Even though they had to sweat it out, Roma, Juventus, and Fiorentina got the job done in their respective competitions Thursday. Combining Inter and Milan, which will collide in Champions League 20 years after the previous Euro-Derby, it means that Serie A has five representatives in the semifinals of the various cups, which is a new record, Sky informs.
As Goal points out, one Italian team went all the way, or almost, for the third consecutive season. In 2020, Inter played in Europa League final, losing to Sevilla. Roma bowed out at the penultimate step in 2021 and then took home the European Conference League last campaign. In the meantime, the Azzurri conquered the European Championship but failed to qualify for World Cup in Qatar.
Serie A has had four teams in the semifinals on six separate occasions. The most successful one was in 1989/1990, Milan beat Bayern Munich and then Benfica in Champions League, Juventus and Fiorentina met in the UEFA Cup final, with the Bianconeri coming out on top, while Sampdoria defeated Monaco and Anderlecht in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. In 2002/2003, the Rossoneri beat Inter in the semifinals and then Juventus on PKs at Old Trafford. Lazio got to that point in the second-tier competition, but José Mourinho’s Porto eliminated them.
The last time Serie A had a side at this stage of every competition was in 1998/1999, in the final editions of the Cup Winners’ Cup, which Lazio won topping Lokomotiv Moscow and Mallorca. Juventus bowed out versus Manchester United in the European Champions Cup. Parma prevailed in the UEFA Cup against Marseille, which had bested Bologna in the semis.
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