JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
Emerson Palmieri the first footballer in history with triumphs in five UEFA competitions., he also has a European Championship won with the Italian national team
The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated UECL) or most commonly the Conference League, is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs.
The competition, which was first held in the 2021-22 season, serves as the lowest level of the Europa League, which has been reduced from 48 to 32 teams in the group stage. The competition is primarily contested by teams from the lower ranked UEFA member associations. . No team has qualified directly for the group stage, with 10 teams eliminated in the Europa League play-offs and the remainder coming from qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
The winners of the competition receive a place in the Europa League the following season unless they qualify for the Champions League. Roma were the inaugural winners of the competition, beating Feyenoord 1-0 in the final in 2022. West Ham United are the current champions, having beaten Fiorentina 2-1 in the 2023 final, held at the Eden Arena in Prague. This is the Slavia Prague Venue. It was also used by Bohemians 1905 in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons.
Emerson Palmieri is the first footballer in history with triumphs in five UEFA competitions. He has also won the European Championship with the Italian national team.
I would like to mention to you as a historical curiosity for enthusiasts and fans that Emerson Palmieri, the Italian defender for West Ham United, is the only footballer to have triumphed in all the major European competitions: the European Championship, the Champions League, the Europa League, the Conference League and the European Super Cup. The second thing I want to mention is that West Ham ” Hammers ” had in their line-up in this match playing in the starting line-up with two former players of Slavia Prague Tomas Souczek and Vladimir Coufal, they started offensively. The third thing is that Fiorentina and West Ham United have never played against each other. It was the first ever direct meeting between these teams.
When I watch the games it is already the second final in the history of the Europa League. This match was one of the best in this category so far, so many interesting situations
There was an unpleasant incident during the first half. Cristiano Biraghi was hit by a cup flying from the stands. A cut and a clear trickle of blood appeared on his head. The Italian needed medical intervention but fortunately was able to continue with the match.
13′ Badly deflected ball centred from the right, it fell just outside the penalty area to the feet of Declan Rice, who immediately struck from the air. Just past the post.
31′ Benrahma fended off Bonaventura in front of the penalty area, but then embarrassingly dived, for which he received a yellow card. Yes, apart from the excesses in the stands, there really wasn’t much going on in the first half.
In the 33rd minute, the Spanish referee in charge of the match, Carlos del Cerro, stopped the match after Florence team captain Cristiano Biraghi was hit on the head by something heavy thrown by the English fans. Blood was dripping from the wound and a break of several minutes was needed. The match was ugly, full of malice and foul play feigned fouls or mischief between players . It is scandalous that at such matches in the 21st century there are still such things between people. We don’t want to see such things in sport; there must be peace and respect between all those who play sport.
Why in football do we have to watch, in particular, fake fouls or such aggressive behaviour because it then has a very bad effect on the whole game. We should all compete “FAIR PLAY” in every sport, it’s very important that we have respect for each other, because then we have a lot of problems with people, players, coaches, because it disappears, and then it passes on to normal life. Let’s all have a lot of respect for each other after such meetings in sport. In the fourth minute of added time Christian Kouame hit the post after a head strike and Luka Jović’s strike landed behind the goal line. Only that the Serb had earlier been in a burned position and the goal was not recognised.
45’+5 Cristian Kouame heads after a pass from the right, Areola deflects in front of him, Luka Jović hits the goal, but from a minimal burn.
In the 57th minute, the first goal shot by the Italian eleven. From outside the penalty area, an effort from Kouame was struck, but Areola was on the spot. After an hour of play, VAR intervened. The ball accepted on the chest by Jarrod Bowen was played in by Cristiano Biraghi with his hand and the arbiter, after seeing everything on the monitor, pointed to the eleventh metre. The penalty was confidently converted into a goal by Algerian Benrahma.
71′ Arthur Cabral made a great pass on the line of the penalty area to Rolando Mandragora, but the latter kicked just past the post. He had plenty of space and time, this should have definitely been a better finish!
80′ Tomas Soucek had an excellent position, but his shot was defended by Terracciano. The kick-off could not happen anymore, as Nikola Milenković was fouled in the penalty area.
In the 90th minute of the match, Jarrod Bowen took advantage of Lucas Paqueta’s pass and the Englishman’s shot secured the Londoners’ triumph in the second edition of the competition.
Surely this encounter will also be remembered for the Scandal involving West Ham fans, the match was abandoned . In the first 45 minutes instead of sporting matters, more could have been editorialised about the scandalous behaviour of the England fans.
No team can afford to have their fans behaving badly at matches it’s not acceptable we are in the 21st century and people let’s ask ourselves if we want to watch holligans , thugs or families and fans who enjoy themselves at matches like this and want to have a good time at these games .
From the West Ham supporters’ sector someone threw various objects, bottles, lighters and whatever other things the holigans had at hand towards the Fiorentina players.
ACF Fiorentina – West Ham United 1:2 (0:0)
0:1 Benrahma, 62` (penalty), 1:1 Bonaventura, 67` 1:2 Bowen, 90`
Yellow cards: Mandragora, Milenkovic, Amrabat – Benrahma, Aguerd, Bowen.
Spectators: 19370.
ACF FIORENTINA : Terracciano – Dodo, Milenković, Ranieri (84. Igor), Biraghi – Bonaventura, Amrabat, Mandragora – Gonzalez, Jović((46. Cabral), Kouame (62. Saponara). Coach Vincenzo ITALIANO.
WEST HAM UNITED: Areola – Coufal, Zouma (61. Kehrer), Aguerd, Emerson – Bowen, Souczek, Rice, Paqueta, Benrahma (76. Fornals) – Antonio (90+2. Ogbonna).
Coach David MOYES.
