UECL | Club Brugge 1-1 Fiorentina: Viola progress to final after controversial win | OneFootball

Fiorentina kept their nerve amidst the tensions to progress to the Conference League final after a tense 1-1 draw over Club Brugge saw them win 4-3 on aggregate.

The Viola came into the match at the Jan Breydel Stadium with a slim 3-2 advantage, having just done enough in the first leg in Florence to put them in the driving seat of the tie.

Both sides came out with a point to prove in Belgium as the home fans set up an exciting atmosphere, acting as a 12th man for the hosts. The excitement soon turned to tension, however.

Tense Fiorentina outing

Fiorentina kicked off the match, but it soon became apparent that Club Brugge were the more fired up of the two sides, consistently trying to push into the Viola half to start chipping away at their disadvantage.

In the 20th minute, a well-placed whipped in ball from Thiago Rodriguez was perfectly caught by Hans Vanaken, whose header sailed past Pietro Terracciano into the back of the net, tying things up 3-3 on aggregate, firing up the home fans.

The goal seemingly woke up Fiorentina, who tried to carve their way into the Club Brugge half as the first half progressed. Relatively poor and tired play limited any attacking moves, with misplaced passes and forced turnovers often disrupting play. A thrilling volley from Christian Kouame was unlucky to hit the underside of the crossbar and bounce out.

The Viola were unable to find a breakthrough in the first half, allowing the hosts to enter the half-time break with a slim 1-0 lead on the night, keeping things level ahead of the second 45 minutes.

Club Brugge tried to maintain the momentum in the early stages of the second half but Fiorentina quickly took the driving seat, applying increasing amounts of pressure as the minutes ticked by.

In the 74th minute, a dangerous free kick from Cristiano Biraghi threated Simon Mignolet’s net but he was denied by the post. Only second later, a looping header from Kouame looked on track to cross the line before the woodwork again had something to say, letting the Belgians off the hook.

The final 10 minutes of the match saw chaos; a good cross from Nicolas Gonzalez saw M’Bala Nzola lean low to try and head the ball, but he was caught by Brandon Mechele, who was trying to clear the danger. Despite the obvious lack of intent, a painfully soft penalty was awarded by referee Halil Umut Meler.

With the home fans rightfully infuriated, Lucas Beltran stepped up to the plate, and made no mistake from 12 yards out to find the equaliser for Fiorentina, putting them up 4-3 on aggregate. It was a bitter blow for the hosts.

Club Brugge tried to muster a response as the final minutes ticked by but they were unable to find a rhythm in the Viola third, allowing the Italian side to escape with a slim 4-3 aggregate win, taking them to the Conference League final.