Conference league: Nzola in the 91st minute, Fiorentina beats Bruges 3-2

Fiorentina beat Bruges 3-2, in full injury time, but there is regret for a result that could have been much greater due to how many goal actions created throughout the match and for not having fully exploited the extra man in the second time when the Belgians were left with ten men due to the expulsion of Onyedika. Unfortunately, the Viola then paid a high price for some errors in the defensive phase. Now the Viola will compete for access to the final in Athens next week in Belgium.

The Italian chooses a 4-2-3-1 for his Fiorentina, focusing in defense on the central duo Quarta-Ranieri, Arthur and Bonaventura in the middle of the field, and in front-wheel drive attack with Gonzalez, Sottil, Beltran and Belotti. Ready to go and Brugge immediately becomes dangerous with a shot from outside the area by Thiago. In the 5th minute, Fiorentina took the lead and Gonzalez made a change of field for Sottil who hooked the ball, went from the intersection of the lines of the penalty area and fired a shot which went into the corner to the left of the Jackers goalkeeper. Franchi explodes with joy. A goal that charges the Viola even more and in the 9th minute they come close to doubling their lead with a speedy action between Beltran-Sottil-Biraghi who from inside the area returns to the center for Gonzalez who shoots with a sure shot but the ball ends up high above the crossbar. Bruges, after a ‘passive’ start, began to gain a few meters of action and in the 13th minute they equalised: Fiorentina’s defense forgot about Thiago who, face to face with Terracciano, found the goalkeeper’s save. On the rebound a melee arises where the ball is touched by Biraghi’s arm, at first the referee Oliver allowed the game to continue but then called back by the VAR he changed the decision by decreeing the penalty kick then converted by Vanaken. A draw that Fiorentina ‘accuses’, in terms of intensity and ideas. In the 25th minute another scoring ball fell to Gonzalez, inside the Bruges area, but his diagonal shot ended high over the crossbar.

Fiorentina believes in it, they have regained meters and are becoming more and more dangerous every time they enter the opponent’s half of the pitch. And in the 35th minute Fiorentina deservedly took the lead again: prolonged action by the Viola in front of the Bruges defense with Bonaventura looking for the goal from a central position with a strong and powerful shot from outside the area with Jackers clumsily clearing the ball, the ball it ends up at the feet of Belotti who stops, turns and shoots, finding the winning corner to the right of the opposing goalkeeper. Fiorentina comes close to making it three in the 42nd minute: Sottil’s cross inside the area is headed by Beltran, the ball goes just over the crossbar. The second half begins as the first forty-five minutes of play ended, with Fiorentina on attack: a cross from the right by Belotti, who is unable to find the right size to serve Bonaventura.

In the 50th minute another scoring opportunity for Italiano’s Viola: following a free kick (Sottil hit hard on the right shoulder) Belotti heads close to scoring a double but Jackers denies him the joy of scoring with a super save, deflecting the ball into a corner kick. A minute later Italiano is forced to replace the injured Sottil with Kouame. In the 60th minute, Brugge, who had come close to equalizing through Thiago a minute earlier, were left with ten men due to the expulsion of Onyedika after he brought down Beltran with a foul from behind, a second yellow card and therefore expulsion. An extra man who should have burdened Fiorentina even more, instead Brugge found the equalizer in the 63rd minute with Thiago who received the ball from inside his half of the field and outpaced Ranieri, once in the area with a sharp diagonal shot he beat Terracciano. Italian (70′) plays the cards Maxime Lopez and Ikone for Arthur and Beltran. The round of substitutions also begins in Brugge, Hayen first inserts Nielsen for Skoras and in the 79th minute Vetlesen for Jutgia. In the final minutes Fiorentina insistently looked for the winning goal: in the 80th minute Ikone took center stage and kicked with his left foot, Jackers made a great save to avoid the goal. A minute later Belotti also tries to head from close range but the ball goes just wide of the far post. In Fiorentina, three minutes from the end, it is Barak’s turn for Bonaventura and Nzola for Belotti. And Fiorentina’s final effort was rewarded with a goal from Nzola (91′) who first hit the post from inside the Bruges area and then put in a left-footed shot on the rebound.

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2024-05-02 21:44:00
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