- Real Betis reached their first European club final after eliminating Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League semi-finals
- The second leg in Florence ended 2-2 after extra time, with Betis winning 3-2 on aggregate
- Antony’s free kick and Abde’s extra-time goal secured Betis’ place in the final against Chelsea
Key Takeaways:
Betis will play in a European club competition final for the first time in their history. Verdiblancos will compete for the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy after eliminating Italian club Fiorentina in the semi-finals. The second leg in Florence ended in a 2-2 draw after extra time, with the hosts winning 2-1 in regular time.
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SEÑORES, YO SOY DEL BETIS. pic.twitter.com/MSNHhikGFd
— Real Betis Balompié 🌴💚 (@RealBetis) May 8, 2025
The visitors began the match slightly more aggressively, with David De Gea forced to save a shot from Antony in the early minutes, while Johnny Cardoso’s effort was off target. Fiorentina’s first real scoring opportunity came in the 20th minute, but Kean’s shot went over the crossbar.
In the 30th minute, Betis took the lead with a brilliant free kick from Antony, which went in off the post. However, just four minutes later, Fiorentina equalised, also from a set piece. Following a corner kick, Gosens directed a header into the net, making it 1-1.
In the following minutes, the visitors tried to restore their lead. Lo Celso’s shot missed the target, and Cardoso struck the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Instead, Fiorentina completed the comeback in the 42nd minute, with Gosens scoring his second header of the night from another corner to make it 2-1.
The second half began with missed chances from Cardoso and Gosens. Kean also failed to direct the ball properly from another Fiorentina corner. Antony had two shots saved by De Gea, while Gosens, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Nathan all failed to score from corners. Isco joined the list of players with missed opportunities with a wayward shot.
The first clear chances in extra time also came from corners, but Nathan and substitute Michael Folorunsho could not find the target. Finally, in the 97th minute, Antony delivered a pass across the goal, and Abde capitalised with a shot that sent Betis to the final.