Sadly for Italian football, all three Serie A clubs have now been eliminated from the Champions League Round of 16, with Inter being the last of the fallen.
Among the four Italian participants in Europe’s elite club competition, only Milan failed to reach the knockout stages. In their defense, the Rossoneri were thrown into the group of death, with Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint Germain eventually qualifying for the next stage.
But at least Milan managed to finish third to prolong their European campaign with a demotion to the Europa League. It came at the expense of Newcastle United who finished at the bottom of the group.
On the other hand, Lazio, Napoli and Inter all booked their places in the Round 16. But here’s the catch: all three finished second in their respective groups, which pitted them against tough opponents, coupled with the disadvantage of playing the decisive second leg away from home.
In the first leg, the Serie A trio registered positive results on home soil. Even Lazio stunned the world by earning a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich. For their part, Napoli snatched a 1-1 draw while hosting Barcelona, and Inter registered a slim 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
Therefore, a betting man would have tipped at least one Serie A club to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. Bettors can refer to the DraftKings review for odds and insights on soccer, including Champions League action as well as all major sporting events around the globe.
Yet, Calcio fans might struggle to find a team to root four in the Final Eight, as all three Serie A sides crumbled in the second leg.
Last week, Lazio failed to build on their first-leg advantage, with Bayern rather expectedly completing a comeback at the Allianz Arena. The Bavarians, spearheaded by Harry Kane, scored three unanswered goals at home to march into the next stage at the Romans’ expense.
On Tuesday, Napoli were hoping to return from Catalunya with a ticket to the quarters, but Barcelona had the upper hand at home. The Spaniards prevailed by three goals to one, with Partneopei squandering several chances throughout the match.
Finally, Inter represented the last glimmer of hope for Italian football in the competition, as well as the most realistic, given their incredible league form.
But despite taking the lead through Federico Dimarco, Simone Inzaghi’s men couldn’t resist the Spanish onslaught. The Colchoneros scored twice to take the match to extra-time before emerging victorious in dramatic penalty shoutouts.
So in the end, it just wasn’t meant to be for Serie A representatives in the Champions League. But perhaps Milan, Roma, Atalanta and Fiorentina would partially make up for the disappointment by going far in the Europa League and Conference League.
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