Atalanta win Europa League final, boosting Roma’s hopes for Champions League qualification | OneFootball

Roma’s hopes for Champions League qualification were given a lift this evening thanks to Atalanta’s 3-0 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.

Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick lifted La Dea past the German champions this evening in Dublin, subsequently breathing life into the Giallorossi’s chances.

Thanks to UEFA’s newly introduced European Performance Spots, Italy and Germany secured an extra place into the expanded tournament—awarding an additional place to a team finishing outside the top four in Serie A.

Though, this extra fifth slot does not factor into the qualification for any Europa League winner. As a result, Roma would qualify for the Champions League if Atalanta finish fifth in the Serie A table.

However, this wouldn’t be the case if Gian Piero Gasperini’s side leapfrog Bologna or Juventus in the table. Should that happen, the Giallorossi would participate in the Europa League next season.