Inter Milan’s Champions League exit puts Italian football at risk of having no Serie A clubs in the last 16 for the first time since 1987

Italian football faces a historic setback as the possibility of no Serie A clubs reaching the Champions League last 16 looms.

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Inter Milan’s shock exit to Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday has left Juventus and Atalanta with daunting tasks to preserve Italy’s record.

Since the reintroduction of the last-16 knockout round in 2003-04, at least one Italian team has always featured. In the past 22 years, three Italian clubs have reached this stage on 12 occasions.

The streak of at least one Italian side in Europe’s last 16 dates back to 1987-88, when Napoli was eliminated by Real Madrid in the European Cup.

Inter, Champions League finalists last season, suffered a 3-1 first-leg defeat away before losing 2-1 at San Siro, marking the first time the Milan giants were eliminated by a team outside Europe’s top five leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France).

Juventus trail Galatasaray 5-2 on aggregate ahead of their Turin return leg, while Atalanta face a 2-0 deficit versus Borussia Dortmund.

Both sides must overturn their first-leg deficits to prevent Italian football from a “complete debacle.”

Italian football journalist Daniele Verri said, “Juventus will need to win 4-0 and Atalanta need to win 3-0. [For them all to go out] would be a complete debacle, a disaster for our clubs.”

The dramatic exit underscores concerns over Serie A’s competitiveness in Europe, highlighting the challenges facing Italian clubs in maintaining their historical presence on the continent’s biggest stage.

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Ronaldo and Christian Vieri were present at San Siro, symbolizing the contrast between Italy’s glorious past and the present struggles of its top clubs.