Fiorentina clinched their third consecutive UEFA Conference League semi-final berth with a tense 2-2 draw against Celje, securing progression thanks to a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Goals from Rolando Mandragora and Moise Kean proved decisive, setting up a mouth-watering clash with Real Betis in the next round.
Having edged the first leg 2-1 in Slovenia, the Viola returned to Florence with a slender advantage.
However, they were hampered by a raft of absentees: Matias Moreno, Dodo, and Nicolò Zaniolo were unavailable, Andrea Colpani was ruled out through injury, Pablo Mari was cup-tied, and Robin Gosens could only make the bench.
Celje also dealt with key losses, missing Armandas Kucys and Nejc Ajhmajer following knee surgeries.
The match kicked off with high intensity. Marin Pongracic directed a Mandragora cross over the bar, before surging forward moments later to slip a disguised ball through to Kean, who tested the goalkeeper at the near post.
Celje responded as Tamar Svetlin exchanged passes with Svit Seslar to carve open a chance, forcing a sharp low stop from David De Gea.
Fiorentina threatened again when Nicolò Fagioli’s clever back-heel found Albert Gudmundsson on the flank. His pinpoint cross was met by Mandragora, whose header, unfortunately, went straight to the keeper.
Luca Ranieri came close to replicating his goal from the first leg, but his header from a flicked-on corner was saved on the line by Ricardo Silva.
Eventually, the breakthrough arrived. Pongracic played a smart ball down the right for Mandragora, who timed his run perfectly and prodded the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper with his weaker right foot.
The rain began to pour heavily, and Logan Delaurier-Chaubet nearly took advantage with a fierce long-range effort that stung De Gea’s palms.
Celje came out rejuvenated after the break. Aljosa Matko latched onto a clever ball from Zabukovnik and beat De Gea at the near post, catching Fabiano Parisi off guard.
As Fiorentina reeled, Celje struck again. Mandragora was forced to make a difficult clearance from Matko’s close-range header, but from the ensuing corner, Klemen Nemanic met Seslar’s delivery and nodded home to level the aggregate score at 3-3.
Fiorentina’s response was swift. Within two minutes, Kean latched onto Mandragora’s lofted pass, cut inside Juanjo Nieto and fired into the far bottom corner through the defender’s legs. Though initially flagged offside, VAR confirmed he was level, allowing him to celebrate.
Fiorentina thought they had sealed it when Ranieri capitalized on a loose ball from a Mandragora free-kick to score, but the goal was chalked off for offside in the build-up.
Kean found the net once more in the 89th minute, hammering the ball into the roof of the net after a pass from Amir Richardson, but again the offside flag denied him.
Despite the late drama and disallowed goals, Fiorentina’s earlier efforts proved sufficient to book their place in the last four.
