Italian clubs on brink of historic Champions League embarrassment
Italian football stands on the brink of a Champions League “debacle” – with the prospect of no Serie A clubs competing in this season’s last 16. Since the reintroduction of
Italian football stands on the brink of a Champions League "debacle" - with the prospect of no Serie A clubs competing in this season's last 16.
Since the reintroduction of the last-16 knockout round to Europe's showpiece competition in 2003-04, there has always been at least one Italian representative - on 12 occasions in the past 22 years, there have been three.
In fact, there has been at least one Italian side in the last 16 of the competition - or first knockout round when it took other formats - every year since 1987-88, when Napoli went out in the first round of the European Cup to Real Madrid.
But Inter Milan's shock play-off exit to Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday means either Juventus or Atalanta will have to overcome first-leg deficits to keep that run going.
Juventus trail Galatasaray 5-2 heading into a return meeting in Turin, while Atalanta are 2-0 down on aggregate before Wednesday's home leg with Borussia Dortmund.
Inter - finalists last season - lost 2-1 at San Siro against Bodo, having suffered a 3-1 defeat in the first leg.
It is the first time the Milan giants have been knocked out of the Champions League by a team from outside Europe's top five leagues, those from England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
"This is a big wake up for Italian football," said Italian football journalist Daniele Verri.
"Juventus will need to win 4-0 and Atalanta need to win 3-0. [For them all to go out] would be a complete debacle, a disaster for our clubs.
"Tonight Ronaldo and Christian Vieri were guests at San Siro, and this is a symbolic clash with what has been and what is."
