Fiorentina scored four goals in the first half to help Fiorentina produce one of the high-scoring football results of the Europa Conference League. Hearts appeared to be headed for the kind of 7-1 beat Rangers received from Liverpool the day before, but they at least managed to steady the ship in the second half of the Europa Conference League match in Florence. 4000 Hearts supporters cheered after Stephen Humphrys made it 4-1 early in the second half at Stadio Artemio Franchi. However, the home team’s late penalty gave them back their four-goal advantage.
Nathaniel Atkinson’s injury in the first half dealt Hearts another setback on the defensive side. If they manage to defeat RFS and Istanbul Basaksehir, Robbie Neilson’s team still has a slender chance to advance from Europa Conference League Group A, but they would require Fiorentina to falter in their final two games. Following a 3-0 loss at Tynecastle the previous week, the Hearts manager urged his team to push the Serie A team more aggressively higher up the pitch, and the strategy nearly worked within the first 30 seconds.
Humphrys hit the post from almost 25 yards after Barrie McKay won the ball deep in the home half, and Jorge Grant’s follow-up was saved. Soon after a free kick, Christian Kouame’s header was stopped by Craig Gordon, and, like seven days earlier, Hearts lost early. As he attempted to defend the corner kick, Atkinson collapsed in a heap with a lower leg injury. As Fiorentina took the short corner, Luka Jovic beat Alex Cochrane to the ball and headed the ball inside the post in the sixth minute.
When Cochrane hauled down Riccardo Saponara after selling himself on the edge of the box, the visitors appeared to have closed the back door despite being much more competitive in the second half. Gonzalez made the penalty kick in the 79th minute. When Lawrence Shankland, a substitute, chipped the goalkeeper from 45 yards out, Pierluigi Gollini scrambled to catch up and the ball ended up in the roof of the net.
For more football results, click here
