AS Roma is heading back to the Champions League. The Italian club sealed a third-place finish in Serie A with a 2-0 victory over Hellas Verona on May 24, ending an eight-year exile from European football’s most prestigious tournament.
The last time Roma competed in the Champions League was the 2018/19 season, when they reached the semi-finals.
What happened on the pitch
Roma’s qualification wasn’t a last-day miracle. The club, managed by Gian Piero Gasperini, built consistency across the Serie A season to lock down third place. The Verona result simply made it official.
For context, Roma’s trajectory since their 2018/19 Champions League run had been uneven. Years of mid-table finishes in Serie A and underwhelming European campaigns had pushed the club further from the elite tier of Italian football.
