Serie A | Verona 0-1 Como: Fabregas secures European qualification | OneFootball

Como have mathematically guaranteed a spot in Europe for 2026-27 after their 1-0 victory away against Hellas Verona in Serie A on Sunday afternoon thanks to a loan goal from centre-forward Tasos Douvikas.

Both coaches made one change each to their starting XIs ahead of Sunday’s early kick-off: Paolo Sammarco decided to reintroduce Nicolas Valentini after suspension in place of Domagoj Bradaric, while Cesc Fabregas brought Jesus Rodriguez in to replace Martin Baturina on Como’s left wing.

Click here to read more about how today’s teams lined up.

COMO, ITALY – MAY 02: SSC Como 1907 coach Cesc Fabregas looks on during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and SSC Napoli at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on May 02, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

It was the hosts who threatened first early doors. Kieron Bowie did excellently to hold the ball up and play a low ball into the six yard box off the left flank, but Jean Butez pulled out a top-class reaction save to deny Tomas Suslov’s shot from the edge of the six-yard box.

Verona managed to hit the crossbar in the second phase of the resulting corner, but it wouldn’t have counted anyway as the offside flag was raised shortly afterwards.

Verona sent another warning shot when Rafik Belghali made it to the right byline 20 minutes in, but Bowie wasn’t quite able to get his shot away properly after receiving the cut-back. Martin Frese should have done better when running in on Butez’s goal unopposed less than a minute later.

Como got their first attempt on target midway through the first half: Rodriguez trying his luck from distance, but it was straight at Lorenzo Montipo in the Verona net.

Fabregas’s side would eventually break the deadlock midway through the second half. Marc-Oliver Kempf pumped a hopeful long ball down the left, Andrias Edmundsson made a mess of his attempted headed clearance and Douvikas was on hand to punish him with an excellently taken touch and finish that he slammed into the bottom corner of the net.

GENOA, ITALY – APRIL 26: Anastasios Douvikas of Como (4th from left) celebrates with his team-mates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Como 1907 at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Verona thought they had equalised through Bowie in the following attack. The Scot had the ball in the back of the net in a congested penalty area, but Nicolas Valentini, who got the penultimate touch, was in an offside position. Despite being fairly clear on the replays, it still required a VAR check that lasted several minutes to confirm the on-pitch decision.

Today’s result lifts Como into fifth place, where they sit two points behind Milan and one point above Roma ahead of their matches later on Sunday. Como can no longer finish any lower than sixth place in Serie A in 2025-26, which means that they are guaranteed a spot in the Conference League at a minimum.

Verona 0-1 Como

Douvikas (C) 71’

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 21: Lucas Da Cunha of Como 1907 celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammates during the Coppa Italia Semi-Final match between FC Internazionale and Como at San Siro on April 21, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)