Fiorentina 2-3 Lech (agg: 6-4): Viola survive scare to reach semi-finals

Fiorentina's nine-game UEFA Europa Conference League winning streak came to an end in the quarter-final second leg, but a narrow defeat was a huge relief after Lech Poznań took them close to a shock exit.

Match in brief: So near but so far for brave Lech

Afonso Sousa urges his team-mates on after opening the scoring for LechGetty Images

Trailing 4-1 from the first leg, John van den Brom's Lech side grabbed an early lifeline, Afonso Sousa firing first time into the net after an attempted clearance from a cross from the right looped into his path. Fiorentina looked rattled for a while but eventually settled to their task, though Rolando Mandragora's powerful drive over the bar was as close as they came to a first-half equaliser.

Filip Bednarek saved well from Luka Jović just before the hour mark but home substitute Aleksa Terzić's foul on Michał Skóraś then handed Lech a chance to double their lead from the spot, Kristoffer Velde producing a cool, low finish to set Fiorentina nerves jangling. Within five minutes, Jesper Karlström delivered a low ball in from the right for Artur Sobiech to finish from close range and level the tie on aggregate.

However, while Fiorentina flirted with disaster, Riccardo Sottil saved them, meeting a half-cleared free-kick with a fierce shot to restore his side's overall lead. Six minutes of added time might still have been a worry for Vincenzo Italiano's side, but substitute Gaetano Castrovilli's low finish ultimately snuffed out any hope of more drama.

Kristoffer Velde after finishing from the spotGetty Images

Paolo Menicucci, match reporter

Fiorentina reached the semi-finals but they had to work hard to subdue brave Lech, who came very close to completing an incredible comeback after losing 4-1 at home in the first leg. The Viola did not produce the kind of performance that we have come to expect from them in this competition, but they responded when they absolutely had to. Some teams would have lost their cool completely after going 3-0 down. Fiorentina did not.

Fiorentina celebrate their late second against LechGetty Images

Reaction 

Vincenzo Italiano, Fiorentina coach: "We did well to stay clear-headed and get ourselves back on track to go through. It seemed like a formality but you can never be complacent in Europe. I have to give credit to the players and fans for their response after Lech scored their third. We were all united; we stayed together."

Cristiano Biraghi, Fiorentina captain: "It was a rather strange evening. We conceded from their first shot and got scared then got too nervous. Certainly when you go 3-0 down there is a little fear that the unthinkable could happen. Unfortunately, we slipped to a defeat but it was still enough to go through."

Rolando Mandragora, Fiorentina midfielder: "I'm happy Sottil scored. It was important for him. We didn't have a good game, but the important thing is that we got through. We did well to stay in the game when we really had to."

John van den Brom, Lech coach: "It is the end of a journey in Europe and we should be proud of what we have done. In the first leg in Poznan, no one saw the real Lech, but today we did something extraordinary. We believed right from the start and pressed a lot."

Key stats

• Fiorentina have won their last five UEFA quarter-finals.
• Fiorentina's winning European run ended at nine matches; the only Italian team to have won ten in a row remains AC Milan in 1993/94.
• Lech won at Fiorentina for the second time, having prevailed 2-1 in the 2015/16 Europa League group stage. No other Polish club side has beaten Serie A opponents in a UEFA game in Italy.
• The Viola were beaten at home for the first time in Europe this season; their record was W5 D1.
• Lech have lost only one of their last ten matches in all competitions (W6 D3), and only one of their last seven European matches away from home (W2 D4).
• Mikael Ishak has been involved in nine Europa Conference League goals this season, scoring five and providing four assists.

Line-ups

Fiorentina: Terracciano; Venuti, Milenković (Quarta 46), Igor, Biraghi (Terzić 53); Bonaventura (Castrovilli 70), Mandragora, Barák; González, Jović (Cabral 70), Sottil (Kouamé 85)

Lech: Bednarek; Dagerstål, Karlström, Milić; Skóraś, Czerwiński (Pereira 31), Murawski (Kvekveskiri 82), Rebocho; Afonso Sousa (Marchwiński 80); Sobiech (Ishak 79), Velde (Ba Loua 80)