved the Champions League as well as second place.
“We went through the whole championship at the top, unfortunately we had thrown away the match point last Sunday. I’m really excited, happy, I have to thank the club because they made us work in a spectacular way.”
On the other hand, the high-scoring Atalanta had another sensational year as they managed to seal a place in CL for the third consecutive time, sharing points with Juventus at 78. Meanwhile, Inter Milan proved to be an unstoppable force in Serie A, winning matches with huge margins and remaining at the top with a massive difference. The next UCL season will be exciting with AC Milan returning to the tournament after a long time, while Juventus will be breathing a sigh of relief on Sunday.