FC Basel shocked Italian heavyweight Fiorentina in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal. The Swiss club came from behind to defeat Fiorentina 2-1 to take a slender lead into the second-leg fixture in Basel.
Fiorentina lead the first leg at halftime thanks to a 25th-minute goal from Arthur Cabral. La Viola looked could value for the win, but FC Basel came from behind, scoring in the 71st minute to equalise. Andy Diouf bagged the leveller and deep in second-half stoppage time, Zeki Amdouni scored the winner.
It was a highly unlikely result, as Fiorentina were picked to win the tie and move on to the final. However, the game didn’t go according to plan. Basel will now aim to finish the job and reach their first major European tournament final.
Fiorentina rebounded at the weekend from the Conference League defeat with a 2-0 win over Udinese. The victory ended a three-match winless streak for La Viola.
Basel could not keep their Conference League momentum going. The Swiss club lost in spectacular fashion, 6-1, to St Gallen. Basel were down 3-0 at halftime. Coach Heiko Vogel and the squad likely had the second leg against Fiorentina in mind at kick-off versus St Gallen.
The Swiss team has played 26 times at home this season, posting a record of 10W-10D-6L and a goal difference of +9. Fiorentina have an away record of 11W-5D-9L and a goal difference of +15 on the road. There is plenty of hope within the Fiorentina ranks that the squad can overturn the one-goal deficit.
Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano has just one player on the injury list. Goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu will miss the match following an Achilles injury.
Cabral leads Fiorentina in goals with 15 in all competitions. He scored in the first leg to initially put Fiorentina on top. Cabral is a former Basel striker. Luka Jovic has 11 goals in all competitions for Fiorentina.
Basel coach Vogel also has one injury issue heading into Thursday’s semifinal second leg. Defender Riccardo Calafiori could miss out following a muscle injury. Andi Zeqiri leads Basel in goals with 15 this season. Amdouni, the man that scored the first-leg winner, has 14 goals in all competitions.
Fiorentina let off in the first leg, but Basel put in a strong comeback. This time around, Fiorentina should be the team making the comeback.
The second leg should finish 2-1 in Fiorentina’s favour. The scoreline would produce extra time in the Conference League semifinal tie.