Soccer-Milan miss out on Champions League as Roma and Como qualify

The result condemned the hosts to relegation alongside Verona and Pisa, while Como secured a Champions League spot ahead of Juventus ⁠on a superior head-to-head record, even if Juventus also finish the campaign on 71 points.

What promised to be a successful season for AC Milan ended in total disappointment on Sunday ‌as a 2-1 home Serie A defeat by Cagliari meant they missed out on the top four, condemning them to a second consecutive year without Champions League football. Despite Alexis Saelemaekers scoring in the opening minute, the visitors turned ‌the match around. Gennaro Borrelli equalised in the 19th minute before Juan Rodriguez completed the comeback in ‌the 56th minute.

The result marked a dismal conclusion to a campaign in which Milan declined from title contenders to failing to achieve manager Massimiliano Allegri’s primary objective of a top-four finish. Milan finished with 70 points, behind AS Roma and Como, with their exact ⁠final position ​still to be determined. Champions ⁠Inter Milan and second-placed Napoli took the first two Champions League spots.

The Turin derby remained undecided following severe crowd trouble on Sunday ⁠as clashes between Juventus and Torino supporters outside the stadium delayed kickoff by one hour. Juventus led 1-0 at the break ​thanks to a goal from Dusan Vlahovic. In-form AS Roma celebrated a top-four finish after Donyell Malen ⁠and Stephan El Shaarawy secured a 2-0 victory at relegated Hellas Verona to take their final points tally to 73 and end the ⁠season ​in third.

Como eased to a 4-1 victory at Cremonese to secure their top-four place. The result condemned the hosts to relegation alongside Verona and Pisa, while Como secured a Champions League spot ahead of Juventus ⁠on a superior head-to-head record, even if Juventus also finish the campaign on 71 points. Italian news agency ANSA ⁠reported that the violence in ⁠Turin left one fan in a critical condition, prompting Juventus supporters to demand the fixture be cancelled. When authorities decided to proceed with the match, many Juventus ‌supporters walked out ‌of the stadium in protest.