Como 1907 revived their fading hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League with a narrow 1-0 victory away to already-relegated Hellas Verona, bringing an end to a frustrating run of three consecutive goalless draws in Serie A’s early Sunday kickoff.

The home side created the first opening of the match inside three minutes when Tomas Suslov tested goalkeeper Jean Butez after being picked out cleverly by Kieron Bowie.

Despite naming an attack-minded lineup, Cesc Fabregas saw his Como side struggle to find rhythm going forward. Their first meaningful effort did not arrive until the 25th minute, when Jesus Rodriguez tried his luck from distance, only for Lorenzo Montipo to make a comfortable save.

Around the half-hour mark, Bowie wasted a promising opportunity by heading over from close range after reacting to a deflected strike from Antoine Bernede. Como then came closest to breaking the deadlock just before the break when Rodriguez reached the byline and delivered a cutback that Anastasios Douvikas poked narrowly wide.

With neither side able to find the breakthrough, the match remained scoreless at half-time and lacked a decisive moment to ignite the contest.

Clearly unhappy with his side’s first-half display, Cesc Fabregas responded by making three substitutions at the interval, and the changes almost had an immediate impact for Como 1907.

One of the substitutes, Hrvoje Smolcic, delivered a dangerous cross from the right just two minutes into the second half, finding Assane Diao, whose header drifted narrowly wide of the target.

Another player introduced after the break, Martin Baturina, soon created a promising opportunity for captain Lucas da Cunha, but the midfielder could only direct his close-range attempt straight at Lorenzo Montipo.

With the game entering the final 20 minutes, the breakthrough finally arrived. Anastasios Douvikas reacted quickest to a long clearance from Marc-Oliver Kempf, shrugged off the challenge of Andrias Edmundsson, and calmly slotted the ball into the far corner to hand Como a crucial lead.

Como 1907 were given a major scare just four minutes after taking the lead when Kieron Bowie found the back of the net for Hellas Verona. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up, much to the relief of the visitors.

Como continued to push for a second goal to ease the tension late on. Martin Baturina tested Lorenzo Montipo with a powerful strike that forced an impressive save, while Nico Paz also came close after firing narrowly wide of the target.

In the end, though, one goal proved enough for the Lariani, who held firm to secure a valuable three points. The victory temporarily lifts Como 1907 into fifth place in Serie A, leaving them just two points behind AC Milan in the race for the final UEFA Champions League qualification spot, although Milan still have a game in hand.

For Hellas Verona, the defeat leaves them at risk of dropping to the bottom of the standings by the end of the weekend.