Atalanta took the lead almost immediately with Scamacca, missed a handful of goals to seal the deal, and ended up conceding three goals from as many shots on target to an Athletic Bilbao side that could only win to qualify for the playoffs. Their mission failed, and they dropped out of the top eight for direct qualification to the round of 16 in the seventh match of the Champions League League Phase, thus securing direct qualification to the round of 16. Krstović's 3-2 goal with six minutes remaining proved futile: the powerlessness forced Raffaele Palladino's team, still on 13 points in the standings, to win their next match against Union Saint-Gilloise and hope for a favorable combination of results.

Juventus, on the other hand, has secured a spot at least in the Champions League play-offs. The 2-0 win by Thuram and McKennie against Mourinho's Benfica opens up new possibilities for the Bianconeri: next week, in Monte Carlo against Monaco, they will even have the chance to finish in the top eight, even though their fate isn't entirely in their hands. The Stadium is already celebrating in advance; now Juve will prepare for the big match against Napoli and then take aim at Monaco to dream of a Champions League top eight spot.

(Unioneonline)