Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino expressed mixed feelings about his team’s performance in their 3-2 defeat to Panathinaikos in the Conference League. He acknowledged a ‘brilliant’ response to falling behind by two goals but criticized an ‘inexplicable’ second-half showing that nullified their comeback.
Fiorentina’s recent form has been poor, with a narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce interrupting a streak of three Serie A losses. The Athens defeat marked their return to losing ways.
After conceding twice to Karol Swiderski and Nemanja Maksimovic, Fiorentina impressively equalized with goals from Lucas Beltran and Nicolo Fagioli within three minutes. However, a Matias Moreno goal was disallowed for offside.
Tetê then scored for Panathinaikos, sealing the victory after Fiorentina’s lackluster second half.
This was the first leg of the Conference League Round of 16, with the second leg scheduled for next Thursday at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Palladino: Fiorentina ‘Got Nervous, That Shouldn’t Be an Excuse’
Speaking after the game, Palladino discussed his conflicting emotions regarding Fiorentina’s performance. He noted, “Both [satisfaction and disappointment], because I think we had a good first half despite not starting as we wanted. We conceded two goals, and then the team showed a brilliant reaction. We troubled our opponents, equalized at 2-2, and then had a goal disallowed.”
“Then, inexplicably, came the second half, again with a poor start, which led to their third goal.”
Palladino elaborated, “I’m truly disappointed because the players themselves wanted to perform better in the second half after halftime. We became a bit nervous, possibly due to the pressure of time running out and being caught up in the moment.”
“Obviously, that shouldn’t be an excuse, it’s not an alibi, but I observed some nervousness in the team during the second half. However, it’s not over yet as we have the second leg. I saw the team looking both disappointed and motivated, eager to reverse this outcome.”