Fiorentina missed a great opportunity in Prague last night to bring themselves and Italian football another European trophy. It seemed that the ‘Viola’ were a more ‘literate’ team than West Ham and that after Bonaventura levelled the score to 1-1, the Italians they would manage to turn the score around. However, the opposite happened. Paqueta’s terrific ball and Bowen’s run brought Fiorentina fans to tears in the Czech capital. The better team may not have won, but rather the more physically dominant one. Hammers promise a life-long ban for the fan who hit Biraghi’s head in the ECL finalAnd apart from a physical battle on the field, there were problems on the stands, too, as Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi required a head strapping to continue, as blood poured from his head due to an unidentified object which was thrown from the West Ham sector. All this was just too much for Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso, who didn’t mince words after arriving in Italy. “I expected victory, but it was not like that. However, there were moments on the pitch when the referee had to make the difference in our favor. Our striker Jović had to leave the field due to a broken nose, Biraghi received a cut on his head. ‘I spoke to the Premier League president, telling him they are all animals for how they treated our footballers. The defeat is not fair. We could have won 3-0, I am sorry for the fans who deserved more. The match could have been registered as an official result for us” said Fiorentina’s first man. The Hammers’ European joy: Rice hails Moyes, the fans go wild and heroes Bowen and Antonio go partyThe Italians also published a statement emphasizing that their players ‘feared for safety during the game’. “This unacceptable behaviour obviously affected the performance of the footballer and his team-mates, who had their attention drawn away from footballing matters by the threats to their own safety. The Viola captain, despite suffering a deep wound to his head requiring eight stitches, continued to play on. Biraghi displayed the values of fairness, integrity and sportsmanship which should be the benchmark for all football and that Fiorentina seek to champion with all of their power. The club is certain that UEFA will thoroughly evaluate the incident and duly punish those responsible for this act, delivering an appropriate response and setting an example so that such situations never occur again”. ##NAJAVA_MECA_7306292##
