UEFA Conference League Matchday 5: AC Fiorentina 7-0 LASK

Having picked up only two points from four UEFA Conference League games this autumn with a number of near-misses along the way, it was crunch-time for LASK to take some more points on Matchday 5. The challenge would be a major one though, perhaps the biggest of the European fixture-list for the Linzers, as the next trip took the team to Italy where they would face Serie A high-flyers and two-time Conference League finalists, AC Fiorentina.

After getting fired-up for a game at the legendary Stadio Artemio Franchi (a place that coach Markus Schopp knows well from his time as a player in Italy) the start of the game could not have gone much worse. A long ball forward after around 60 seconds bounced through the defence and past keeper Lukas Jungwirth before being tucked into an empty net by home striker Moise Kean, although luckily his goal would be chalked-off after a handball in the build-up. Fiorentina stayed on the front foot though, and five minutes later Jonathan Ikoné chipped a great chance just wide of the far post, so for the fans who had made it to the stadium, it was no real surprise to see Riccardo Sottil send the ball high into the net to put Fiorentina ahead after 10 minutes.

LASK didn’t let heads drop, and the guests quickly showed a response as Max Entrup stayed alert to pounce on a loose ball, although his effort stayed out thanks to a combination of the keeper and the crossbar. Midway through the half, the hosts were then two-up. Kouamé’s speed on the left took him clear, and after a square-ball across the area to Jonathan Ikoné the second goal was simply a formality. Again LASK soon attempted to fight back, and when Robert Žulj sent a free kick into the box, Maxi Talovierov was just inches away from getting his head on it in front of goal. Entrup then teed-up Filip Stojković to hit the target from the edge of the area, but the keeper got right behind his weak-footed effort.

Unfortunately for the visitors, Fiorentina were far more efficient; a good in-swinging set-piece from Sottil was met by a thumping Amir Richardson header five minutes before the break, and the ball rocketed down and in for an unstoppable third goal. Seconds later, Žulj’s next try was too central, but agonisingly the ‘Shots on Target’ tally stood at 3-3, with the scoreline at 3-0, which is how it remained until the break.

The second half would bring no respite for LASK, although after switching Entrup for Marin Ljubičić shortly after the restart, there were some positive moments, as the Croatian forward had a shot blocked before teammate Sascha Horvath managed the same. The persistent issue was that Fiorentina were able to regain possession high up the field far too easily, and too often. There was no solid base upon which to build a comeback, but any fading hopes were soon extinguished when the home team nicked the ball on the edge of the box, and Riccardo Sottil poked in his second goal to make it 4-0 just before the hour-mark.

The Serie A side brought on their €30m man Albert Gudmundsson who was returning after a few weeks out, and he combined well with Rolando Mandragora with the latter slotting home a fifth; Andrea Colpani then had a shot well-saved by Jungwirth, only for the rebound to ricochet unfortunately off defender Stojković and into the net; before Gudmundsson calmly converted a penalty after LASK had failed to clear the ball from the box in time. That took the score to 7-0, as Fiorentina showed exactly why they are one of the perennial favourites to go all the way in this competition, and offered more than a glimpse of why they are unbeaten in Italy since mid-September, winning 12 games in the two months since.

It was a shame for the hundreds of LASK fans who had made the journey down to Florence, but despite the fact that the scoreboard made for unpleasant reading, the fans in Black & White put on an impressive display of support. There’s a lot of thinking to be done before the next game against Vikingur Reykjavik, with the 24 qualification places looking a long way away after a heavy defeat.

ACF Fiorentina – LASK 7:0 (3:0)
Stadio Artemio Franchi, Referee Balazs Berke/HUN
Goals: 1:0 Sottil (10.), 2:0 Ikone (22.), 3:0 Richardson (39.), 4:0 Sottil (58.), 5:0 Mandragora (62.), 6:0 Stojkovic (82./ET), 7:0 Gudmundsson (85./E.)
Yellow card: Jovicic

Line-up LASK: Jungwirth – Stojkovic, Talovierov, Smolcic, Bello – Jovicic, Bogarde (46. Horvath) – Flecker, Zulj (K), Berisha – Entrup (53. Ljubicic)

By Tom Middler from The Other Bundesliga (@OtherBundesliga)