The Euro Roundup: Inter Milan reach the Champions League
Inter Milan end a long wait for Champions League qualification, the Bundesliga relegation battle concludes and a number of club legends say farewell.
Serie A
The big story in Italy predictably came in Rome, where Lazio hosted Inter. With the league title and relegation spots practically wrapped up heading to the final day, all that was up for grabs was the final Champions League spot. Inter Milan sat just outside the final Champions League spot in fifth, while their opponents occupied fourth. To leapfrog Lazio, Inter needed to win.
Inter got off to the worst possible start, conceding the opener within the first eight minutes of the first half from a freak deflection off Ivan Perisic. Lazio then proceed to miss several chances to put the game to bed.
Inter took advantage of their opponents’ missed chances by getting a goal of their own, Danilo D’Ambrosio eventually tapping home from a scrappy corner. Parity didn’t last long as Felipe Anderson made it 2-1 Lazio just before the close of the first half.
The second half was much more drab, as Inter tried to pry open Lazio while the home side resolutely held onto their lead. The game came to life when Stefan De Vrij gave away a penalty that was coolly slotted home by Inter captain Mauro Icardi to level the match. The Dutch defender announced recently he would be joining Inter Milan on a free at the end of the season, adding further controversy to this clash.
Lazio then went down to 10 men, with Senad Lulic getting a second yellow for a silly challenge. At this point, Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi opted to bring on another defender for the club’s top goalscorer this season, Ciro Immobile.
Lazio’s misery was further complied just a few minutes later, when Matias Vecino rose above a number of Lazio defenders to score the winner with just 10 minutes to play and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in six years.
Elsewhere, Gianluigi Buffon finished his Juventus career with a win as the Old Lady saw off Verona 2-1. AC Milan scored five in an impressive 5-1 win over Fiorentina and Napoli finished the season with a record 91 points as they defeated Crutone and became the first Serie A team ever to finish with 90 points or more and not win the league.
Bundesliga
The regular German season is over, but the final relegated team is still to be decided in the Bundesliga as Wolfsburg, who fended off the late challenges of Hamburg on the final day to reach the relegation playoff, faced the third-place Bundesliga 2 side, Holstein Kiel, in a two-legged bout to decide both clubs’ first division fate.
Wolfsburg hold a crucial first-leg advantage after winning 3-1 at home on Thursday and will travel away to Holstein to secure top flight status for another season. That game takes place on Monday, May 21, with Wolfsburg the obvious favorites.
Next: Russia 2018: The best player on every team at the World Cup
La Liga
It was a weekend of farewells in Spain, as a number of club legends departed their clubs for greener pastures. Fernando Torres lifted his first trophy in Atleti colors this week in the Europa League final and finished his stint at the club with a brace against Eibar to spare Los Rojiblancos a second home defeat of the season.
Andres Iniesta waved goodbye to the Camp Nou with a win as a Philippe Coutinho wonder goal saw off the challenge of Real Sociedad. The away side had a legend of their own departing as well, as Xabi Prieto ended a lifetime of service at the club with a measly minute-long cameo at the Camp Nou. The home crowd gave Prieto a warm reception, which helped make up for his lack of game time since he announced he was retiring.