Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano was relieved after their 2-2 draw with Europa Conference League opponents Ferencvaros.
The Viola fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in the final 20 minutes, with Antonin Barak and Jonathan Ikone finding the net.
“I honestly cannot understand the first half performance. We were so slow, we allowed them the ball from start to finish. We made changes after the break and with a strong reaction from the lads managed to draw a game that seemed to be lost already,” Italiano told Sky Italia.
“We were lucky on the one hand when it was 2-1 and we risked conceding a third, but then unfortunate on the other hand as we could’ve scored four or five in the later stages. We take the point, the comeback and the reaction, but we gifted the first half to them.
“There is a psychological aspect too, the more you push forward and the opposition gets pinned back, it builds confidence and momentum. I saw some other games this season where we did very well in the first half and then fell away, people said it was physical, I always assumed it was psychological and I think this evening proves I was right.
“We had that determination, that furore that we needed to turn the game around. It’s disappointing, if we had played in the first half with anywhere near the tempo of the final 20 minutes, we would’ve won the game. We didn’t win challenges, were second to the ball and misplaced the passes, where Ferencvaros can cause problems with their pace on the counter-attack.
“We are also suffering on set plays, especially in Europe, so we need to mark better and be more organised in these situations.
“We had to run risks to get back in, we could’ve capitulated, but we had to send men forward and go all or nothing. It paid off.”
