Dimitris Nikolaou celebrates a goal for Spezia

Spezia and Hellas Verona face Serie A relegation play-off after final day drama


Spezia and Hellas Verona face a relegation play-off following a dramatic final day of the Serie A season.

The two sides started the day level on points and could not be separated after both suffered defeats away from home.

Dimitris Nikolaou gave Spezia the lead against Europa League runners-up Roma after just six minutes, but Nicola Zalewski equalised just before half-time and Paulo Dybala held his nerve to convert a 90th-minute penalty.

The spot-kick was awarded after Kelvin Amian fouled Stephan El Shaarawy, with Amian sent off for a second bookable offence.

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Verona were on course for the point against AC Milan which would have been enough for safety when Davide Faraoni’s 72nd-minute goal cancelled out Olivier Giroud’s penalty, but Rafael Leao scored twice in the closing minutes to give the Rossoneri a 3-1 win.

After the match, Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from football at the age of 41.

The first relegation play-off since Bologna faced Parma in 2005 will take place at a neutral venue next weekend.

At the other end of the table, Atalanta thrashed 10-man Monza 5-2 to secure a Europa League place along with Roma, with Juventus set for the Europa Conference League despite a 1-0 win at Udinese.

Champions Napoli ended the season with a 2-0 win over bottom side Sampdoria, Victor Osimhen scoring his 26th goal of the season from the penalty spot after being fouled in the area and Giovanni Simeone rifling home from distance five minutes from time.


When is Serie A's relegation play-off?

Spezia will face Verona in a one-off game to decide who stays in Serie A and who is relegated. This will be taking place on Sunday June 11 at 19:45 BST.

Where is Serie A's relegation play-off?

This is yet to be announced, but it will be played at a neutral location.

Is there extra-time in Serie A's relegation play-off?

The good news is that there is no extra-time in the game. If it is level after 90 minutes, it goes straight to a penalty shootout.

When was the last Serie A relegation play-off?

The last Serie A relegation play-off took place in 2005, where Parma beat Bologna 2-1 on aggregate after two legs.


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