Tribal Football

Fiorentina coach Palladino: A beautiful night; the boys deserved this

Carlos Volcano
Fiorentina coach Palladino: A beautiful night; the boys deserved this
Fiorentina coach Palladino: A beautiful night; the boys deserved thisLaPresse / ddp USA / Profimedia
Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino was delighted with his players after their 3-1 win against Panathinaikos on Thursday night.

Rolando Mandragora, Albert Gudmundsson and Moise Kean struck Fiorentina's goals as they reached the Europa Conference League quarterfinals 5-4 on aggregate.

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“It’s a very beautiful night for us. We needed a match like this. I want to thank the fantastic fans who pushed us just as I had hoped,” Palladino told Sky Italia afterwards.

“I want to thank the boys, who gave everything for the jersey, the city, the fans, and themselves. The boys deserved this great night. Fiorentina must continue to grow and deliver performances like this.

“After tonight, I think I’ve understood the problem, I hope so,” the coach continued.

“We struggle to maintain consistency for 90 minutes. It has happened too often, and we must keep growing because we have what it takes. In the first half, we could have scored four or five goals. We need to keep pushing and working hard.”

Gudmundsson impressed with a goalscoring performance.

Palladino also said: “He needs to be free to roam and find the position on the field that suits him best.

“We have to be good at finding him. The whole team played well. Cataldi, Fagioli, and Mandragora were excellent. I really liked the team. They executed everything we had worked on.

“I try to help the boys in every way because they have the quality to do it. We need to find consistency over the full 90 minutes. There are moments in the game when you must drop back and fight together,” Palladino concluded.

“Gud and Kean had a tremendous first half. They also defended together, but everyone did well, including Zaniolo and Beltrán, who came off the bench. Today, the compliments go to everyone.”