Juventus Qualify for Champions League After Defeating Relegation-bound Venezia

In a thrilling conclusion to the Serie A season, Juventus has qualified for the Champions League after defeating relegated Venezia 3-2 on Sunday.

The win, which came courtesy of a Manuel Locatelli penalty in the 73rd minute, saw Juventus pip Roma to the final Champions League spot by a single point.

The match, played on the Venice Lagoon, was an exciting contest that saw both teams create numerous scoring opportunities.

Venezia, who needed a win to have any chance of staying up, took the lead in the second minute through Daniel Fila’s strike.

However, Juventus quickly responded with two goals in quick succession, courtesy of Kenan Yildiz and Randal Kolo Muani, to take a 2-1 lead into the half-time break.

The second half saw Venezia push hard for an equalizer, and their efforts were rewarded in the 54th minute when Ridgeciano Haps scored to make it 2-2.

The goal briefly put Roma, who were leading 2-0 against Torino at the time, into fourth place. However, Locatelli’s penalty, which was awarded after Francisco Conceicao was brought down in the penalty area by Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, secured the win for Juventus and ensured their participation in next season’s Champions League.

The result was a bitter pill to swallow for Roma coach Claudio Ranieri, who ended his coaching career just missing out on giving his boyhood club their first Champions League qualification since 2018.

Despite the disappointment, Ranieri can take pride in the fact that he dragged Roma up from near the relegation spots to a Europa League place, following his second return to the club in November.

“We gave it our all, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. I’m proud of the team and the way they responded to the challenge. We may not have made it to the Champions League, but a Europa League place is still a great achievement, especially considering where we were when I arrived,” Ranieri said in a post-match interview.

The result also had significant implications for other teams in the league. Lazio, who lost 1-0 at home to Lecce, dropped out of the European places and will not participate in any European competition next season.

Fiorentina, on the other hand, secured a UEFA Conference League spot with a 3-2 win over Udinese.

At the other end of the table, Venezia joined bottom club Monza and Empoli in being relegated to Serie B. Empoli’s 2-1 loss at home to relegation rivals Verona sealed their fate, while Monza’s poor season was capped off with a disappointing finale.