Fiorentina’s route to UEFA Europa Conference League final

The Italian side looks to end their 22-year trophy drought.

It’s been 62 years since Fiorentina last had a taste of continental glory, lifting the 1960-61 European Cup Winners’ Cup. However, Vincenzo Italiano’s men have excelled in the Europa Conference League this season despite finishing runners-up to Istanbul Basaksehir in Group A.

La Viola only lost once in the group stage before overcoming Sporting Braga, Sivasspor, Lech Poznan, and Basel in the knockout rounds en route to booking a European final date for the first time in over half a century to face West Ham United. Here’s how it unfolded for the Italian side in the Conference League.

Qualifying stage

Fiorentina 2 – 1 FC Twente (Aggregate)

After finishing seventh in Italy’s Serie A last season, Fiorentina snuck past FC Twente of the Netherlands 2-1 on aggregate in the play-off round courtesy of first-leg goals from Nicolás González and Cabral, two players who have played big roles in La Viola’s run in the competition. In the first leg, as good as Fiorentina were in the first half, they were just as bad in the second, setting off, slowing the pace, and allowing Twente back into the game. However, in the second leg, after playing a stalemate draw, Fiorentina helped themselves into the group stage.

Group stage

Başakşehir (Turkey)

Fiorentina (Italy)

Heart of Midlothian (Scotland)

FKS (Latvia)

Group A – Runner’s up

Fiorentina’s Group A campaign started in unspectacular style with a 1-1 home draw with RFS of Latvia and a 3-0 defeat by Istanbul Başakşehir in Turkey. But after picking up back-to-back victories over Heart of Midlothian of Scotland on matchdays three and four, the Italians’ campaign got back on track, and they rounded out the group stage with two more wins to finish as runners-up to Istanbul Başakşehir. This opened the way to qualification for the Round of 16 through the knockout rounds, where they faced their Portuguese rivals, Braga.

Knock-out rounds

Fiorentina 7 – 2 SC Braga (Aggregate)

With recent momentum, Fiorentina continued their performance into the knockout phase, with Cabral scoring home and away in a 7-2 aggregate win over Braga of Portugal in the knockout round playoffs. After an intriguing first leg where Fiorentina came on top with a closely contested match that ended 3–2.

Coming into the away leg, all doubts of a turnaround were shunned when Luka Jović hammered a scissor kick straight at Matheus in the 3rd minute, which seemed a good clue as to how this might go. Fiorentina pressed well and kept Braga pinned back, playing through the middle, but it was a bit too late for the Portuguese outfit.

Round of 16

Sivasspor 1 – 5 Fiorentina (Aggregate)

Vincenzo Italiano’s side then dismissed Sivasspor of Turkey 5-1 on aggregate in the round of 16. Cabral scored in the second leg of that tie and the opener in the 4-1 quarterfinal first-leg win over Lech Poznań in Poland.

There were some bumps along the way, but the Viola eventually proved that they were simply the better team on the day. Boosted by the goal and a pulsating atmosphere, Sivasspor seemed to get a little more control for a few minutes, but Fiorentina eventually battled back. Calmed by Cabral’s equaliser, the visitors pinged the ball around as well as they could across the agricultural pitch and were soon rewarded, albeit from a corner. Nikola Milenković proved too big and headed home to take the lead in the game and settle the tie, firing Fiorentina into the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals

Fiorentina 6 – 4 Lech Poznan (Aggregate)

Lech threatened a spectacular comeback at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, but late goals from Riccardo Sottil and Gaetano Castrovilli ended the Poles’ hopes and sent the 1961 European Cup Winners’ Cup winners through.

The Viola compounded the problem by allowing Michał Skórás get into the box, where Aleksa Terzić "caught" him (actually took the ball first), but after a VAR check, Obrenović gave the spot kick. Clearly rattled by conceding, Fiorentina got even more rickety, and Lech Poznań grew in confidence, coming close after a Velde burst past Venuti. They made it count when Terzić was beaten again down the wing and switched off, allowing a quick throw to Karlström, who squared it for Sobiech to smash home from point-blank range. And just like that, the tie was level at 4-4.

It was R. Sottil (78) who inspired comeback hopes before Castrovilli (90+2) ended any hopes for the extra times and La Voila marches to the semi-finals.

Semifinal

Basel 3 – 4 Fiorentina (Aggregate)

On to the semi-finals, where Swiss side FC Basel laid in wait. It proved to be another titanic tussle, as Italiano's side suffered a 2-1 first-leg defeat at home to give themselves a mountain to climb. Everything appeared to be going according to plan when Cabral headed the home side in front with 25 minutes played, but goals by Andy Diouf and Zeki Amdouni in the final 19 minutes had the Swiss dreaming of Prague. Back to St. Jakob Park, and it proved to be another truly dramatic evening.

A see-saw second leg first swung Fiorentina's way when González nodded home, but Amdouni's second goal of the tie, ten minutes after the break, restored Basel's aggregate lead. There was still time for a final twist, as González notched another to force extra time before substitute Antonin Bárak grabbed the winner nine minutes into stoppage time, with penalties imminent. With 4-3 on aggregate to La Viola, it could not have been any more dramatic.

The dream remains alive for the Italians

Fiorentina netted a staggering 36 goals in 14 matches to enter the title-deciding fixture as the competition’s most prolific team. Arthur Cabral leads the Europa Conference League scoring charts with seven goals, suggesting the Italians have every reason to dream big in the Czech Republic’s capital.

This will be the ninth instance of an Italian side facing an English side in the final of a major European competition, with each country’s clubs being crowned champions on four of the previous eight occasions. Fiorentina have reached the final of a major European competition for the fifth time in their history and for the first time since the 1989-90 UEFA Cup (lost to Juventus). Fiorentina have won just one of their previous four European finals, beating another British side, Rangers, in the 1961 Cup Winners’ Cup final.