Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio wrote a new chapter in their history on Sunday night as they sealed a first ever Champions League spot.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side went into the final Match-Day requiring victory to seal their fate and did so thanks to a 3-1 win over Sassuolo. Daniel Zapata, Alejandro Gomez and Mario Pasalic scored Atalanta’s goals having fallen behind to a Domenico Berardi 19th minute strike.
Victory sees Atalanta finish 3rd in the Serie A, level on points (69) with Inter Milan but with a superior goal difference.
For Inter, they were also victorious over the weekend, defeating Empoli 2-1 in a fiercely contested encounter at the Guissepe Meaza stadium.
Keita Balde handed Inter the lead on 51 minutes before Hamed Traore equalized on 76 minutes. With 9 minutes to play, Radja Nainggolan struck the winner for Luciano Spalletti’s side before both sides had a player sent off in injury-time. Filippo Perucchini was given a straight red card while Balde was shown a second yellow for Inter.
Defeat for Empoli means they are relegated to the Serie B after finishing level on points (38) with Genoa (17th) but with an inferior goal difference.
The top two of Juventus and Napoli succumbed to losses on the final day. Inter were beaten 2-0 away to Sampdoria while Napoli lost 3-2 away to Bologna.
The results meant that Juve finished top of the Serie A with 90 points, 11 ahead of Napoli.
Elsewhere, AC Milan defeated SPAL 3-2 away from home, Torino defeated Lazio 3-1 at the Stadio Grande Torino while Roma were 2-1 victors over Parma.
AC, Roma and Lazio make it to the Europa League while Chievo and Frosinone are the other two sides that are relegated to the Serie B, alongside Empoli.
In the French Ligue One, Monaco survived relegation by a whisker following a 2-0 loss away to Nice on the final day of the season.
A Benoit Badiashile own goal and Mickael Le Bihan’s penalty proved to much for Leandro Jerdim’s men who ended the season in 17th, two points ahead of Dijon. Dijon were victorious this past weekend as they defeated Toulouse 2-1 at home but their victory was only good enough for a relegation play-off spot. Dijon will play Lens who defeated Troyes 2-1 on Friday, in a two legged tie for a place in the Ligue One next season.
At the top, PSG were defeated 3-1 away to Reims, Lille lost 3-1 at Rennes while Lyon were 3-2 com-back winners over Nimes. The trio of PSG, Lille and Lyon will represent France in the Champions League next season.
For the Euroap League place, it goes to Saint Etienne who drew 1-1 away to Angers. Despite the lose, Jean Louis Gasset’s side finish the season in 4th with 66 points, 6 behind third placed Lyon and 5 ahead of Marseille (5th) who were 1-0 winners over Montpellier on Friday.
Elsewhere, Amiens defeated Guingamp 2-1, Bordeaux were 1-0 winners at Caen while Nantes lost 1-0 at home to Strasbourg.
In Spain, Barcelona’s five year Copa del Rey winning run came to an end as they lost 2-1 against Valencia at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Valencia raced into a 2-0 lead by 33 minutes thanks to Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo. Barca tried to mount a come back but Lionel Messi’s second half goal was not enough to see them force extra time.
The Copa del Rey is Valencia’s first trophy in 11 years.
In Germany, Bayern Munich sealed a Ligue and Cup double as they powered past RB Leipzig 2-1 in the DFB Pokal final played at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Saturday evening.
Robert Lewandowski struck a double either side of a Kingsley Coman goal to hand the Bavariens who had sealed the Bundesliga Crown a week ago.
The triumph is Bayern’s 19th in the Cup since it was first contested in 1935.
Results from the Italian Serie A Match-Day 38
-Frosinone 0-0 Chievo
-Bologna 3-2 Napoli
-Torino 3-1 Lazio
-Sampdoria 2-0 Juventus
-Inter Milan 2-1 Empoli
-Fiorentina 0-0 Genoa
-SPAL 2-3 AC Milan
-Roma 2-1 Parma
-Atalanta 3-1 Sassuolo
-Cagliari 1-2 Udinese
Results from the French Ligue One Match-Day 38
-Amiens 2-1 Guingamp
-Angers 1-1 Saint Etienne
-Caen 0-1 Bordeaux
-Dijon 2-1 Toulouse
-Marseille 1-0 Montpellier
-Nantes 0-1 Strasbourg
-Nice 2-0 Monaco
-Nimes 2-3 Lyon
-Reims 3-1 PSG
-Rennes 3-1 Lille
Spanish Copa del Rey
-Barcelona 1-2 Valencia
Germany DFB Pokal
-RB Leipzig 0-3 Bayern Munich
