Final result: Olympiacos – Fiorentina 1-0 aet
FLORENTINA (by Dimitri Conti)
Terracciano 6.5 – Ready to stop Podence at the start, he repeats himself on Carmo and in other situations, being particularly present in high exits. Surrenders on El Kaabi.
Dodo 6 – Departure full of carelessness, but with the passing of the minutes he seems to get back on track and is an additional offensive weapon. Mistakes and beautiful things, a six.
Martinez Fourth 6.5 – He often tries to anticipate, at the end of the first half a misreading gets him booked. Despite this he remains with his head on his shoulders.
Milenkovic 7 – He surpasses the bogeyman El Kaabi numerous times in marking, leaving him no air. The only time he lets him go, the Moroccan goes on to score the winning goal.
Biraghi 6 – He starts with the handbrake partially on, like many of his teammates, but then his performance settles down to full pass levels.
From 105′ Ranieri 5 – He certainly cannot be blamed as the sole person responsible for the crushing defeat, but he is clearly behind on El Kaabi.
Arthur 5.5 – From the Brazilian, to the penultimate player in purple, you expect him to bring experience and leadership. However, he missed many balls in the first half, some very risky.
From 74′ Duncan 5.5 – He doesn’t raise the quality in Fiorentina’s midfield, even missing some seemingly simple balls.
Mandragora 6 – Preferred on the board to Beltran, he has the task of bringing balance. He doesn’t sprint but holds the median effectively, even if he runs out of fuel.
Gonzalez 5 – He struggles to get going, despite being the most qualitative of the Viola trocar, also because he is little (or badly) sought after by his teammates. For him 105 minutes of emptiness.
From 105′ Beltran 5.5 – He takes over as a winger, a position that is not very congenial to him, and in fact he is unable to leave much of a trace on the fate of the match.
Bonaventure 5.5 – The two best chances of the first half were his: bad in finishing on the first, unlucky on the second. He runs for three, but the chances weigh.
From 82′ Barak 5.5 – It doesn’t change the fate of the match, it has much less impact than Bonaventura even if in the end he seems one of the few to believe it.
Kouame 5.5 – Very similar to the one made for Bonaventura: overall it’s not a bad performance, but the mistake in front of goal in the second half takes it down.
From 82′ Ikone 5 – Tragic substitution for half an hour, but then he was the only Viola to kick on goal from mid-second onwards. Of course, he could also have done it more decisively.
Belotti 5.5 – He uses all the fighting skills he has on the Agia Sophia pitch, but he doesn’t have an easy life against the physical Greek centre-backs. On the occasion side, little or nothing.
From 59′ Nzola 5.5 – He enters well, taking Belotti’s place also in the fighting aspect. Over long distances, and always chasing slopes, the danger decreases.
Vincenzo Italiano 5 – An appointment with history for him and his players, Fiorentina, however, right from the start did not appear to be the machine producing chances as they have often been able to do in the past. The final was played much worse than the two last year, and what’s more they were all lost. The changes don’t change anything, on the contrary: from the middle of the second half onwards they are just long balls and yet another disappointment arrives in the final minutes.
OLYMPIACOS (by Marco Pieracci)
Tzolakis 6.5 – Cup goalkeeper, with a kilometer long clearance even if he’s not a marvel with his feet. Awake in the exits, Bonaventura and Kouame pardon him.
Rodinei 6 – Experience to spare, holds the position with skill. He sweeps without frills, challenging the clichés about the technique of Brazilian full-backs.
Returns 6.5 – Reminiscences of the brief Italian experience, he found himself in his homeland. Rough but effective in marking reserved for Belotti and Nzola.
David Carmo 7 – Timely in closing, he gets by in construction: also quite elegant in exits from the defense. Decisive with the final save on Ikone.
Ortega 6 – Recovered at the last minute for the final, the defensive phase is notoriously not his strong point but the right Nico Gonzalez suffers. From 91′ Quini 6 – Diligent performance.
Hezze 7 – You can find him almost everywhere, to intercept balls and create density: in the many duels he engages in he brings the typical South American style but also quality: he is the assist for El Kaabi.
Iborra 6.5 – Equalizer, it raises or lowers depending on the situation. Threatening in his insertions from behind, he doesn’t make Arthur think and proposes himself. He takes home another title.
Power 6.5 – Quick in his turns, the short Dodò takes some time to get the measure of him. He challenges Terracciano a couple of times, but becomes less incisive when he changes flanks. From 106′ Masouras sv
Chiquinho 6.5 – Tactically precious, it is the real balance between Mendilibar: he oscillates between midfield and midfield to sew up the game between the departments. From 78′ André Horta 6.5 – Sharp foot on set pieces: remote-controlled ball on Iborra’s head, he grants an encore but El Kaabi doesn’t get there.
Fortounis 5.5 – Creative captain, he dances between the lines in the vain search for the decisive flash. Crooked moon evening, never lights up. From 71′ Jovetic 6 – The ex’s goal comes close, after a yellow card for protests.
El Kaabi 7.5 – The number one purple bogey moves vertically, always on the edge of offside to take advantage of the slightest distraction. Milenkovic takes away his depth, but on the first hole he hits for the eleventh time: it is the most important goal. The Conference wins like a king. From 120′ El Arabi sv
José Luis Mendilibar 7 – High pressing and a lot of aggression to counter Fiorentina’s phrasing. He takes it to extra time, inflicting another bitter defeat. After Roma he makes an Italian team cry again: two European cups in two years is a lot. Chapeau.