Como, Roma secure Champions League spots in Serie A finale

Como and Roma secured berths in the Champions League on the final day of the Serie A season, completing a historic rise for the lakeside club and ending Roma’s five-year absence from Europe’s elite competition. AC Milan and Juventus both missed out, while Cremonese was relegated.

Milan started the day in third place, level on points with Roma and two points ahead of Como and Juventus. But a 2-1 home defeat to Cagliari, combined with Como’s 4-1 win at Cremonese, dropped the seven-time European champions out of the top four. Roma secured third place with a 2-0 victory at already-relegated Hellas Verona, finishing two points clear of Como. Donyell Malen tapped in after his penalty was saved, and Stephan El Shaarawy sealed the win in stoppage time in his last match for the club.

Como’s qualification is the culmination of a rapid ascent. The club, based on Lake Como, had never participated in any European competition in its 119-year history. It was playing in the fourth division of Italian soccer seven years ago. Indonesian tobacco billionaire brothers Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono purchased the club in 2019, when it was in Serie D. Under coach Cesc Fabregas, who...