Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano was left frustrated after their 1-0 win against Europa Conference League opponents Sivasspor.
Antonin Barak proved the matchwinner as Fiorentina wasted a hatful of chances.
“Above all in the first half, we could’ve taken the lead early and set the game down a different path, but it’s never easy. Sivasspor closed up well, though we created three or four clear opportunities and weren’t clinical enough,” said Italiano after the round 16 first-leg.
“Never mind, we take this 1-0 lead to Turkey next week, knowing it will be difficult and that we need to put in a different performance in front of goal compared to the one we had tonight.
“We were a bit superficial in the first two opportunities. Barak hit it with such ferocity on the goal, it’s more likely to go in if you put that power behind it.
“In those opening 15 minutes, we had two huge chances to open the scoring and that could’ve given us a bigger advantage, because you never know what you’re going to get in the second leg, especially as Sivasspor tend to do better on home turf. We never allowed them a counter-attack today, which is their greatest strength, and have regrets we could’ve had a bigger lead.
“At least our substitutes came on well and once again we got a goal off the bench. It’s never easy in Europe, we have to treasure this 1-0 lead and try to make the most of it. Nothing is to be taken for granted.”
