Fiorentina come from behind to beat Maccabi Haifa in thriller encounter

Fiorentina will be confident in their ability to reach a second consecutive UEFA Europa Conference League final, as they showed resilience in the away leg by coming from behind twice to claim a 4-3 victory over Maccabi Haifa at the Bozsik Arena.In their inaugural encounter, Fiorentina, the finalists of last season's Conference League, made a swift introduction to their hosts by scoring within two minutes.

M'Bala Nzola skillfully headed Michael Kayode's cross into the far corner, giving the Italians an early advantage.

The lead was short-lived as Lorenco Simic's flick-on from a corner, with a slight deflection off a defender, allowed Abdoulaye Seck to easily score the equalizer from close range before the quarter-hour mark.

Maccabi Haifa then took control of the match in the 29th minute when Ali Mohamed's pass split the defense, enabling Gadi Kinda to score a powerful strike past Pietro Terracciano.

At halftime, Vincenzo Italiano had every reason to reprimand his team, and Lucas Beltran managed to equalize shortly before the hour mark.

Anan Khalaili quickly restored the hosts' lead by scoring an unstoppable strike from the edge of the area into the far corner.

Fiorentina, despite facing setbacks, managed to bounce back and equalize the score within six minutes. Cristiano Biraghi's precise pass to the penalty spot allowed Rolando Mandragora to confidently guide the ball past Keoufinto.

The match continued to be thrilling, with both teams exchanging attacks. However, as time was running out, Manuel Cafumana received a second yellow card for an unnecessary challenge.

Unfortunately, Fiorentina's numerical disadvantage proved costly in the end. In the depths of stoppage time, Antonin Barak, who came on as a substitute in the second half, secured the victory for Fiorentina with an unstoppable shot that found the top corner of the net.

This dramatic goal marked the end of Viola's six-match winless streak in away games across all competitions.