Europa Conference League roundup: Fiorentina and Lech Poznan both advance with big wins
Sivasspor 1 Fiorentina 4
Fiorentina booked their spot in a first European quarter-final for eight years by easing to a 4-1 victory over Sivasspor. Nikola Milenkovic’s second-half header helped seal the tie as the visitors were forced to come from behind on the night to progress to the last eight of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The emphasis was on the Turkish outfit to do most of the attacking, given they trailed 1-0 from the first leg, but it was home goalkeeper Ali Sasal who was called into action first as he denied Giacomo Bonaventura. Jordy Caicedo then dragged wide at the other end, before teammate Erdogan Yesilyurt had a thumping long-range effort pushed around the post.
Sivasspor had the momentum, and they duly made it count 10 minutes before the break when Yesilyurt’s 25-yard screamer levelled the tie, with the winger cutting in from the left flank and arrowing his shot into the far top corner.
It didn’t take long for the Italians to respond though, as Arthur Cabral scrambled home from close range to restore their advantage on the stroke of halftime.
That completely changed the complexion of the tie, and Fiorentina looked to press home their advantage after the break when Rolando Mandragora’s strike was saved by Sasal. Jonathan Ikone’s long-range drive then took a wicked deflection and spun wide, but Vincenzo Italiano’s side opened up a two-goal aggregate lead from the resulting corner when Milenkovic netted with a towering header.
Ikone almost made it 3-1 when his effort went through Sasal’s legs, only for the goalkeeper to just about recover by clawing the ball off his line, though he was powerless to stop Dimitrios Goutas nodding into his own net with 10 minutes left.
Sivasspor lost their tempers from then and had captain Hakan Arslan sent off for a petty kick on Mandragora before Gaetano Castrovilli rubbed salt into the wound by adding a fourth late on as the Viola cruised into the last eight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina)
Djurgarden 0 Lech Poznan 3
Lech Poznan progressed to the quarter-finals of a European competition for the first time in their history after conquering Djurgarden IF 5-0 over two legs in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
After triumphing against Malmo FF in domestic cup action last time out, Djurgarden set their sights on overturning a two-goal deficit to continue their maiden European post-group stage voyage.
The Swedish side clearly understood the task at hand, as they managed to produce an opportunity in the opening moments of the game, which saw Joel Asoro fire inches over the bar from the edge of the area.
Poznan almost gave Djurgarden an even bigger mountain to climb minutes later, but Mikael Ishak agonizingly hit the post with his close-range strike. The game eventually cooled down as both teams battled for the advantage.
The home side grew further into the fixture as the first half progressed, though they were unable to find a breakthrough, as Filip Bednarek was on hand to deny Gustav Wikheim’s low drive inside the box.
Djurgarden were dealt a major blow on the stroke of halftime, as Marcus Danielson had a yellow card turned into a red following a VAR review for bringing down Afonso Sousa while he was through on goal. Despite the sending-off, the hosts stuck with the same 10 men that represented them in the opening 45 minutes.
Poznan came flying out of the traps in the second half as they attempted to kill the tie off with their numerical advantage. As the visitors piled on the pressure, both Radoslaw Murawski and Filip Szymczak struck the woodwork in quick succession, before Jacob Widell Zetterstrom thwarted Michal Skoras’s 65th-minute hit with an excellent save.
Time was running out for Djurgarden, and their fate was ultimately sealed in the 77th minute when substitute Filip Marchwinski found the net following some exceptional build-up play by the Polish champions.
Adding more salt to the wound, the visitors netted two more goals in stoppage as Nika Kvekveskiri hammered in via a rebound before Skoras stroked the ball home from close range.
As a result of their victory, Poznan picked up their first European triumph on the road this campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pedro Rebocho (Lech Poznan)