Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino expressed mixed feelings after his side suffered a 3-2 defeat to Panathinaikos in the first leg of the Conference League Round of 16 on Thursday night. While he was pleased with the team’s strong response to going two goals down, he was disappointed by their “inexplicable” second-half performance, which ultimately cost them a chance at a comeback.
Fiorentina has been struggling recently, with a run of three consecutive Serie A defeats. Although they ended that losing streak with a narrow 1-0 win over Lecce, the team quickly returned to their losing ways in Athens. They found themselves 2-0 down after goals from Karol Swiderski and Nemanja Maksimovic but fought back with goals from Lucas Beltran and Nicolò Fagioli within three minutes. A potential equalizer from Matias Moreno was ruled offside. However, Fiorentina’s hopes were dashed when Tetê scored a third goal for Panathinaikos, sealing the win.
The loss came as the first leg in a two-legged tie, with the second leg scheduled for next Thursday at Fiorentina’s Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Palladino Reflects on Fiorentina’s Mixed Performance
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia after the match, Palladino discussed both his satisfaction with the team’s fightback and his frustration with their second-half performance. “It was both,” he said when asked about his emotions after the match. “We had a good first half despite not approaching the game the way we wanted. We conceded two goals, but then the team reacted brilliantly. We put the opponents under pressure and equalized 2-2, before the disallowed goal. But, inexplicably, our second half was not right, and that led to the third goal.”
Palladino acknowledged that nerves may have played a role in the disappointing second-half performance. “I’m really sorry because the boys wanted to do better in the second half, but we got nervous,” he said. “Time was running out, and we got carried away with the game. Of course, this shouldn’t be an excuse, and it’s not an alibi.”
Despite the defeat, Palladino remains hopeful for the second leg. “It’s not over,” he stated. “I’ve seen the team looking disappointed but also fired up. They’re eager to overturn this result.”
Related topics:
