Fiorentina
Club Brugge
CLU
FIO
- 5′ – Goal – Riccardo Sottil (1 – 0)
- 17′ – Goal penalty – Hans Vanaken (1 – 1)
- 36′ – Yellow – Nicolás González
- 37′ – Goal – Andrea Belotti (2 – 1)
- 52′ – Cont. Riccardo Sottil by Christian Kouamé
- 58′ – Yellow – Raphael Onyedika
- 60′ – Yellow 2 – Raphael Onyedika
- 63′ – Goal – Igor Thiago (2 – 2)
- 66′ – Cont. Michal Skóras by Casper Nielsen
- 70′ – Yellow – Lucas Martínez Quarta
- 70′ – Cont. Arthur by Maxime Lopez
- 71′ – Cont. Lucas Beltrán by Jonathan Ikoné
- 79′ – Cont. Ferran Jutglà by Hugo Vetlesen
- 85′ – Yellow – Nordin Jackers
- 88′ – Cont. Giacomo Bonaventura by Antonín Barák
- 88′ – Cont. Andrea Belotti by M’Bala Nzola
- 90+1′ – Goal – M’Bala Nzola (3 – 2)
- 90+3′ – Cont. Jorne Spileers by Joel Ordóñez
- 90+3′ – Cont. Denis Odoi by Éder Balanta
UEFA Europa Conference League – matchday 1 – 02/05/24 – 21:02
| time | icon | player | homeTime | homeIcon | homePlayer | score | awayPlayer | awayIcon | awayTime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ | Riccardo Sottil | 5′ | Riccardo Sottil | 1 – 0 | |||||
| 17′ | Hans Vanaken | 1 – 1 | Hans Vanaken | 17′ | |||||
| 37′ | Andrea Belotti | 37′ | Andrea Belotti | 2 – 1 | |||||
| 63′ | Igor Thiago | 2 – 2 | Igor Thiago | 63′ | |||||
| 90+1′ | M’Bala Nzola | 90+1′ | M’Bala Nzola | 3 – 2 |
Too bad about that late 3-2, I say. Club Brugge showed itself to be particularly resilient during a tough first leg in Italy. Fiorentina took an early lead, but Vanaken quickly erased it with a penalty. After an avoidable 2-1 by the home team and a red card for Onyedika, Club seemed to be on the ropes, but Thiago provided an unexpected equalizer. Fiorentina still took the win in extra time. But: next Wednesday everything is still possible in Jan Breydel.
Fiorentina – Club Brugge in a nutshell:
- Key moment: In a slow second half, Onyedika picked up two yellow cards in just a few minutes. With ten, Club has to defend fully. Thiago scores on the counter, but Club is unable to escape the entrapment and finally concedes a goal.
- Man of the match: Igor Thiago worked as hard as ever tonight. The striker fought endless duels, provoked a penalty and also scored a great goal on the counter. If Brentford have seen this, they will be rubbing their hands in London.
- Attention: The return match next week is already on Wednesday. At 6:45 PM Club Brugge is chasing Jan Breydel for a ticket for the final.
Chase after difficult first half
Club Brugge had its first date with history tonight. Blauw-zwart went to work against Fiorentina in Florence and did so with Jackers in goal.
Club’s start was promising, after just one minute Igor Thiago scored.
However, an ice-cold shower soon followed. Sottil cut inside and turned the ball towards the square with conviction. Jackers had no chance, Fiorentina gained confidence.
Club gradually lost its grip on the match, but a strong move by Thiago brought Blue-Black into the scoreboard. The Brazilian pushed through well and kicked at goalkeeper Terracciano, in the restart the ball landed on a purple arm.
Hans Vanaken completed the job without any problems. The captain sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Fiorentina continued to insist and a small moment of inattention at Club was mercilessly punished. Jackers fired a bouncing shot, via Gonzalez and an out-of-focus Meijer the ball ended up at Belotti. A real striker’s goal later, Fiorentina took the lead again.
Nzola breaks Bruges hearts at the end
The second half got off to a slow start, with Jackers making a good save from Belotti’s header.
Then Onyedika made a mistake. The Nigerian first received a yellow card for an elbow and committed an unnecessary foul a few minutes later.
Two yellows are red, so Club had to continue with ten.
No problem, thought Igor Thiago. After a good long ball from Spileers, the Brazilian played with his opponent. The striker completed his strong rush with a perfect diagonal shot.
A luxury position for blue-black, which did everything it could to get the draw over the line. Jackers responded well to Ikoné’s shot, Belotti headed wide several times.
Just when blue-black seemed to have survived the Italian storm, substitute Nzola struck. He finally gained possession of the ball on yet another high ball in the penalty area. The striker kicked the post, got the ball back and then aimed into the empty goal.
A big setback for Club, which will have to win at home to advance to the final. With eleven players and in a swirling Jan Breydel, that is certainly not impossible, although it will be a fight.
Phase by phase
End: Club has to make up a small deficit
It’s a wrap. Club fought for what it was worth, but still went home behind. Onyedika received an annoying red card, after which Thiago Club unexpectedly came alongside in a strong manner. What followed was a long battle for survival, which ultimately ended fatally. Nzola scored in two times at the end.
This is a real European cup match.
Filip Joos
Ordonez barely blocks Kouamé in the air. It remains exciting.
Club even has to be careful that it doesn’t get worse. Fiorentina realizes that an extra goal now would put them in the final with one and a half legs.
Club Brugge scores 3-2 in added time
Nzola breaks Bruges hearts
Things are bad for Club. Nzola makes war in the penalty area and first kicks the post. In the restart, the ball falls at his feet again, the striker simply puts the ball in. Club Brugge still goes into the second leg with a deficit.
An extra 5 minutes will be added.
At the start of the last minute of regular playing time, Fiorentina is awarded a corner kick. Through some intermediate stations the ball comes to Nzola, who unfortunately gets the ball on his knee. Gone opportunity.
Italiano throws two fresh forces into the fray with Nzola and Barak. Belotti and Bonaventura go to rest.
Fiorentina are gradually playing with more desperation than hope.
Filip Joos
Thiago goes down after a duel and grabs his hamstrings. It’s not clear if he’s actually in pain or trying to buy some time. The fact is that the striker will soon be back on the field.
Tags: downer Tenmember Club Brugge loses Fiorentina #91st minute dream final
