Serie A Finally Produce Solid Week Of Champions League Results

After several mixed rounds in the Champions League this season, Serie A sides finally produced a solid run of results.

Before going into match day five of Europe’s premiere competition, Inter Milan, Juventus, Napoli and Atalanta had won a combined seven games from 16 games, a fairly poor return.

Inter had won the vast majority of the seven, winning four from four. Serie A champions Napoli had just the one, while Atalanta had picked up two.

Juventus, the biggest team in the country, had no wins.

With England almost assured of winning first place in the UEFA coefficient ranking, even at this early stage, and earning a fifth spot in next season’s competition, Italy knew it needed to start winning in order to chase the second spot along with Spain and Germany.

The coefficient ranking, as most know, is based on winning games across UEFA’s three cup competitions.

Italy had secured a fifth side in the competition last season on the back of a strong showing in Uefa’s two lesser cup competitions — the Europa League and Conference League — the year prior.

Yet Uefa changed the rules ahead of last season, giving more weight to results earned in the Champions League.

Serie A’s relative underperformance so far this season meant needing a good round or two of results to claw back into contention, and they got it this week.

Juventus finally earned their first win in the Champions League this season with a slender — in the truest sense of the word — victory against Bodo Glimt in the Arctic Circle.

With conditions close to -6 degrees, the Bianconeri struggled on the artificial surface in Norway, and went 1-0 down within the opening half an hour.

Yet Luciano Spalletti’s side showed remarkable versatility in fighting their way back. Lois Openda scored his first goal for the club, but it was Kenan Yildiz who showed how brilliant a talent he is, changing the game in the second half after being rested by Spalletti.

The Turkish star toyed with the Bodo defence at times, having a hand in all three goals.

It was a win Juve very much needed if they are to have a chance of finishing in the top 24 places.

Napoli, meanwhile, also picked up a vital win after flattering to deceive in several European matches this season. Scott McTominay, the man of Scotland’s hour, scored one and played a pivotal role in the second after Rasmus Hojlund missed a penalty earlier in the clash.

The win also means Napoli are in a much better position going into the final three games of the group stage.

Atalanta were Italy’s most-impressive performers, battering German side Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 away.

La Dea have had a poor time of it domestically, with Ivan Juric getting unsurprisingly sacked for failing to live up to standards.

Rafaelle Palladino has come in and while results haven’t turned around in the league, the win against Frankfurt is evidence that Atalanta are still a force to be reckoned with — when they click.

The away side could’ve scored five or six against the beleaguered German side, who rank amongst the bottom sides in the extended Champions League table.

Yet three goals in five vital second half minute tore the heart out of Frankfurt. Atalanta, with three wins, have all-but-confirmed a berth in the round of 32 playoff.

Last season’s finalists Inter came unstuck against Atletico Madrid in the Diego Simeone derby in the Spanish capital.

Inter can feel unlucky, with Cristian Chivu’s side having more of the ball and fashioning more chances, but lacked the killer touch at times and were made to pay the price as Jose Gimenez rose to head home Antoine Griezmann’s corner in the final minutes.

Three wins from four has Italy firmly back in the hunt for the second coefficient spot.

Yet they need more weeks like this if they are to secure five spots in the competition for 2026/27.