Fifth place in the Champions League is (almost) gone

In the Champions League è only Inter

remained.

The Champions League play-offs could have been an excellent opportunity to secure second place in the Uefa rankings and, consequently, keep the five teams in the next Champions League edition as well. Instead, the play-offs literally scuttled Italy's dreams of remaining in the ’élite of European soccer.

The bitter eliminations of Milan, Atalanta and Juventus, in fact, have made (almost) vanish all chances of having a fifth team even next year in the top European competition. Spain has already overtaken Italy, on the strength of an important group of clubs still in play in the various European competitions.

In addition to hoping that Roma will manage to eliminate Porto (Portugal è currently fourth, behind Italy), one must hope that the Italian clubs still in the running will go as far as possible while the Spanish battleships collapse at the most beautiful moment. Honestly, very little chance of that happening, especially in light of how the Iberian teams are playing in the various European cups.

Losing the fifth team in the Champions League will make the final sprint in the league even more dramatic. All the big names in Italian soccer dream of winning a pass to Europe’s top competition. Now one place will jumpà. So, the fifth-place finisher will have to settle for the Europa League.