Football Italia
·29 May 2024
Football Italia
·29 May 2024
Fiorentina were denied in the Europa Conference League final for the second year in succession after Ayoub El Kaabi struck three minutes from the end of extra time to end what had been an incredibly cagey performance for close to two hours. Check out the player ratings from a heartbreaking night for La Viola in Athens.
Terracciano – 7 – A brave intervention to deny El Kaabi five minutes before half-time in an otherwise quiet opening period in the Viola defensive third. Made arguably the biggest save of the game to deny former Viola striker Jovetic in the first portion of extra-time. Helpless in keeping out the late winner from that sort of distance.
Dodo – 4.5 – Largely did a job defensively. Always looked to combine with Nico Gonzalez before the Argentine switched over to the left flank, but lost possession a worrying 28 times by full-time.
Martinez Quarta – 6.5 – Nullified El Kaabi, who boasted a stunning record of 10 goals from eight Conference League matches heading into Wednesday’s final, until the tough blow three minutes from time.
Milenkovic – 6.5 – Fiorentina’s go-to target from set-pieces, although no direct impact from any of those in the original 90 minutes. Part of a defensive unit that only allowed three total Olympiacos shots in the 90 – Just two of those went on target.
Biraghi – 5.5 – Not a stand-out night for the Viola captain. The stats don’t make for brilliant reading, but the individual performance wasn’t a complete disaster. (Ranieri – N/A)
Arthur Melo – 5 – Looked a touch unsettled in the opening exchanges, before calming down towards midway, but certainly not the most memorable performance. Taken off after 74 minutes. (Duncan – 5)
Mandragora – 5 – Misplaced one in every four passes, with a total completion rate of 73% in the allocated 90. Still got one key pass in, but not the most dominating midfield performance by anyone’s standards.
Gonzalez – 6 – The only Fiorentina player to complete more than one key pass all game. As usual, looked like he would be the one to make something happen for Italiano’s side, but was unable to apply the magic touch this time out. (Beltran – N/A)
Bonaventura – 4.5 – Despite a brilliant season on an individual level, there was simply not enough cutting edge against Olympiacos. No key passes completed, despite lining up in the ‘10’ role. Still registered two out of three of Fiorentina’s shots on targets. (Barak – 5)
Kouame – 5 – Provided some bright sparks before his substitution, but like most of his teammates, slightly indecisive and the end product in the final third was not enough to put Olympiacos in any serious danger. (Ikone – 5)
Belotti – 5 – Not the most significant impact before his withdrawal just shy of the hour mark, but that is more a reflection of Fiorentina’s overall performance rather than Belotti’s on an individual level. (Nzola 5)
Tzolakis – 7 Rodinei – 5 Retsos – 7 Carmo – 7 Ortega – 6 Hezze – 5 Iborra – 6 Fortounis – 5 Chiquinho – 6 Podence – 5.5 El Kaabi – 5
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