Atalanta edges Roma to secure Champions League spot for next season

BERGAMO, Italy (AP) — Atalanta beat Roma 2-1 and secured a third-place finish in Serie A on Monday and a place in next year’s Champions League.

The victory moved the Bergamo club seven points clear of Juventus and Lazio with only two rounds remaining. The top four qualify automatically for next season’s Champions League.

Nigeria international Ademola Lookman put Atalanta ahead in the ninth minute with his 15th league goal.

Former Atalanta midfielder Bryan Cristante leveled with a header before halftime.

The clincher came from Ibrahim Sulemana.

All was not lost for Roma. The capital club was sixth, one point behind Juventus and Lazio.

Venezia looks safe

Venezia beat Fiorentina 2-1 and took a giant step towards securing its Serie A status for another year.

It rose out of the relegation zone and into fourth-from-last place. The last three teams go down and with two matches left to play Venezia holds its destiny in its own hands.

It is a point above Lecce and Empoli, and its two final games are at Cagliari and at home to Juventus.

Fali Cande on the hour mark and Gaetano Oristanio eight minutes later put Venezia in the driving seat at Stadio Pierluigi Penzo. Rolando Mandragora pulled a goal back for the visitor with 13 minutes remaining.

The result was a massive blow to Fiorentina’s hopes of securing European football next season. It remained ninth, three places and four points outside the European spots.

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