SPORT
Sun 28 May 2023 10:37 am - Jerusalem Time
Italian Championship: Inter guarantees qualification to the Champions League, and Roma officially loses it
Inter ensured its qualification to the Champions League next season by beating its guest Atalanta 3-2 in the thirty-seventh and penultimate stage on Saturday, while Roma officially lost the opportunity to qualify through the league by falling against Fiorinina 2-1 on Saturday.
Inter advanced with two goals in the first three minutes through the Belgian Romelu Lukaku (1) and Nicolo Barella (3), before the Croatian Mario Pasalic narrowed the difference (36).
Argentine Lautaro Martinez scored the third goal for the hosts (77), before Colombian substitute Luis Morial hit a powerful ball from outside the area into the roof of the goal, but the goal was considered military on Cameroonian international goalkeeper Andre Onana (90 + 1).
Inter raised its score to 69 points, temporarily second to Lazio (68), who plays Sunday with Cremonese, and is eight points away from fifth Atalanta.
And Milan, the fourth (64 points), will suffice to draw with its host, Juventus VII (59), on Sunday, in order to guarantee the last qualifying card to the first continental competition.
Nerazzuiri entered the meeting after winning the Italian Cup for the second year in a row, with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina.
And he returned to the winning streak in the league after falling in the last stage against Napoli, the champion, 3-1, and is preparing for the Champions League final against Manchester City, England, on the tenth of next June.
Roma officially lost the opportunity to qualify for the Champions League through the Italian League, by falling fatally to its host, Fiorentina, 1-2.
The capital team advanced until the last minutes with an early goal scored by Stephen El Shaarawy (11), before conceding two deadly goals in the last five minutes through Serbian Luka Jovic (85) and French Jonathan Ikoneh (88).
Rome's balance froze at 60 points in sixth place, four points away from Milan, which occupies the last qualifying positions for the first continental championship, and therefore it became impossible to catch up with it with a single match remaining.
Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho's team has another chance to qualify for the Champions League next season, if it wins Wednesday the Europa League final against Spain's Seville at the Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
But the task will not be easy for a specialist in this tournament, whose title he won a record six times and never lost a single final.
Mourinho rested some of his players for the upcoming match, noting that he did not lose any continental final he played in in his coaching career.
As for Fiorentina, who entered the match after losing the cup final, he achieved a moral victory after losing his hopes of qualifying for any continental competition through the league, raising his score to 53 points in ninth place, six points behind Juventus, who occupies the last qualifying position to Europe.
Fiorentina has the opportunity to reserve its ticket to the European League competition if it beats West Ham United in the final match of the Conference League competition on the seventh of June next.
In other matches, Spezia suffered a slap in its quest to remain among the adults, by falling at home 4-0 against Turin, while Salernitana defeated its guest Udinese 3-2 in a goalless match for the two teams.
Spezia's balance froze at 31 points in the seventeenth place, and it will be threatened to drop to the eighteenth, and thus occupy the first relegation positions, in the event that Verona (30 points) wins over its guest, Empoli, on Sunday.
And it was previously confirmed that Sampdoria and Cremonese were relegated.
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Italian Championship: Inter guarantees qualification to the Champions League, and Roma officially loses it