Monza have been promoted to the Italian top-flight for the first time in their 110-year existence following a 6-4 aggregate triumph over Pisa in the Serie B play-off final after extra time.
Welcome to Serie A @ACMonza. 👋
This is the 110-year-old clubs FIRST EVER promotion to the top-flight of Italian Football. 👀 pic.twitter.com/JSAljvsbdQ
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 29, 2022
Although Monza led 2-1 after the first leg on Thursday, Pisa surged to a 2-0 lead in just nine minutes on Sunday to take control of the tie.
Monza made it 2-2 on the day and looked to have done enough to secure promotion, but Giuseppe Mastinu equalized in the 90th minute to square the aggregate score and force a 30-minute extra time.
Luca Marrone, a former Juventus defender, scored early in extra time for Monza, and Christian Gytkjaer added his second of the day with 101 minutes remaining.
Monza have struggled financially for much of the last 23 years, going for bankruptcy twice, in 2004 and 2015.
After a succession of owners failed to offer stability, Monza was purchased by an investment company led by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who also owns Milan and was the Rossoneri’s president from 1986 until 2017.
Interesting Fact: No Italian team had played more Serie B seasons (40) without competing in Serie A than Monza as of the 2021-22 campaign, but Giovanni Stroppa’s men have ensured that is no longer the case.