A roundup of all of Sunday’s final-day action in Italy’s top flight…
[ MORE: Chelsea, Real Madrid remain $38 million apart on Eden Hazard deal ]
Sampdoria (9th) 2-0 Juventus (1st)
With their eighth straight scudetto long since clinched, Juve slumped their way to the season’s finish line without a win in their final five games (three draws), including Sunday’s 2-0 loss away to Sampdoria. It was 0-0 for 83 minute, until Gregoire Defrel (84th) and Gianluca Caprari (91st) bagged late goals for the victory.
Atalanta (3rd) 3-1 Sassuolo (11th)
Atalanta completed their fairytale season and finished third in a hugely dramatic, chaotic way befitting their rapid rise to Champions League relevance. They finished 17th and avoided relegation by three points in 2015.
First, they fell behind when Domenico Berardi scored in the 19th minute. They were level by the 35 minute, thanks to Duvan Zapata’s equalizer. Then, things got weird.
Berardi was sent off during a massive skirmish between the two sides while leaving the field for halftime. With the score 1-1, and both Inter Milan and AC Milan ahead after 51 minutes, Atalanta were headed for a fifth-place finish.
Alejandro Gomez put Atalanta ahead three minutes later, though, and Mario Pasalic doubled the advantage in the 65th.
Hey, @ChampionsLeague, nice to meet you! 👋🤩
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) May 26, 2019
#Atalanta3uropa #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/yN6XLlmmKk
Inter Milan (4th) 2-1 Empoli (18th - relegated)
At that 51-minute mark, Keita Balde’s opening goal put Inter ahead of Empoli, but the visitors equalized in the 76th, briefly dropping them to fifth.
That lasted all of five minutes, as Radja Nainggolan put Luciano Spaletti’s side back in front, where they would finish the season. The top-four finished the day exactly as it began — Atalanta in 3rd and Inter Milan in 4th, each on 69 points.
SPAL (13th) 2-3 AC Milan (5th)
For those five glorious minutes, AC Milan were headed back to the Champions League for the first time since 2014, and were set to do so at the expense of their local rivals.
Finishing fourth, but behind Inter, would have been fine, but finishing fourth and ahead of Inter would have been a dreamland outcome. Alas, it’s a fifth-place finish on 68 points and another season in the Europa League for the Rossoneri.
Elsewhere in Serie A
Bologna (10th) 3-2 Napoli (2nd - Saturday)
Frosinone (19th - relegated) 0-0 Chievo (20th - relegated - Saturday)
Roma (6th) 2-1 Parma (14th)
Torino (7th) 3-1 Lazio (8th)
Cagliari (15th) 1-2 Udinese (12th)
Fiorentina (16th) 0-0 Genoa (17th)