FLORENCE, Italy :Abde Ezzalzouli emerged as Real Betis’ hero on Thursday after he netted an extra-time winner to make them the first Spanish side to reach the Conference League final with a 4-3 aggregate victory over Fiorentina, setting up a showdown with Premier League side Chelsea.
While Betis were celebrating reaching their first European final after the second leg ended in a 2-2 draw, Fiorentina were left to digest further disappointment in the competition as they bowed out in the semi-finals following back-to-back final defeats.
The Italian hosts faced an uphill task of overturning a first-leg deficit after Betis won 2-1 in Seville last week and struggled to make any impact during the early exchanges.
Betis increased their advantage when Antony scored on the half-hour mark with a stunning free-kick, curling the ball over the wall and in off the post.
However, just four minutes later, Fiorentina hit back as an unmarked Robin Gosens rose to meet a corner, calmly steering a header into the far corner to the delight of the cheering home fans.
Three minutes before the break, Gosens struck again as he rose above Betis defender Marc Bartra and powered a header into the near top corner from yet another corner, completing a dramatic first-half turnaround for Fiorentina.
The action did not let up and just before the break Betis’ Johnny Cardoso unleashed a rocket from the edge of the box that thundered off the crossbar and flew over, leaving the crowd gasping.
Antony nearly snatched a late equaliser for Betis minutes before full time, pouncing on a loose pass to race through one-on-one with David De Gea who pulled off a stunning double save.
It took seven minutes of extra time before Antony managed to send a cross past De Gea and into the path of an onrushing Ezzalzouli, who easily scored from close range.
Betis will now play the final in Wroclaw, Poland, on May 28 against a Chelsea side that easily dispatched Swedish club Djurgarden with a 5–1 aggregate win.
