AC Fiorentina was the first team to reach the final of the Conference League. Six days after the 3-2 win in the first leg, the ninth-placed team in the Italian football championship managed a 1-1 (0-1) draw in the semi-final second leg at FC Bruges on Wednesday.
Striker Lucas Beltran secured the Italians’ place in the final with his goal from a penalty kick in the 85th minute. Midfielder Hans Vanaken (20th) had previously scored a goal to tie the overall result for the fourth-placed team in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. In the final phase, Brugge’s Denis Odoi saw yellow-red (90th + 4).
Overall, Florence was the better team in the second leg and was unlucky when it came to scoring until the equalizer: the Italians hit the crossbar or the post three times.
The final opponent will be played this Thursday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Conference League and on RTL+) in the game between Olympiakos Piraeus and Aston Villa. The Greeks won the first leg 4-2 at the Premier League club. The final will take place on May 29th in Athens.
Eintracht Frankfurt, German participants in UEFA’s third club competition, failed in the first knockout round to Union Saint Gilloise from Belgium. Florence won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961, and their last national title was a long time ago: AC won the cup in 2001.