Milan squandered the chance to secure a return to the Champions League after drawing 0-0 with Cagliari in the Italian league on Sunday. A win against the 16th-placed team would have guaranteed the Lombard side a top-four finish and a spot in the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. However, coach Stefano Pioli’s team left the match disappointed, ending up with 76 points in third place before the final round.
Milan is tied on points with fourth-placed Napoli but holds an advantage in their direct encounters, with both teams one point ahead of fifth-placed Juventus. In the first half, Milan relied on long-range shots and risked dropping back in the second half, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma excelled, denying two header attempts from Leonardo Pavoletti and Diego Godín.
Cagliari, who now has 37 points, celebrated retaining their top-flight status before the match, thanks to Benevento's draw with Crotone earlier on Sunday. Milan will face second-placed Atalanta in their final match on Sunday and will host Napoli, who will compete against tenth-placed Verona, while Juventus will play away against Bologna, who sits in 11th place.
Milan played without their injured top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimović but entered the match with high morale after victories over Torino and Juventus the previous week. Milan received a further boost when Benevento drew with Crotone, ensuring that Cagliari would maintain their status and might not play as fiercely, but the Rossoneri delivered a modest performance and created few opportunities.
Alexis Saelemaekers struck a powerful shot saved by goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, while teammate Davide Calabria took a long-range attempt. Donnarumma maintained the draw after the break, using his feet to stop a header from Pavoletti at close range before saving with his hand a header attempt from Godín.
Pioli utilized substitutes, with Samu Castillejo being the most active, but the Spanish player lacked precision, missing two shots off-target before firing one that deflected off Godín's head, changing its direction.
