Bologna and Fiorentina out, the Italian disaster in Europe is complete

It closes without ringing and with a rather bitter epilogue the adventure of Italian soccer in the 2025-2026 European cups. On the evening of Thursday, April 16, the curtain officially falls: after the eliminations already accrued in the Champions League between League Phase and playoffs, the final exits in the other competitions also arrive. Bologna and Fiorentina bid farewell to the Europa League and Conference League respectively, leaving Italy completely out of the continental semifinals.

The hardest blow comes from the Europa League, where Bologna was called upon to pull off a real feat after the 3-1 loss in the first leg. The comeback, however, did not even remotely materialize: in England, Aston Villa dominated without appeal, imposing themselves with a clear 4-0 victory. The overall result (7-1) recounts a severe gap, perhaps even too heavy compared to what was seen in the double-header, but enough to certify the elimination of the Rossoblù.

In the Conference League, Fiorentina at least tried to make the evening less bitter. After the 0-3 loss in the first leg, the Viola reacted in front of their own public, overcoming Crystal Palace 2-1 thanks to goals from Gudmundsson (on a penalty kick) and Ndour. A victory that serves more pride than qualification, because the aggregate score (4-2 for the English) still rewards the opponents.

The semi-final picture, at this point, does not speak Italian. In the Europa League they will face Braga and Freiburg on one side, while an English derby between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will be staged on the other. In the Conference League, meanwhile, space will be given to the challenges between Shakhtar and Crystal Palace and between Strasbourg and Rayo Vallecano.