Crisis club Milan's Champions League return at risk, Como in Europe

TL;DR

AC Milan faced a 3-2 defeat to Atalanta, jeopardizing their Champions League hopes, while Como qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.

Key points

AC Milan lost 3-2 to Atalanta at home.
Como qualified for Europe for the first time in history.
Milan is level on points with Roma in Serie A.
Milan's performance has been poor, with only seven points in the last two months.
Como was promoted to Serie A in 2024.

AC MilanAtalantaComoRoma

AC Milan slumped to a 3-2 home defeat to Atalanta on Sunday (Piero CRUCIATTI) (Piero CRUCIATTI/AFP/AFP) AC Milan slumped into a full-blown crisis on Sunday after a 3-2 home defeat to Atalanta put their Champions League return at risk, while Como qualified for Europe for the first time. Boos and whistles rang around at full time in a San Siro which had been abandoned by a large chunk of the over 70,000 fans well before the end of a match whose final score didn't reflect the balance of play. Before leaving the stands, hardcore supporters loudly voiced their aggravation at the club's owners, American investment fund RedBird. The chants only grew louder after Ederson, Davide Zappacosta and Giacomo Raspadori rattled Atalanta three goals ahead by the 51st minute. Strahinja Pavlovic headed Milan back into the game in the 88th minute while Christoper Nkunku netted from the penalty spot in stoppage time, but those goals won't hide what was a dismal performance. Milan are still just about in Serie A's top four but level on 67 points with fifth-placed Roma and in a tailspin after collecting just seven points since beating local rivals Inter Milan two months ago. In that time Milan have scored only six goals, three of which came in one match, and the level of anger at the team peaked when winger Rafael Leao -- once a fan favourite -- was substituted just before the hour. Defeat capped an awful day for Milan whose key rivals for a Champions League spot, Como and Roma, won at and respectively. rattled home the only goal of the game in the 71st minute at relegated Verona as Como guaranteed themselves at least a place in the Conference League. Como have never played in European competition in their history and were in the third tier of Italian football when acquired by tobacco giant Djarum in 2019. The lakeside outfit were only promoted to Serie A in 2024 and could yet finish the season in the top four, as they sit just two points behind Milan in sixth. “Two years ago today we were promoted to Serie A and today we’re qualifying for Europe," said coach . "The team, the club, the fans have all grown. It's incredible. We will remember this day 20 years from now."

Q&A

What was the score of the AC Milan vs Atalanta match?

AC Milan lost to Atalanta with a score of 3-2.

How did Como qualify for European competition?

Como qualified for Europe for the first time by winning against Verona, securing a place in the Conference League.

What impact does Milan's defeat have on their Champions League chances?

Milan's defeat puts their Champions League return at risk, as they are now level on points with fifth-placed Roma.

Who scored for AC Milan in their match against Atalanta?

Strahinja Pavlovic and Christoper Nkunku scored for AC Milan in the match against Atalanta.