The Viola start strong in Conference League as Piccoli scores his first goal for the club and Ndour closes the match in stoppage time
Fiorentina opened their Conference League group stage campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Sigma Olomouc at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Lorenzo Piccoli marked his European debut with a decisive first-half strike, while Abdoulaye Ndour capped off the performance with a late goal in stoppage time.
Stefano Pioli’s side started aggressively, with Edin Džeko testing goalkeeper Koutny early on, but it was Sigma Olomouc who nearly stunned the home crowd in the 19th minute when Tkac forced David De Gea into a superb save.
The breakthrough came in the 27th minute: Ndour flicked a header into space, and Piccoli raced onto it before slotting past Koutny with a clinical diagonal finish. The 23-year-old striker, formerly of Cagliari, celebrated both his European debut and first goal for Fiorentina in style.
Fiorentina pressed for a second, hitting the crossbar through Ranieri, while Ndour and Fagioli both went close before halftime. After the break, Piccoli remained a constant threat with two more near chances, while De Gea stayed sharp in the few moments he was tested.
The Viola had to wait until deep into stoppage time to secure the result. Ndour, already influential with his assist, struck from distance in the 95th minute to make it 2-0 and seal three points for Pioli’s men.
It was a promising night for Fiorentina, though they will look to be more ruthless in front of goal in future European matches.
Match Report
Fiorentina 2-0 Sigma Olomouc
Goals: 27’ Piccoli (F), 90’+5 Ndour (F)
Fiorentina (3-4-1-2): De Gea; Pongracic (85’ Comuzzo), Pablo Marí, Ranieri; Dodo (72’ Fortini), Mandragora (59’ Fazzini), Fagioli, Gosens (59’ Parisi); Ndour; Džeko (72’ Gudmundsson), Piccoli.
Coach: Stefano Pioli
Sigma Olomouc (4-2-3-1): Koutny; Slavicek, Sylla, Kral, Slama; Beran, Kostadinov (72’ Breite); Ghali, Tkac (46’ Langer), Dolznikov (63’ Michez, 77’ Sip); Mikulenka (64’ Tijani).
Coach: Janotka
Yellow Cards: Fagioli (F), Ndour (F), Ghali (S), De Gea (F)
Red Cards: —
Referee: Badstübner
