Ranieri and Mandragora Shine as Fiorentina Overcome Celje in Conference League Clash

Fiorentina find themselves in a strong position to progress in their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final against NK Celje, having secured a 2-1 victory away from home in the first leg, which marks their fifth match unbeaten across all competitions.

This fixture was particularly significant, as Celje became the first Slovenian team to reach a European quarter-final, igniting excitement among the home supporters who aimed to propel their players to a rapid start.

The hosts nearly capitalised when Logan Delaurier-Chaubet created space in the box, but his powerful strike hit the side-netting instead of finding the back of the net.

While Fiorentina enjoyed the bulk of possession, they struggled to create genuine threats until a crucial goal arrived just before the half-hour mark.

Captain Luca Ranieri managed to evade defenders as he surged into the box, striking the ball past Ricardo Silva from a narrow angle.

Celje nearly equalised just before half-time when Klemen Nemanic received the ball, but he misfired, sending it well off target.

Despite a promising start to the second half, the home side fell further behind shortly after the hour when VAR confirmed that Rolando Mandragora had been fouled in the area. Mandragora then confidently converted the resulting penalty.

The home team responded quickly, securing a penalty of their own just five minutes later.

Aljosa Matko was clumsily brought down by Marin Pongracic, allowing Delaurier-Chaubet to calmly slot the ball past David de Gea, reducing the deficit.

With ten minutes remaining, the visitors thought they had netted again, only for Nicolo Zaniolo’s celebration to be cut short by an offside decision. Meanwhile, the home side pressed on in search of an equaliser.

Ultimately, they were unable to find the back of the net, leaving Fiorentina to carry a 2-1 lead into the second leg next week, where they are favoured to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 consecutive two-legged ties in the Conference League.

Catch up on the match stats here.