And to the joy of the Stadio Communale Friuli crowd, Udinese managed a draw that will see them in the group stages of European football’s most prestigious club competition if they can negotiate their way through a playoff next season.

They could have ended the season on a high when Antonio Di Natale was presented with a chance to score his 29th league goal of the campaign for Udinese.

But he missed his spot-kick with 16 minutes remaining, leaving the door slightly ajar for Milan, but in the end both sides were happy to share the spoils, giving Udinese fourth spot and ensuring Lazio missed a Champions League spot for next term.

Both Udinese and Lazio finished level on points and on head-to-head, meaning goal difference gave the former fourth place.

Lazio could feel aggrieved though, after they won 4-2 away at Lecce in an exciting encounter at the Stadio Comunale Via del Mare, thanks to a Mauro Zarate double.

Tommaso Rocchi scored the opener after seven minutes for Lazio, and although Manuel Coppola replied 26 minutes later, Zarate was on hand to make the most of Rocchi’s assist shortly after.

Ignacio Platti responded for Lecce who were having a real go at their opponents and levelled proceedings at half-time, but when they lost goalkeeper Massimiliano Benassi to a straight red card seven minutes into the second half, their hopes of gaining an unlikely result faded.

Zarate tucked away the resultant penalty and an own goal from Lecce striker Giuseppe Vives sealed the result with just under half an hour to play.

In other matches, a Giampaolo Pazzini double helped Inter Milan end their season on a high with a 3-1 home win over Catania while Napoli, who finished third, claimed a 2-2 draw at Juventus, with Alessandro Matri netting a late equaliser for the hosts.

Roma came from a goal down to defeat relegated Sampdoria 3-1 thanks to strikes from Francesco Totti, Mirko Vucinic and Marco Borriello and Chievo won by the same scoreline as they beat Palermo away from home.

Brescia avoided a final-day defeat but will be in Serie B next season after a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina at home and the spoils also had to be shared between Cagliari and Parma, who drew 1-1.

A first-half double to Antonio Floro Flores saw Genoa topple a fast-finishing Cesena 3-2 and a Francesco Grandolfo hat-trick gave Bari, who will finish bottom, just their fifth win of the season as they trounced Bologna 4-0.

Udinese would book their spot in the Champions League for the first time since 2005/06 if they can achieve the result and Guidolin said they would need to be clinical in the attacking third.

“AC Milan are not just any team but the Serie A champion,” Guidolin said.

“We need one more point but it will be very difficult. We need to be focused and ready for the task that awaits us.”

“We have to make the most of our chances in order to obtain the result that would take us to paradise.”

Lazio, who are two points adrift in fifth, will need to collect three points at Lecce if they are to have any chance of stealing Udinese’s spot.

Juventus are also relying on other results if they are to sneak a European spot for next season.

They host third-placed Napoli and need to win, as well as hoping Roma lose at home to the relegated Sampdoria, to clinch sixth spot.

Second-placed Inter Milan head into their meeting with Catania with the runners-up position already confirmed.

Coach Leonardo will want to go into the Coppa Italia final against Palermo on May 29 with a full strength squad, meaning he will not be taking any risks, while Catania can finish no higher than 10th.

Palermo manager Delio Rossi may do likewise when his team welcomes Chievo with a European spot out of their grasp.

Struggling Bologna, who have survived the drop, will be looking for their first win since March 13 when the relegated Bari visit.

Cagliari will be out to break a four-game losing run when they host Parma, who are unbeaten in their last five outings.

Elsewhere, Genoa and Cesena will do battle and the relegated Brescia will host Fiorentina.

Lecce remain 17th, but are now five points clear of third bottom Sampdoria, who lost 2-1 at home to Palermo.

Jonathan Biabiany had equalised for Sampdoria after Fabrizio Miccoli put Palmero ahead on the stroke of half-time.

But substitute Mauricio Pinilla struck with four minutes to go to see Palmero take all three points.

Coupled with Lecce’s victory, a defeat at home confirmed the end of Sampdoria’s eight-year stay in the top flight.

Like Bari, Brescia went into the penultimate round of matches already relegated to Serie B.

And the poor form that led to their demotion continued with a 1-0 defeat away to Cesena.

At the other end of the table, Udinese remain fourth and on course for a Champions League qualification berth after they beat Chievo 2-0 away from home.

Chilean Mauricio Isla and Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah were on target for Udinese.

With just one match of the season now remaining, they are two points clear of fifth-placed Lazio, who won 4-2 at home to Genoa.

Roma are out of top four contention after they lost 2-1 away to Catania.

Brazil international Robinho netted twice, while veterans Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf were also on target, as champions AC Milan beat visitors Cagliari 4-1 at the San Siro.

Another disappointing season for Juventus took a turn for the worse with a 1-0 defeat at Parma, while Fiorentina were held 1-1 at home to Bologna.

But the day’s most important game will see sixth-placed Lazio welcome Genoa to Rome’s Olympic Stadium, keen to keep the pressure on fourth-placed Udinese in the race for a spot in the Champions League qualifiers.

On Sunday, the match of the round sees Inter Milan with a chance to wrap up second place with a win over third-placed Napoli.

Udinese are away to Chievo Verona while Roma – who are in fifth place, level on points with Lazio and just two behind Udinese – travel to Catania.

Juventus, three points behind Lazio in seventh in the quest for a Europa League place, face a tricky trip to Parma and Fiorentina play host to Bologna.

Sampdoria face a crunch fixture against Palermo, who will be riding high after securing a berth in the Coppa Italia final with a 2-1 win over Milan on Tuesday, as they run out of opportunities to escape the bottom three.

With Brescia and Bari already resigned to life in Serie B next season, Sampdoria are the only team in the drop zone who can escape – with Lecce, who they trail by two points, the team they are most likely to overhaul.

Lecce are away to Bari, while Cesena, who are just four points ahead of Sampdoria, play host to Brescia.

Saturday’s result moved AC Milan nine points clear of second-placed Inter, who have three games remaining – but even if Milan were to lose their two remaining games and Inter claimed full points, Massimiliano Allegri’s side have the superior head-to-head record.

Milan’s top scorer this season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, made his comeback after a three-match suspension for the Roma game, but he could not add to his tally of 14 league goals as the sides played out a 0-0 draw at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Palermo prepared for their Coppa Italia semi-final second-leg clash with Milan on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over the relegated Bari.

A goal from Simone Bentivoglio gave visitors Bari a surprise lead early on, but Palermo hit back through Fabrizio Miccoli and Cesare Bovo – and were good enough to hold on for the win despite a penalty miss from Miccoli after 65 minutes.

Next up is a clash with league leaders AC Milan where, depending on the weekend’s results, it is possible the Rossoneri will be within reach of sealing the Scudetto with victory.

Knowing that taking three points against Milan will be a difficult task, Montella has urged his players to ensure they come away with a win at bottom-placed Bari, who are a mathematical certainty to drop to Serie B next season.

“We’ve got to win and put pressure on those teams in front of us,” Montella said.

“We have a great opportunity to stay in the race and creep up on the leading pack. Lazio are naturally the favourites, as they are currently in fourth place.”

“As for us, we cannot try to make a timetable of what results are needed to climb the standings.”

“It’s going to be a delicate encounter with Bari. We must remain concentrated, as in Serie A you can lose to anyone. Bari will be motivated to win.”

Their closest challengers are bitter rivals Inter Milan, in second, and Napoli, a further point behind in third and tussling with Inter for the top two.

Inter and Napoli both play on Saturday, the former at Cesena and the latter at home to Genoa, and should both fail to register a win Milan can wrap up the title against struggling Bologna with three games left in the season.

Although unlikely, current form suggests this scenario is not altogether unforeseeable for Massimiliano Allegri and the Milan squad.

Inter’s form has been questionable lately, especially away from home, where Leonardo’s men have not managed a win in the league since a trip to Sampdoria in late February.

Cesena, meanwhile, have climbed out of the relegation places with an improved run of form through the last two months, losing just one of their past nine games and none at home.

Napoli’s form has also taken an ill-timed dip, conceding second place to Inter with back-to-back losses to Udinese and Palermo.

Mid-table Genoa have reason to feel confident ahead of their trip to the Stadio San Paolo following consecutive wins over Brescia and Lecce, and seem to have picked up a gem in on-loan Udinese striker Antonio Floro Flores.

Assuming Inter and Napoli manage a point or less from their encounters, Milan will have the simple enough task of defeating Bologna – on a four-game losing streak – to wrap up their title.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Udinese can move provisionally into the fourth and final Champions League place on the table – occupied by Lazio – if they find a way past visiting Fiorentina.

Roma will surely maintain their grip on a Europa League spot with a visit to Serie B-bound Bari, while Sampdoria and Brescia fight it out at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in a relegation dogfight.

Lecce take their relegation-threatened campaign into a crucial encounter at Chievo, Catania do the same at Cagliari, while Parma and Palermo will both aim for a third straight win at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Finally, Juventus’ slim hopes of stealing a Europa League berth could be dealt a death blow with a visit to Champions League hopefuls Lazio on Monday.

But Federico Balzaretti equalised on 37 minutes for Palermo, before Cesare Bovo scored the winner for the hosts from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time.

