Inter flies to the round of 16, Atalanta and Milan to playoffs as Juventus. Bologna says goodbye with a draw
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Champions League, Inter the only Italian directly to the round of 16
It's an evening with more shadows than lights for the Italians on the final day of the Champions League Phase. The last MatchDay had started with three representatives of Serie A among the top eight, while at the conclusion of the eighteen matches played at the same time è only Inter to rejoice for the direct passage to the round of 16. Atalanta and Milan, on the other hand, must settle from the playoffs, thus joining Juventus. Out, as already known from last week, is Bologna.
At San Siro è really everything is easy for Simone Inzaghi’s men, who after 16' are already ahead by two goals and in numerical superiority against Monaco: Lautaro Martinez opens the scoring on a penalty on 4' on 12' Mawissa Elebi gets sent off leaving the Principality club in ten and on 16' again Lautaro makes it 2-0, on an assist from Barella. In the second half for El Toro also comes the hat-trick, at 67', to seal an important success that is worth direct access to the round of 16.
Atalanta, for its part, does not disfigure in Montjuic against Barcelona but does not go beyond a 2-2 draw that, given the other results, puts the Bergamasks only one point behind the eighth position: blaugrana ahead first with Yamal at 47' and then with Araujo at 72', the orobici score with Ederson at 67' and Pasalic at 79', but it is not enough to avoid the extra round.
It's a bad night instead for Milan in Zagreb: in fact, the Fabio Cannavaro-coached Dinamo won 2-1, making the most of goals by Baturina on 19' and Pjaca on 60'. Milan, in ten from 39' for the second yellow inflicted on Musah, shortened the gap at 53' with Christian Pulisic but despite their efforts did not avoid the knockout. The Rossoneri, like Atalanta, also finish -1 from eighth place.
It was already certain to enter the playoffs Juventus, which lost at home to Benfica, ending the League Phase with an ugly home defeat: scoring, in the 2-0 win for the Lisbon Eagles, Pavlidis at 16' and Kokcu at 81'81;. For Thiago Motta’s men, however, the 12 points collected in the first seven games were enough to make the playoff round.
Finally, Bologna's first adventure in the Champions League ends with an away draw (previously the Felsinei had participated in one edition of the old Champions Cup, in 1964-1965): in Lisbon against Sporting it ends 1-1, with the goal scored by Tommaso Pobega at 21' equalized at minute 77 by Conrad Harder. A crucial point for Sporting, which advances to the playoffs precisely by virtue of the tie; Bologna, on the other hand, finishes with 6 points from 8 games.