Final Whistle: Fiorentina Return to Europe
On the back of a deserved win over an unmotivated Juventus, Fiorentina managed to book a place in a European competition for the first time since 2016/17. On the other hand, Atalanta spectacularly succumbed to a last-day defeat at the hands of their visitors Empoli, but their result had very little implication due to the Viola’s victory.
Therefore, Fiorentina will play in the Europa Conference League next season, while the Orobici find themselves out of Europe after taking part in the Champions League in the last three seasons.
As for Lazio, their entertaining 3-3 draw against Verona was enough to seal the fifth spot and subsequently secure a spot in Europa League’s group stage, leaving their rivals Roma in 6th place.
That’s all from us for tonight, join us tomorrow for our live coverage of the last chapter from an epic Scudetto race!
Fiorentina 2-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-1 Empoli
Lazio 3-3 Verona
5- Lazio: 64 points
6- Roma: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 62 points
8- Atalanta: 59 points
Minute 92: Gonzalez Seals it from the Spot
Leonardo Bonucci gives away a spot kick with a clumsy challenge on Lucas Torreira. Nico Gonzalez converts it from the spot to double the Viola’s lead and book a place in next season’s Conference League.
Fiorentina 2-0 Juventus
Atalanta 1-0 Empoli
Lazio 3-3 Verona
5- Lazio: 64 points
6- Roma: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 62 points
8- Atalanta: 59 points
Minute 79: Shocker in Bergamo
After failing to convert a single chance, Atalanta now find themselves trailing as Empoli’s Leo Stulac scores the opener with a fabulous shot that left Juan Musso stranded.
It appears that the final European ticket is heading towards Tuscany.
Fiorentina 1-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-1 Empoli
Lazio 3-2 Verona
5- Lazio: 66 points
6- Roma: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 62 points
8- Atalanta: 59 points
Minute 76: Another Twist in Rome
Just when Lazio thought they had it in the bag, Verona level the score through Martin Hongla following a scramble in the box which allowed him to tap in the easiest of goals. Nevertheless, the capital side will maintain fifth place if Maurizio Sarri’s men manage to avoid a late collapse.
Fiorentina 1-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Lazio 3-3 Verona
5- Lazio: 64 points
6- Roma: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 62 points
8- Atalanta: 60 points
Minute 62: Pedro Completes Lazio Comeback
After trailing by two goals early in the match, Lazio have turned the result upside down and have now taken the lead for the first time in the match thanks to Pedro Rodriguez. The Verona goalkeeper denied Anderson from close range, but the Spanish veteran was in the right time and place to pounce on the rebound.
Fiorentina 1-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Lazio 3-2 Verona
5- Lazio: 66 points
6- Roma: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 62 points
8- Atalanta: 60 points
Minute 45: Duncan Puts Fiorentina in the Lead
Just before halftime, Fiorentina finally break the Bianconeri’s resistance as Alfred Duncan pounced on a scramble inside the box to strike home an unstoppable shot. Therefore, Vincenzo Italiano’s men head to the locker room in a confident mood following a cagey first half.
In Bergamo, Atalanta had a flurry of chances during the first period, but failed to capitalize on their advantage, as Empoli’s Vicario somehow ends the first 45 minutes with a clean sheet. The current results are all against Gasperini’s men who might miss out on European football altogether next season.
Fiorentina 1-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Lazio 2-2 Verona
5- Lazio: 64 points
6- Roma: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 62 points
8- Atalanta: 60 points
Minute 30: Lazio Level the Score
After conceding twice in the first minutes, Lazio managed to equalize the scoring in a swift fashion thanks to Felipe Anderson. The Biancocelesti retain the fifth spot for the moment.
Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Lazio 2-2 Verona
5- Lazio: 64 points
6- Roma: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 60 points
8- Atalanta: 60 points
Minute 16: Lasagna Doubles Verona’s, Cabral Pulls One Back
While the action in Bergamo and Florence remains relatively quiet, we witnessed a crazy first 15 minutes in the capital.
Kevin Lasagna doubled Verona’s lead with a low drive that hit the post twice before deciding the hit the net. But two minutes later, Jovane Cabral pulled one back for the the Biancocelesti with a deflected shot.
Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Lazio 1-2 Verona
5- Roma: 63 points
6- Lazio: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 60 points
8- Atalanta: 60 points
Minute 6: Simeone Breaks the Deadlock
The first blood of the evening comes from a rather unexpected source, as Giovanni Simeone meets Darko Lazovic’s cross to put Verona in the lead at the Stadio Olimpico at Lazio’s expense.
Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus
Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Lazio 0-1 Verona
5- Roma: 63 points
6- Lazio: 63 points
7- Fiorentina: 60 points
8- Atalanta: 60 points
Official Lineups
We’re only few minutes away from kickoff, so let’s check out the official lineups from the Artemio Franchi and the Gewiss Stadium.
Fiorentina (4-3-3): Terraciano; Venuti, Milenkovic, Igor, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Amrabat, Duncan; Gonzalez, Piatek, Saponara
Juventus (3-5-2): Perin; De Ligt, Bonucci, Chiellini; Bernardeschi, Locatelli, Miretti, Rabiot, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Kean
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Musso; De Roon, Djimsiti, Palomino; Hateboer, Koopminers, Freuler, Zappacosta; Pasalic; Zapata, Boga
Empoli (4-3-1-2): Vicario; Stojanovic, Viti, Luperto, Cacace; Zurkowski, asllani, Bandinelli; Henderson; La Mantia, Cutrone
The Situation
As we mentioned earlier, the main battle taking place tonight is for the seventh spot in the table. At the moment, Atalanta and Fiorentina are par in terms of points with 59 each. However, the Viola have the advantage thanks to a super head-to-head, having won both fixtures against Gian Piero Gasperini’s men this season.
Therefore, the Tuscans only need to match the result of Atalanta on the final round of the season in order to book their place in Conference League next season. As for the Orobici, they will have to earn a positive result against Empoli and await a gift from Juventus.
As for the two Europa League spots, the two capital sides have already secured the 5th and 6th place, but it remains to be seen which club will finish ahead of its arch rival. Aside from bragging rights, the team that secures fifth spot will head directly towards the group stage, while the sixth will have to earn its place through qualifiers and will be forced to start its season earlier than intended.
After beating Torino on Friday, Roma temporarily sit 5th thanks to their superior head-to-head, but Lazio only need one point from their home fixture against Verona to restore their place.
Hello and Welcome
In what turned out to be one of the most fascinating Serie A campaigns in recent memory, the epic Scudetto race isn’t the only one that’s going to the wire. While the champion’s identity will be revealed tomorrow, some of the finest sides in Italy will be fighting for European spots on Saturday, and the Cult of Calcio will provide you with live updates on the action from three different stadiums. So make sure you keep refreshing the page to get the latest results and the live standings.
The most interesting duel is the one between Fiorentina and Atalanta who are fighting for the 7th place and a spot in next season’s Europa Conference. The Tuscans will host Juventus at the Artemio Franchi, while La Dea takes on Empoli in Bergamo. Moreover, we’ll keep an eye on the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where Lazio play host for Verona with some European implications on the line.