The coach of Fiorentina Women Sebastian De La Fuente spoke to the official microphones of Fiorentina after the victory against Ajax: “So much happiness. A hard-fought and difficult match but we knew it, coming here and winning two matches in the European context against Brondby and Ajax who had their say in Europe gives so much satisfaction. I take this opportunity to thank the girls who brought us here last year, because some are no longer in the team”.
Was it difficult to break down Ajax’s defence?
“Yes, we knew it, Ajax has important players who win duels and dribbles. In the first half we had some chances but so did they. In the second half we hit the crossbar and we could have unlocked it earlier, but you unlock these games with an episode. I think overall we played a great game.”
What did he say to the girls during the break?
“I said we had to improve in the final meters and make the right choices. In the first half we recovered the ball in good areas of the field, but we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities due to poor passing choices. I knew it would be a tight game until the end.”
It is a milestone but also a starting point:
“I always put the Coppa Italia final as a starting point and this is a step forward. Now we wait for the next step and try to grow together game after game. Today we raised the bar, we took a big step considering that it had been 5 years since we were in Europe”.