Serie A, matchday 37: everything is riding on the final day

Sunday was dramatic and full of twists, tension and turning points. Matchday 37 of Serie A keeps everything wide open, in the race for Champions League football and the battle for survival. The verdicts will be decided on the final matchday of the season. Napoli have officially booked their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, while Juventus fell at the worst possible moment. Roma and Milan took full advantage and move above the Bianconeri, with the Giallorossi led by derby hero Mancini and the Rossoneri climbing back up to third place with one game to go.

Just behind them, Como continue their strong run, picking up points and staying firmly in the mix for the European dream that keeps growing. At the other end, nothing is settled yet: Cagliari are mathematically safe, while Lecce and Cremonese pick up huge wins to keep the battle alive. It will all go down to the wire.

Champions League race: Roma and Milan pull away as Juventus slip up

Juventus-Fiorentina 0-2

When nerves of steel and consistency were needed most, Juventus fell in front of their home fans and risk throwing away an entire season. Juventus suffered a heavy defeat as Fiorentina got back to winning ways after a month, thanks to goals from Cher Ndour and Rolando Mandragora, taking three huge points and dealing a serious blow to the Bianconeri’s Champions League hopes. Spalletti’s side, after a run of six wins and four draws, have been held back at the worst possible moment and drop down to sixth place.

The numbers highlight Juventus’ fragility: they have conceded 46% of their league goals from the opponents’ first shot on target (16 of 35), the highest percentage in Serie A. Fiorentina, meanwhile, continue to be a real bogey team – they are the only side Juventus have failed to beat over the last two league seasons. Mandragora reached seven goals for the season, matching his total from the previous two combined, while Ndour scored his first away goal in Serie A, rounding off a composed and convincing display from Vanoli’s side.

Genoa-Milan 1-2

Milan found some much-needed relief and, above all, three crucial points after three games without a win. At the Marassi, the Rossoneri beat Genoa thanks to a Christopher Nkunku penalty and a second goal from youngster Zachary Athekame, moving back up to third place with just one matchday left. Allegri rediscovered the solidity and character he had been looking for in a night that was anything but straightforward, with Johan Vásquez pulling one back late on to reopen the game but without changing the final outcome.

Nkunku was ice-cold from the spot: with five penalty goals, he became the first Milan player to reach that tally in a single Serie A season since Franck Kessié. The Frenchman also scored in back-to-back matches for the first time since December-January. Special mention as well for Athekame’s growth: among defenders with at least four goal contributions, only Marco Palestra was younger than the Rossoneri talent.

Pisa-Napoli 0-3

Napoli did not falter and secured the target they had been chasing in recent weeks: mathematical qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League. Away to already-relegated Pisa, Conte’s side dominated the game and effectively wrapped it up in the first half through goals from McTominay and Rrahmani, before Højlund added a late third in stoppage time.

The Partenopei also kept a second consecutive away clean sheet for the first time in 2026, a sign of their renewed defensive solidity at the most important stage of the season. Scott McTominay was once again a key figure in midfield: with ten goals this season, he is only the second Napoli midfielder in the last 90 years to reach double figures in multiple Serie A campaigns, after Marek Hamsík. It’s also worth noting Conte’s side’s threat from distance: only Inter have scored more goals from outside the box than Napoli’s ten in this Serie A season.

Roma-Lazio 2-0

In the Derby della Capitale, Gianluca Mancini took centre stage, leading Roma with a match-defining performance. His brace carried the Giallorossi to a win over Lazio and moved Gasperini’s side to the brink of qualification for Europe’s most prestigious competition. Roma reached 70 points for the first time since 2019/20 under Fonseca, also making it four straight league wins. Gasperini made immediate history as well, becoming only the second coach in the last 50 years to win his first two Rome derbies, after Claudio Ranieri. But the night belonged to Mancini: no defender had ever scored a brace in a Derby della Capitale in Serie A before. A performance set to live long in the memory of the Giallorossi faithful.

