Fiorentina showed up in Bruges for the second leg of the Conference League semi-final with a clear objective: arriving in Athens for what would be the second consecutive final in the third continental cup. The Viola took to the field with a 3-2 win in the first leg. A minimal advantage to manage, but a great desire to win a trophy to dedicate to Joe Barone and, above all, the desire to make up for last year’s defeat which came in the last minute in the final against West Ham. Fiorentina showed up with 4-3-3: Terracciano between the posts; defensive package composed of Dodò, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta and Biraghi; in midfield Beltran, Arthur and Mandragora; attacking trio Gonzalez, Belotti and Kouamè. Brugge took to the field with 3-4-2-1: Mignolet in goal; defensive trio with Odoi, Mechele and Ordonez; Vetlesen and Vanaken in the middle of the pitch, with Sabbe and De Cuyper on the flanks; Skoras and Ferran Jutgla behind lone striker Igor Thiago.
And it is Fiorentina who deservedly earned the 1-1 draw against Brugge, thus reaching the final for the second consecutive year. It looked like a cursed match for Viola with the three woodwork hit twice by Kouame and once by Biraghi from a free kick. Brugge’s first-half goal. The match seemed to be written with extra time just around the corner. But the Italian team continued to believe in it and thanks to Beltran’s penalty in the 82nd minute they reached the final in Athens. Let the party begin, waiting to know whether the other finalist will be Aston Villa or Olympiacos.
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Conference League – Bruges vs Fiorentina – goal by Maxim De Cuyper
The first half it starts with the hosts, encouraged by the incandescent atmosphere at the Jan Breydel stadium, immediately aggressive with their defense high. In the end it was they who took the lead in the 21st minute. Vanaken’s cross from the left, De Cuyper slightly deflects the ball into the net, deceiving Terracciano. Brugge-Fiorentina 1-0 (3-3). Viola is not intimidated and reacts well, with great vehemence. And after a few minutes two great opportunities for the Italiano team. First Beltran sprints centrally, but has his close shot blocked by Mignolet, then Beltran again collects the ball but shoots towards the back. Meanwhile, Belotti also misses a couple of opportunities to score. Viola is definitely pressing after the goal he received. In the 35th minute Kouamé hit the bottom of the crossbar with an acrobatic shot, the ball ricocheting off the line. Another woodwork to stop Fiorentina. After 1′ of injury time the half ended with Brugge leading 1-0 (3-3). Viola, punished by the Belgians’ first real scoring opportunity, managed to create many scoring opportunities but were unable to score. The balance, at the end of the first 45′, was absolutely equal.
Conference League – Bruges vs Fiorentina
Second half. No changes, we start again with the same owners. Smoke bombs on the pitch, visibility reduced to a minimum and the referee interrupts the match. The game resumes after a few minutes with Fiorentina pressing high. Meanwhile, Italiano shouts out his arms and encourages his men to give more. Fiorentina is playing a good second half but struggles to score with a few too many inaccuracies. In the 71st minute Italiano begins the substitutions: Duncan and Nzola in, Arthur and Belotti out. Bruges also changes: Zinckernagel comes in instead of Vetlesen. Another very heavy woodwork for Viola in the 74th minute with Biraghi after a great free kick from the full-back. Brugge saved again from the crossbar. At 75′ another woodwork (and it’s the third) again with Kouame who this time hits the post, after the crossbar in the first half, with a header following a cross from the right by Gonzalez. Truly unlucky Fiorentina is unable to change the fate of this match. Italiano’s team is dominating this phase of the match, while Brugge seems to be in difficulty. And in the 82nd minute the penalty kick arrives for Viola due to a foul by Mechele who raises his leg and hits Nzola in the area. And Beltran doesn’t miss from the spot, Mignolet guesses but doesn’t reach the ball. Brugge-Fiorentina 1-1 (3-4). 7′ of added time. In the 95th minute Terracciano saved the score from Vanaken’s shot with a great save. And it is the Italian team that takes center stage and the final for the second time in a row.
gettyimagesClub Brugge v ACF Fiorentina
Italian: “Second final extraordinary achievement”
The Viola coach after the match: “It’s extraordinary, we wanted this final and we demonstrated it in an amazing second half despite the curse of the posts. The personality in this match depends on each individual player. The boys brought out a great personality which is needed in these matches, here it was a bedlam. I was very afraid of the penalty, Beltran was very good at scoring it.”
Beltran: “The penalty? The less thought the better”
“It’s fantastic to be in a big club against Fiorentina, I always try to dream big and have ambitious goals for the future”. This is the comment of Lucas Beltran, the scorer of the goal from the penalty spot: “The penalty? The less you think the better, you shouldn’t be too aware of the responsibilities you carry in those moments, but isolate yourself and do your best. In the end it went well and we managed to go to the final. Nico Gonzalez asked me if I felt confident about kicking, I replied that I would like to kick and then the decision was easy. We must always try to dream big, maintaining ambitious goals. I’m happy to be at a club like Fiorentina.”
La PresseConference League – Bruges vs Fiorentina
