Monza became the third promoted team to Serie A thanks to a successful rally in the second leg of the playoff final against Pisa Sunday. The Brianzoli had won 2-1 in the first match. The Tuscan side jumped to an early two-nothing lead. The road team came all the way back with ten minutes to go, but a late goal by the Nerazzurri sent the fixture into overtime. However, the home side ran out of gas, and the opponents eventually hit the net twice, prevailing 3-4.
The Biancorossi made it to the top league for the first time in their history. Former long-time Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi acquired the team in 2018, when they were in Serie C. Veteran Rossoneri executive Adriano Galliani serves as their top director. The ex-prime minister told Sky Sport after the victory: “We fought hard all year long and finally achieved a historic result. I am used to winning, so we must aim for the Scudetto and the Champions League.”
Monza managed to get to Serie A despite fumbling away the opportunity to do so in the regular season. They were in second place heading into the final round. They lost to Perugia and were leapfrogged by both Cremonese and Pisa. It is the second promotion for coach Giovanni Stroppa, who had succeeded with Crotone a couple of years ago. Lecce and the Grigiorossi grabbed the first two spots of the table. The former are returning to Serie A after two seasons, while the latter last appeared back in 1995/1996.