Como make historic Champions League debut as Roma return, while AC Milan and Juventus crash out of top four

MILAN: Como qualified for the Champions League for the first time in its history on Sunday, the lakeside club joining Roma in Serie A’s top four as AC Milan imploded in a 2-1 defeat by Cagliari.

Milan’s loss left the seven-time kings of Europe out of the top four after a calamitous end to the season.

Juventus also missed out on an eventful final day marred by fan violence that caused its 2-2 draw at Torino to be delayed by more than an hour.

Como’s 4-1 win at Cremonese, which drops down to Serie B, and Milan falling to a shock home defeat were enough for Cesc Fabregas’s side to cap its incredible rise from the lower leagues to Europe’s top table.

Como finished the season fourth, two points behind Roma, whose 2-0 win at already-relegated Verona ensured third place and an end to its long absence from the Champions League.

Roma has not played in Europe’s elite club competition since being knocked out by Porto in the last 16 in 2019, and a top-four finish came following goals from in-form Donyell Malen and Stephan El Shaarawy.

Malen tapped in Paulo Dybala’s brilliant low cross, which he whipped in after the Netherlands striker’s penalty was saved by Lorenzo Montipo, while El Shaarawy sealed the deal in stoppage time of his last match for the club.

But even that achievement pales into insignificance compared to Como, which has never played in European competition in its history and was in the third tier of Italian football when acquired by tobacco giant Djarum in 2019.

“It’s up there with all my achievements for how it was done and with whom we did it, because we did it with very young players, almost all of them are under 23 years old. That’s amazing,” said Fabregas.

Che Adams forced home Torino’s late leveller as Juve finished the season sixth following a match that kicked off late for “public safety” after one of the Turin giants’ fans was admitted to hospital following pre-match clashes with rival supporters.

Juve’s draw was even more galling for Milan, as it meant that a point against Cagliari would have given Massmiliano Allegri’s team fourth ahead of Como on head-to-head record. Agencies

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