Sport

Soccer-Kessie fires Milan back into Champions League after long absence

AC Milan secured a long-awaited return to the Champions League on Sunday as two Franck Kessie penalties earned a 2-0 win over Atalanta to seal a second-place finish on the final day of the Serie A season.

Soccer Football - Serie A - Atalanta v AC Milan - Stadio Atleti Azzurri, Bergamo, Italy - May 23, 2021 AC Milan's Brahim Diaz in action with Atalanta's Berat Djimsiti REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

24 May 2021 05:10AM

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REUTERS: AC Milan secured a long-awaited return to the Champions League on Sunday as two Franck Kessie penalties earned a 2-0 win over Atalanta to seal a second-place finish on the final day of the Serie A season.

The victory saw Milan climb one point above the Bergamo club in the standings to 79 points behind champions Inter Milan.

Milan led the Serie A standings until mid-February, but a subsequent dip in form left them at risk of falling out of the top-four on the final day if they failed to win.

Kessie showed great composure to score from the spot shortly before the break and in second-half stoppage time, when Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon was sent off.

The victory means the seven-time European champions will play Champions League football for the first time since 2013-14 next season.

(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Source: Reuters