MILAN (AP) — Como ended one of Italian football's most improbable promotions in dream fashion Sunday, clinching a maiden Champions League berth on the season's final day while two of the country's traditional powers watched the finish line pass them by.
Fourth place, fairytale finish
The club, founded 119 years ago and rotting in Serie D little more than seven years ago, completed its astonishing climb by finishing fourth in Serie A — enough to seal a spot in Europe's elite club competition. Roma also qualified, winning 2-0 at already-relegated Hellas Verona to confirm third place.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
AC Milan, once certain of qualification after holding the third automatic Champions League spot going into the final round, lost 2-1 at home to Cagliari. Juventus, level on points with Como before kickoff, let a two-goal lead slip in a 2-2 draw at Torino that began an hour late because of crowd trouble outside the stadium.
The math was stark: Como finished one point ahead of Milan, two ahead of Juventus.
'We changed in a bar'
"When I arrived four years ago as a player we changed in a bar, today we're in the Champions League," said manager Cesc Fàbregas, whose post-match news conference was interrupted by overjoyed players dousing him with water while singing the competition's anthem through a portable speaker.
The squad's youth stood out even in celebration. "The 15 players who played the most are nearly all under 23," Fabregas noted. "That's a marvelous achievement from the whole squad."
The club's rise accelerated sharply after Indonesian tobacco billionaires Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono bought it in 2019 while it languished in Serie D. That investment, and the subsequent three promotions in six years, now delivers continental football for the first time in the club's history.
Relegation and rest of the table
Cremonese's 4-1 home loss to Como confirmed their drop to Serie B, joining Verona and Pisa in relegation. At the other end, Inter Milan finished champions, Napoli second after Antonio Conte's side beat Udinese 1-0 in his final match in charge — Conte confirmed his departure afterward.
Lecce stayed up thanks to a 1-0 win over Genoa, moving four points clear of 18th place.
Daniella Matar, The Associated Press