Remembering the Last Two Times Italy Didn’t Have a Single European Semifinalist

Italian teams have shone in European competition in recent years. Current Serie A league leaders Inter have reached two Champions League finals in three seasons, while Fiorentina have two Conference League finals under their belt, and Roma have reached two European finals as well. However, it looks as though no Italian outfit will be reaching a final this term.

All four of the country’s Champions League participants were dumped out by the Round of 16, with reigning champions Napoli eliminated after the initial league phase and last season’s beaten finalists Inter shockingly beaten by Norwegian minnows Bodø/Glimt in the knockout phase playoffs.

It’s a similar story in both the Europa League and the Conference League, with just Bologna remaining in the former and Fiorentina in the latter. And both of them have mountains to climb if they are to reach the semifinals of their respective competitions.

Bologna and Fiorentina Have Mountains to Climb

Bologna were given a tough task when they were drawn to play tournament favourites Aston Villa, and the English outfit duly swept them aside by three goals to one in the first leg in Emilia-Romagna. Two-time finalists Fiorentina find themselves in an even worse position in the Conference League after also losing to a Premier League side, slumping to a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Online betting sites now make both English teams the clear favourites not just to progress, but also to end the season with continental silverware.

Popular betting outlet Ozoon sportsbook makes Aston Villa a 5/4 favourite to win the Europa League, while Crystal Palace find themselves in the same position in the Conference League. For Bologna and Fiorentina, a quarterfinal exit appears likely, and should that ultimately come to fruition, it would mark the first time in seven years that Italy hasn’t had a semifinalist in any European competition. So, what happened the last time around? Let’s take a look.

2018/19: Cristiano Ronaldo Unable to Bring Glory to Turin

The biggest news in the summer of 2018 was Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster arrival in Turin, with Juventus forking out €112m to sign the Portuguese legend from Real Madrid. CR7 was supposed to finally deliver the Champions League to the Bianconeri at long last, and because he had won the tournament in each of the last three seasons with Los Blancos, the possibility seemed very real. Shockingly, however, Juve wouldn’t even reach the semifinals.

Max Allegri’s men pulled off a stunning comeback against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16, overturning a two-goal first-leg deficit after Ronaldo’s stunning second-leg hat trick. However, in the quarterfinals, an upstart Ajax would continue their surprising march. The Amsterdam outfit had just knocked off reigning champions Real Madrid in their second round clash, eliminating Los Blancos from the tournament for the first time since 2015. And in the quarters, they would send Juve packing as well, winning 2-1 in the Allianz Stadium despite Ronaldo’s early opener.

But Juventus weren’t the only team to endure misery that term. Both Inter and Napoli would drop into the Europa League after finishing third in their UCL groups, then went on to lose to Eintracht Frankfurt and Arsenal, respectively. Roma did make the Champions League knockout round but were immediately eliminated in the Round of 16 by FC Porto. Milan would exit Europe’s secondary competition at the group stage, while Lazio were handily beaten by Sevilla in the Round of 32.

2015/16: Juventus Can’t Replicate Previous Season’s Heroics

In 2015, three years before Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival, Juventus reached the Champions League final, becoming the first Italian club to do so in five years. While they were ultimately beaten in the Berlin showpiece by a Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar-powered Barcelona, hopes were still high that the Bianconeri could build upon their shock run to the final. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be the case.

Juve would exit the 2015/16 Champions League at the Round of 16 after losing a thrilling two-legged tie to Bayern Munich. After a 2-2 draw in Turin, it looked as though the Italian giants would get the job done in the second leg in Bavaria, leading by two goals to nil with less than 20 minutes remaining. Then, goals from Robert Lewandowski and a last-gasp Thomas Müller header forced extra time, where the Germans would complete the comeback, winning 4-2.

Roma were also eliminated at the same stage, having been beaten 2-0 home and away by eventual champions Real Madrid. The Giallorossi’s eternal rival, Lazio, meanwhile, didn’t even reach the group stage after losing to Bayer Leverkusen in the playoffs.

That saw the Eagles drop into the Europa League. They would fare somewhat better in the continent’s secondary tournament, but ultimately fell to Slavia Prague in the Round of 16 after a shocking 3-0 home defeat in the Stadio Olimpico. Fiorentina also progressed to the knockout round of that season’s UEL, but their journey was also short-lived, losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 32.