Jabar Ekspres – ACF Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano was disappointed with his team’s 1-2 loss in the UEFA Conference League (UECL) final to West Ham United at the Fortuna Arena or Eden Arena on Thursday.
In that match, Fiorentina had drawn 1-1 after Giacomo Bonaventura’s goal in the 67th minute was able to equalize the goal that West Ham scored first through Said Benrahma in the 62nd minute.
But towards the end of the match, Jarrod Bowen’s 90th minute shot from Lucas Paqueta was able to beat Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano and bring The Hammers out as the second edition UECL champions.
“Because tonight I honestly couldn’t imagine the match would end like this,” Italiano said, quoted from Football Italia, Thursday.
Italiano thinks his team does not deserve to lose to West Ham because his squad played well in the final match played in the Czech Republic.
Livescore noted, La Viola dominated the match with 63 percent ball possession with nine kicks, four of which were on target.
Meanwhile, the Hammers only had 37 percent possession with six kicks, four of which were on target.
“We played, we had chances, we equalized immediately after the penalty that could have killed us,” said the 45-year-old coach.
“We fielded an XI that gave us the right balance, because we hardly gave West Ham any chances,” he continued.
“We played the way you need to play the final, ran a few risks, and controlled the game,” he added.
On the same occasion, the Italian coach deeply regretted the late goal scored by the opposing team through Bowen’s feet.
He said that had his players maintained their focus, the match could have continued into extra time.
“If we had been more focused, then we would have played in extra time,” Italiano explained.
This defeat was Fiorentina’s second loss in the final round this season. The club, which finished eighth in Serie A this season with 56 points, previously lost in the final of the Coppa Italia when beaten by Inter Milan by a score of 1-2 at the Stadio Olimpico, late May.