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Bologna fans celebrate Champions League qualification

Written by Will Murray
Last Update: May 13, 2024
Published on

Bologna fans jubilantly celebrated the club’s qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League across the city last night. It is the first time the club have qualified for European football’s top competition in 60 years.

bologna fans
Bologna fans will see their team play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 60 years – Photo by Icon Sport

Bologna fans gather in Piazza Miaggore to celebrate

After Atalanta’s 2-1 victory against Roma last night, Bologna’s place in next year’s Champions League was secured. Thiago Motta’s side are currently third in the Serie A table but cannot finish lower than fifth. There are five automatic qualification spots for Italian clubs in the Champions League next season, meaning Bologna’s spot is now mathematically safe.

To celebrate the achievement, thousands of Rossoblù fans gathered in Piazza Miaggore. Red-and-blue fireworks and flares lit up the city while people chanted in support of the manager and the players who had pulled off the unthinkable. Ultrasworld_uw posted the following video of the celebrations on X.com (formerly Twitter).

How Motta led Bologna back to the Champions League

Bologna last won Serie A in 1964 and have since struggled to return to the top of Italian football. With the recent dominance of Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, the likes of Rossoblù have been a sidenote in terms of contending for the league and representing the country in European competitions.

However, since the appointment of Motta, Bologna have become a threat in Serie A once again. With the 15th biggest wage bill in the league, they were not backed to be competing along with the likes of Juventus, Roma, and Lazio before the season. As the campaign has gone on, though, Motta’s flexible system has allowed the likes of Joshua Zirkzee, Riccardo Orsolini and Riccardo Calafiori to flourish.

Bologna fans
Motta has been praised for his innovative tactics at Bologna – Photo by Icon Sport

It has been the season of the underdog in Italy, as Atalanta have also established themselves in the top five. Their performance in the Europa League, where they will face Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the final, has played a major role in securing a fifth Champions League spot for Italy ahead of other European leagues such as the Premier League.