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PSV Eindhoven hold Fiorentina to a draw in Florence
Posted - 4th April 2008
Fiorentina suffered a setback in the first leg of the UEFA Cup quarter-final against PSV Eindhoven last night, as the Dutch team scored an away goal to equalise 1-1 in the second half. Cesare Prandelli's team now face the task of travelling to Holland to win, against a gifted team playing a tactically near-perfect football. It's not impossible, particularly given the talent and spirit available in this Fiorentina side - but easy it won't be.
At the start of the season, had you asked Fiorentina fans if they would be happy with a draw against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven in the quarter-finals of the UEFA cup, they would have enthusiastically responded. THe team's performance, though, throughout Serie A and the UEFA cup has expectations high, perhaps too high for this season. Prandelli's project, to develop a team over a number of years that can consistently win at a national and international level, is just at the start. Fiorentina face a difficult choice, to ignore the lure of silverware in Europe, and concentrate on qualifying in fourth place in Serie A - guaranteeing a Champions League place next season, or to play all out and risk losing in both challenges. Udinese, AC Milan, and Sampdoria are all desparate to catch the Tuscan team to steal their valuable ranking, and each team has the players and potential to do it. Fiorentina have a slender 3point lead, but have won just two of their last five games.
Last night's game in Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium was eagerly contested. Fiorentina had the upper-hand marginally during the first half, though both sides had good chances saved by two keepers in form in the persons of Sebastian Frey and Heurelho Gomes. Objectively, though, the 0-0 scoreline at half-time favoured the visitors.
Just minutes into the second-half fortune favoured Fiorentina, as Gomes made a fatal error punching clear a ball into the path of Adrian Mutu, who shot it home without mistake. Mutu has had a fantastic season, punctuated though by injury problems and absences. He is currently joint third placed striker in Serie A with 15 goals to his name (alongside Udinese's Di Natale and Inter Milan's Ibrahimovic).
The response, though, came less than ten minutes later when PSV's young midfielder (and Dutch national squad player) Ibrahim Afellay made a break into Fiorentina territory, finding striker Danny Koevermans who took his chance well, leveling the score.
For the remainder of the second-half Prandelli - who this year earned his second consecutive Coach of the year title, voted for by his fellow coaches - urged his team forward, bringing on veteran striker Cristian Vieri (who scored Fiorentina's only goal in last weekend's 3-1 defeat by Udinese) to work with Riccardo Montolivo (ex-Atalanta) and Mutu to break down the Dutch defence. There were chances here and there, but Eindhoven were solid, knowing that an away goal may decide the competition. Confident to take on the Italian pressure, the Dutch team also had a couple of breaks that could have cost Fiorentina dearly towards the end.
As the final whistle blew it was another dissapointment for Italy in european competition, following on from the 0-2 defeat handed out to AS Roma on Tuesday night by Manchester United. The chances, though, for Fiorentina are marginaly better - should they choose to focus on the UEFA cup rather than simply concentrating on finishing fourth in Serie A. For a team that has only re-entered Serie A in the last couple of years, to be in this position now is no mean achievement in itself.
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