Beltran’s Penalty Sends Fiorentina to Second Consecutive Conference League Final

Fiorentina secured their place in the UEFA Conference League final for the second consecutive year with a 1-1 draw away at Club Brugge, winning the semi-final tie 4-3 on aggregate thanks to Lucas Beltran’s late penalty.

The match began with a flurry of activity, mirroring the intensity of the first leg. Club Brugge pushed forward eagerly, buoyed by the enthusiastic support of their home crowd at the Jan Breydel Stadion. In the 20th minute, Maxim De Cuyper found the net with a delicate touch on Hans Vanaken’s cross, leveling the tie with his second goal in three starts.

Fiorentina attempted an immediate response, but Simon Mignolet denied Nicolas Gonzalez and Andrea Belotti’s follow-up went wide. Despite Fiorentina’s efforts to regain the lead, they were thwarted by resilient defending from Brugge, exemplified by Igor Thiago’s clearance off the line.

Christian Kouamé came close to scoring with a powerful strike that rattled the crossbar, leaving Fiorentina frustrated as Kyriani Sabbe cleared the danger. Visibility issues caused by flares delayed the restart, but Brugge continued to press forward, with Denis Odoi missing a golden opportunity with a mistimed header.

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The match remained intense, with both teams vying for a crucial breakthrough. Joel Ordonez made a crucial intervention to deny Cristiano Biraghi’s cross, while Fiorentina hit the woodwork twice through Biraghi’s free-kick and M’Bala Nzola’s header.

Nzola played a pivotal role once again, winning the decisive penalty after being fouled by Brandon Mechele. Beltran calmly converted the spot-kick past Mignolet’s outstretched hand in the 85th minute, sealing Fiorentina’s place in the final.

As frustrations boiled over, Odoi was sent off from the bench after receiving a second yellow card. Vanaken’s deflected strike forced a smart save from Pietro Terracciano to preserve Fiorentina’s unbeaten run in Europe and secure their spot in the Athens showpiece.

The result shattered Brugge’s hopes of reaching their first European final in 32 years, with the first-leg defeat proving decisive in the end.