The defeat leaves Napoli third, six points behind league leaders AC Milan with four matches left to play.

Defending champions Inter Milan remain in contention to retain their title following a 2-1 win at home to Lazio.

The visitors went ahead through a Mauro Zarate penalty after 24 minutes at the San Siro, with Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar sent off for his part in conceding the penalty.

But the 10 men of Inter equalised through Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder, before Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o struck the winner seven minutes into the second half.

Lazio also finished a man down after Stefano Mauri was sent off on 65 minutes.

Inter are now five points behind leaders Milan.

Lazio remain fourth, one point ahead of fifth-placed Udinese, who suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Parma.

A goal in each half from on-loan striker Amauri gave visitors Parma all three points at the Stadio Friuli.

Udinese had to play out the majority of the match with 10 men following the 20th-minute dismissal of Gokhan Inler.

Roma, sixth, closed to within four points of Lazio following a 1-0 win over Chievo, with Simone Perrotta scoring the winner for the hosts in just the fourth minute at the Stadio Olimpico.

In other matches, Genoa twice came from behind to dent Lecce’s survival hopes with a 4-2 home win.

The defeat sees Lecce slip into the bottom three on goal difference after Sampdoria’s 1-0 victory away to Bari lifted them to 17th.

A brace from Alessio Cerci helped Fiorentina beat Cagliari 2-1 away from home, while Bologna went down 2-0 at home to Cesena.

Milan head into the match high on confidence having won their past three league games, although they were held to a 2-2 draw by Palermo in Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.

“We must remain awake because there are five games remaining and if we are not careful, we could also lose,” Allegri said.

“Brescia are fighting to avoid the drop and this is a delicate game for us.”

Allegri will be without strike pairing Alexandre Pato and Zlatan Ibrahimovic through injury and suspension respectively.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Napoli travel to Palermo keen to respond from their 2-1 loss at home to Udinese last weekend.

Third-placed Inter Milan – who are eight points behind the league leaders – play fourth-placed Lazio at the San Siro, sixth-placed Roma host Chievo Verona and Udinese will look to keep their Champions League drive going strong when they welcome Parma.

Seventh-placed Juventus will continue to push for a Europa League berth when they welcome Catania, and Fiorentina travel to Cagliari in a mid-table clash.

Cesena will be keen to move further away from the relegation zone when they visit Bologna, as will Lecce when they travel to Genoa.

And bottom side Bari will confirm their relegation from Serie A should they fail to win against fellow strugglers Sampdoria at the Stadio San Nicola.

Udinese entered the match missing the Serie A’s top scorer, Antonio Di Natale (26 goals in 31 matches) and strike partner Alexis Sanchez (12 in 24) due to foot and thigh injuries respectively and were only given an outside chance of victory against the title-chasing hosts at the Stadio San Paolo.

But they were able to get through the opening half unscathed and stunned the home crowd when Gokhan Inler found the back of the net just 10 minutes into the second half.

Buoyed by the goal, Napoli had the momentum and grabbed another six minutes later when German Denis scored on the hour-mark and although Giuseppe Mascara scored a consolation goal in the fourth minute of injury time, Walter Mazzarri’s side slumped to their first home loss since October.

A Mauro Zarate-inspired Lazio won 4-1 at Catania, thanks to a goal and two assists from the Argentine.

Zarate had to start on the bench after turning up late to training in mid-week, but was introduced after 14 minutes as Lazio took a 40th-minute lead through Hernanes.

Catania hit back straight after the break thanks to a Ezequiel Schelotto but Zarate started to dominate, setting up firstly Stefano Mauri for his 56th minute goal before he again provided an assist, this time for Sergio Floccari with 12 minutes to play.

Zarate had time to cap off a terrific day with a goal in the 89th minute as Lazio closed with three points of third-placed Inter, who occupy one of the automatic qualification spots for the Champions League.

In other matches, goals to Fabiano and Daniele Corvia in the last five minutes secured a 3-3 draw for Lecce at home to Cagliari while Genoa also scored three, routing Brescia 3-0 thanks to second-half strikes from Rafinha, Luca Antonelli and a Gaetano Berardi own goal.

Fiorentina and Juventus played out a goalless draw in a match that promised plenty but delivered little while Chievo played the entire second half with 10 men but won 2-0 at home to Bologna thanks to goals from Kevin Constant and Michele Marcolini.

Erjon Bogdani’s 48th minute strike was enough to lift newly promoted Cesena out of the relegation zone, as they won 1-0 at home to bottom-side Bari.

Cesena have now been replaced by Sampdoria in 18th, who after losing key strikers Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini to AC Milan and Inter in January, have now just won two of their last 17 Serie A matches.