– Of Federico Castiglioni
Almost everything is too easy for the Italian band, which in Poznan makes good and bad weather.
– It was known that Fiorentina was one of the candidates at least for the final. He could therefore not fail to have the favors of the prediction against Lech Poznan, third in the Ekstraklasa, the top Polish division, which in eliminating Bodo Glimt in the Conference play-offs in February had already accomplished a small feat. But the environmental aspect (a hot and sold-out Miejski), the long positive streak of the Poles between the league and cups, and a conservative team name, very attentive in the defensive phase and skilled in counter-attacks, could be pitfalls for Viola. It was not so;
– With the blaze after just a minute from Nico Gonzalez (finishing with a shot around the post, carom on the goalkeeper and tap-in from Cabral) Fiorentina immediately made it clear how the match would be, and what the balance of power would be between the two teams. The everlasting high blood pressure, the continuous re-aggression, the many men brought above the ball line: it’s the usual Fiorentina, with an eleven on the pitch that changes for men but not for that obsessive attitude which is difficult to argue with. That of the Italian team is now a definite identity, always reproducible and now effective again;
– If Fiorentina, despite the false pass with Spezia, has long since put their rust and problems in the attic, in Conference seems to have found its favorite terrain. Maybe it’s the air of Europe, maybe it’s having seriously targeted a goal deemed within reach, maybe it’s just a technical superiority that was abysmal in certain matches. 9 consecutive victories and 32 goals scored in 13 games are a remarkable roadmap. And the tournament for the Viola could still be long;
– There was no shortage of momentum, with Lech Poznan who had been able to equalize in the 20th minute thanks to Velde, closing one of the few actions well maneuvered by the Poles. Lech struck, managing to uncover the ball and force the Lily defense to flee, which continues to have its Achilles heel in the positional phases. But the Viola, good at getting back on track, split the game with a goal by Gonzalez just before the interval;
– The Argentine plays little more than one half of the highest level, taking the team by the hand and leaving them safe at the moment of the precautionary exit from the pitch. The rest (Bonaventura’s blow from outside and Ikoné’s progression) mainly served to lock down the result, and to reiterate what Fiorentina and Lech Poznan are on two different levels.