It was an epic final day of Serie A action on Sunday with Atalanta and Inter Milan securing the final top four spots while AC Milan and AS Roma missed out. Juventus also ended the season with a disappointing loss to Sampdoria. Here are the Winners and Losers from the Final Day of Serie A. Bet on Serie A here.
Winners
Atalanta
Atalanta qualified for the Champions League for the first time on an eventful final day of the Serie A season. Atalanta, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma all went into the final day in contention for the final two spots. However, it was Atalanta and Inter who took the places. With a moderate budget, the club finished seventh last season and fourth in the previous campaign, however only three Champions League spots were awarded to Italian sides back then. This represents a phenomenal achievement for both coach Gian Piero Gasperini and Atalanta who will now play against the best in next season’s Champions League.
Fabio Quagliarela
Fabio Quagliarella has enjoyed a remarkable season with Sampdoria. The 36-year-old Italian forward topped the goal scoring charts in Serie A with 26 beating the likes of Atalanta’s Duván Zapata who came second on 23 and AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piątek came third with 22. He also outscored the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edin Dzeko, Mauro Icardi, Ciro Immobile and Dries Mertens.
Inter Milan
Inter Milan secured top four on the final day of the season after beating a stubborn Empoli 2-1 at the San Siro. The Nerazzurri Inter needed a late goal from Radja Nainggolan to give them the win over a gallant Empoli, who were relegated. This will be Inter’s second consecutive top-four finish in the last seven years.
Losers
AS Roma & AC Milan
Roma narrowly missed out on the top four despite winning on the final day against Parma. However, this has been a poor season for Roma who changed their manager mid-season. They’ll now miss the Champions League for the first time in five seasons. AC Milan is another slumbering giant who will have to wait longer for European football. They finished 5th in what was another inconsistent season where they flirted with the top four but couldn’t really hold it firmly.
Empoli
Empoli needed just a point to survive relegation and retain their top-flight status. However, a painful 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan sealed their fate. It looked like survival was a possibility when Hamed Junior Traore equalised in the 76th minute. But Nainggolan broke their hearts with an 81st-minute winner to send them to Serie B.
Juventus and Massimiliano Allegri
Massimiliano Allegri and Serie A champions Juventus ended the season on a sour note losing 2-0 to Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. The starting eleven was the 38th combination Allegri has used in the league this season. The result marks a miserable end for Allegri, who is set to leave this summer after leading the Bianconeri to five straight titles.