How set pieces decided Serie A’s European race: AS Roma’s rise and AC Milan’s collapse.

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This weekend, set pieces made all the difference, determining whether a team would play in the Champions League or miss out on the most prestigious club tournament entirely.

Goals have never carried more value in modern football, both competitively and financially, forcing clubs to search for advantages in every possible phase of the game.

And this weekend in Serie A, set pieces became one of the defining factors behind the race for Europe.

From Roma securing Champions League football to Milan collapsing under defensive set-piece pressure, dead-ball situations ended up shaping massive outcomes at the top of the table.

Let’s look at the data.

Serie A once again delivered chaos on the final day.

One thing the league has consistently produced since the Covid period is meaningful drama until the very end, whether through the Scudetto race, Champions League qualification battles or relegation survival.

This season was no different.

At the bottom, Cremonese entered the final day needing both a victory against Como and Lecce to fail to win at home against Genoa, a very difficult combination that ultimately did not happen as Cremonese were relegated.

But the real drama came in the race for Europe.

Como needed either Roma or Milan to lose against sides with very little left to play for, while Juventus required both that scenario and dropped points from Como themselves. On paper, it looked unlikely.

Instead, Milan completely opened the door themselves.

While Roma handled their business, Milan’s defensive carelessness on set pieces ended up costing them what could amount to around €60 million in guaranteed Champions League revenue.