Como-Parma 1-0

Como aren’t slowing down, and at the Sinigaglia, they just needed one goal from Alberto Moreno to beat Parma and stay in the Champions League race heading into the final matchday. Fabregas’ side also made it four consecutive clean sheets, continuing their impressive run in the second half of the season. Since the start of the calendar year, only Inter have picked up more points than the Lariani: 49 compared to Como’s 41. Jesús Rodríguez also continued his excellent creative form, moving up to eight assists. Only Federico Dimarco and Armand Laurienté have provided more. For Parma, meanwhile, it was a third straight defeat, with a first half in which they failed to register a single shot.

Inter and Atalanta: celebrations and surprises

Inter-Verona 1-1

At San Siro, the atmosphere was pure celebration, but Verona spoiled Inter’s perfect ending as newly crowned Serie A champions. An Edmundsson own goal looked set to deliver yet another Nerazzurri win, before Kieron Bowie stunned the home crowd in the 90th minute with the equaliser. A late lapse that changes nothing in the bigger picture and does not dampen the festive mood around Chivu’s side.

Inter still continue to stand out in the attacking numbers: with 18 goals from corners, they are the top scorers from set-piece deliveries across Europe’s five major leagues. The Nerazzurri are also the team that have benefited most from own goals in Serie A (four). For Verona, meanwhile, Bowie remains the key man: the Scottish striker became the first Hellas player since Giovanni Simeone in 2021 to score in four consecutive matches.

Atalanta-Bologna 0-1

Bologna win in Bergamo and mathematically secure eighth place, although they fall just short of reopening the race for a Conference League spot. Riccardo Orsolini once again proved decisive, the standout man for the Rossoblù in a difficult night for Atalanta, who failed to register a single shot on target. Italiano’s side continue their strong away form: in 2026, no team has won more matches on the road than Bologna (seven, level with Inter and Milan). Orsolini, meanwhile, reaches double figures in Serie A for the fourth straight season. For Palladino’s Atalanta, the season finale continues to fade with just one win in the last six games and three consecutive home matches without scoring.

Survival battle: Lecce and Cremonese go down to the wire

Cagliari-Torino 2-1

Cagliari complete the comeback, beat Torino and secure mathematical survival in front of their home fans. After going behind early to an Obrador goal for the Granata, the Rossoblù responded immediately through Sebastiano Esposito, before turning the game around in first-half stoppage time thanks to Yerry Mina, sending the Unipol Domus into celebration.

Pisacane’s side once again showed their character: no team in the league has picked up more points from losing positions than Cagliari this season (14, level with Milan). Esposito scored his first-ever Serie A goal from outside the box, while Mina continued his strong home form - all five of his Serie A goals have now come in front of the Rossoblù crowd.

Sassuolo-Lecce 2-3

At the Mapei Stadium, one of the defining matches of matchday 37 unfolded. Lecce went ahead twice through a quick-fire Walid Cheddira brace but were held back by Laurienté and Pinamonti. Then, right at the death, came the moment that could define their season: in the 95th minute, Štulić latched onto Gandelman’s header and fired home the 3-2 winner, sparking wild celebrations in the travelling Lecce end.

The Salentini recorded back-to-back away wins for the first time since February 2023 and scored at least three goals in a match for the first time this season. Cheddira also made history, becoming the first Lecce player ever to score twice inside the opening 25 minutes of a Serie A game. For Sassuolo, it was another chaotic night, marked once again by early defensive struggles: they have now conceded eleven goals inside the opening 15 minutes, the worst record in the league.

Udinese-Cremonese 0-1

Cremonese held firm and picked up a huge three points away to Udinese, taking the survival battle down to the final matchday. Jamie Vardy once again proved decisive, scoring for the second game in a row in a performance full of courage and composure from the Grigiorossi, who defended their lead right until the final whistle.

Giampaolo’s side recorded a second consecutive win with a clean sheet and kept their survival hopes alive, still just one point away from safety. Since the former Milan coach took charge, Cremonese have already collected three Serie A victories, as many as they had managed in their previous 27 league matches combined. For Udinese, meanwhile, attacking struggles continued, with the Friulani failing to score for the fourth time in their last five home games.