Bitter EC defeat

Fiorentina against LASK from 18.45 LIVE

Long faces among the LASK players after the 0:7 at Fiorentina ...

(Bild: GEPA)

Fiorentina brutally showed LASK their limits and gave the Athletiker a real spanking!

The Italian top club celebrated a 7:0 scoring party in the Conference League in Florence on Thursday and inflicted their heaviest European Cup defeat on Linz.

LASK can therefore write off a place in the third-highest European Cup competition before the final home game against Vikingur Reykjavik on December 19.

(Bild: GEPA )

(Bild: GEPA)

"We need a perfect game," said captain Robert Zulj before the trip to Florence. It quickly became clear that this hope would not come true. Fiorentina, Linz's strongest opponents in this year's competition, put Markus Schopp's team under pressure from the very first minute and always created a goal threat.

Fiorentinaget going straight away
The ball was in the net for the first time after just 70 seconds following confusion in the Linz defense, but Moise Kean's goal was disallowed for handball after a VAR check. In the 7th minute, Jonathan Ikoné appeared alone in the penalty area but missed. The third attempt was successful, Riccardo Sottil tapped in Fabiano Parisi's cross (10').

A mistake by the 2023 and 2024 finalists in their own penalty area almost gave LASK the equalizer, with Maximilian Entrup's shot hitting the crossbar (12'). It was to remain the only real danger for the "Viola" in the entire match. Fiorentina practically made everything clear before the break. A poor backpass from Maksim Talovyerev landed in front of Christian Kouamé, whose pass only needed to be slotted in by Ikoné (22'). Amir Richardson made it 3:0 with a header from Sottil's free-kick (40').

(Bild: GEPA)

(Bild: GEPA)

Viola in the mood to play
Coach Raffaele Palladino's team continued to let their enthusiasm run free after the break. Fiorentina ran the ball and their opponents and scored four more times. Sottil scored a brace in the 58th minute, Rolando Mandragora (69th) made it 5:0, Filip Stojkovic put the ball in his own goal (82nd), before Albert Gudmundsson scored the bitter final goal with a foul penalty (85th).

This was the second time that LASK had lost 7-0 in the European Cup, the previous time being against Ujpest in the UEFA Cup in Budapest on September 28, 1977. Linz are only 34th in the 36-team league with two points, while Fiorentina are well on their way to the round of 16 with their fourth win in five games.

The result:
Fiorentina - LASK 7:0 (3:0)
Florence, Stadio Artemio Franchi, SR Berke (HUN)

Goals: 1:0 (10.) Sottil, 2:0 (22.) Ikone, 3:0 (40.) Richardson, 4:0 (58.) Sottil, 5:0 (69.) Mandragora, 6:0 (82./ET) Stojkovic, 7:0 (85.) Gudmundsson (foul penalty)

Yellow card: Jovicic

Fiorentina: Martinelli - Kayode, Martinez Quarta, Ranieri (46. Moreno), Parisi - Ikoné (68. Colpani), Mandragora, Richardson (76. Harder) - Kouame, Kean (61. Gudmundsson), Sottil (61. Beltran)
LASK: Jungwirth - Stojkovic, Talowjerow, Smolcic, Bello - B. Jovicic, Bogarde (46. Horvath) - Flecker, Zulj, Berisha - Entrup (53. Ljubicic)