Mutu keeps the ante high for victorious Viola
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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Striker Adrian Mutu wants ACF Fiorentina to go a "step further" in the UEFA Cup after bowing out in the semi-finals last season following the 1-0 win at FC Steaua Bucureşti that confirmed his side's third-placed finish.
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Striker Adrian Mutu already has his eyes on next year's UEFA Cup final in Istanbul after the Romanian international helped ACF Fiorentina beat FC Steaua Bucureşti 1-0 in their UEFA Champions League swansong.
Hostile reaction
Neither side could have progressed from Group F, whose qualifying places for the last 16 had already been taken by section winners FC Bayern München and Olympique Lyonnais. However, Fiorentina's first victory in the section on Wednesday at least made sure of the Italian club's place in the UEFA Cup Round of 32. Mutu, whose strike partner Alberto Gilardino headed the second-half winner, fought hard at the Steaua Stadium despite bearing the brunt of the home fans' ire due to his spell with city rivals FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti. "I thought it would be worse than it actually was, and after a while I stopped hearing the chants about me," Mutu said.
Next step
Satisfied with the team's performance, Mutu was upbeat about the prospects of a side who reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals last season, falling only on penalties to Rangers FC after two goalless draws. "Fiorentina are on the way up," the 29-year-old said. "I think we showed that tonight, particularly in the second half when we were constantly pushing forward." Summing up the mood in the Viola dressing room, Mutu added: "We did well last year, we almost made it through to the final. Now we want to have that same run all over again – but this time go a step further."
No regrets
Fiorentina's captain for the night, French goalkeeper Sébastien Frey, was clearly delighted with the outcome and stoical about leaving the UEFA Champions League behind. "Winning tonight is a great source of satisfaction because it means we're going on to the UEFA Cup and at the end of the day that's what we were after. We mustn't have any regrets, because it's been a fantastic experience for everyone. We've come up against teams of the very highest calibre and we've gained really vaulable experience that will help us in the future. It's a wonderful competition to have been in and it should give us the motivation to qualify for it again next season."
