Italiano cade al Franchi 2-1: al vantaggio di Cabral rispondono Diouf e Amdouni. Vince con lo stesso risultato il West Ham contro l’Az Alkmaar
Mockery in the final for the Fiorentina that, in the first leg of the semifinals of Conference League is reassembled by Basel 2-1. Al Franchi’s header Arthur Cabral brings the Viola ahead, in the second half the Swiss overturn it with Diouf e Amdouni, striking in full recovery. The Italian will try the comeback in seven days in Switzerland. In the other semifinal he wins the West Hamwho beat 2-1 in LondonThe Alkmaar.
FIORENTINA 1-2 BASEL
A lot of bitterness for Fiorentina, who in the first leg of the Conference League semifinals let Basel come back 2-1. The Viola got off to a good start, making the ball circulate quickly, finding outlets on the flanks. The first chances of the match arise right from the side lanes: first a cross from the left finds the insertion of Cabral, who misses the goal with his header; same fate as Bonaventura’s left. The hosts play the game, the Swiss wait and restart quickly: perfect throw for Burger’s deep attack, who runs away and serves Augustin’s winning tap-in, but the goal is disallowed for offside. A few minutes later it was Terracciano’s turn to save him from Diouf’s close shot, unmarked in the center of the area after a good personal move by Ndoye. The visitors were one step away from scoring, but Fiorentina took the lead: in the 25th minute Biraghi’s corner and Cabral’s header hit his former team, signing his seventh goal in the Conference. The reaction of the Swiss comes in the second half, when the Swiss raise the center of gravity and almost equalize with Burger’s header from a corner. The Viola resisted the pressure from their opponents and continued to get the ball rolling to favor the insertions of the midfielders: Mandragora received in the box but his shot went high. The match is intense and open, with lots of clashes in the middle of the pitch and quick restarts. It was precisely from a Basel counter-attack that the equalizer arrived: nice personal action by Diouf, who jumped a defender and beat Terracciano from the edge of the area. The Viola reaction was not long in coming: Dodò broke through on the right and put a ball in tow for Cabral, who kicked first but wasted. The Swiss go close to scoring with Adams’ header from a corner, who misses the target by inches, and in full stoppage time they complete their sensational comeback: following the development of an inactive ball, Amdouni receives a nice ball in tow, which center area can’t be wrong. So Basel wins, imposing itself 2-1 on the Franchi. Fiorentina will have to try to overturn this result in the second leg semi-final, which will be played in Basel in seven days.
REPORT CARDS
Cabral 7: King Arthur strikes again in what is now his reign: seventh goal in the Conference League, scored against his former fans
Bonaventure 6: He is the engine of Fiorentina: as precious in setting as he is dangerous with his insertions in the opposing area. Falls in the second half
Diouf 7: In the first half he wastes from an excellent position, in the second he redeems himself by finding the equal goal with a nice personal action
Amdouni 7: Mobile throughout Basel’s attack front, he put Quarta in difficulty for the whole game and in full stoppage time he found the very heavy goal of 2-1
THE TABLE
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Terracciano 6; Dodò 6, Quarta 5.5, Ranieri 5.5, Biraghi 6; Amrabat 5.5 (27′ st Castrovilli 6), Mandragora 6; Ikoné 5.5 (36′ st Kouamé 6), Bonaventura 6 (40′ st Barak sv), Gonzalez 5.5 (27′ st Brekalo 6); Cabral 7 (36′ st Jovic 6).
A disp. Cerofolini, Venuti, Terzic, Bianco, Igor, Duncan, Saponara.
All. Italian
Basel (3-5-2): Hitz 6; Lang 6, Adams 5.5, Pelmard 6; Ndoye 6.5, Diouf 7, Xhaka 6, Burger 6 (40′ st Males sv), Calafiori 6 (18′ st Millar 6); Augustine 6 (32′ st Zekir 6), Amdouni
A disp. Salvi, De Mol, Fink, Essiam, Frei, Vogel, Kade, Novoa.
All. Vogel
Referee: Letexier
Markers: 25′ Cabral (F), 71′ Diouf (B), 92′ Amdouni (B)
Ammonite yourself: Adams (B), Burger (B), Ndoye (B)
WEST HAM-AZ ALKMAAR 2-1
West Ham triumphs, beating Az Alkmaar 2-1. The Dutch are brave in dribbling, trying to impose their own pace at the start and coming close to the lead with Clasie’s shot from outside, wide by a whisker. The Hammers’ reaction was not long in coming: Benrahma received the ball on the edge and let go of a low shot saved by Ryan. Shortly after, the Algerian midfielder tries again, but even in this case his right foot misses the target. Much more dangerous, towards the end of the half, was Antonio, who freed himself well in the area but was unable to give strength to his header. After the many English chances, however, Az took the lead: in the 42nd minute Van Brederode served Reijnders on the edge of the area, who controlled and stabbed Areola. West Ham would have the chance to equalize two minutes later, but Paqueta’s header still found the intervention of the opposing goalkeeper. However, Moyes’ team equalized in the 67th minute, with the penalty converted by Benrahma. The Hammers turned it around nine minutes later with Antonio’s header. It therefore ends 2-1 for West Ham, who will have to defend their advantage in the second leg semi-final, scheduled for next Thursday in Alkmaar.