Fiorentina celebrated their back-to-back Europa Conference League finals appearance with a dramatic 4-3 aggregate victory over Club Bruges. Lucas Beltran sealed the win with an 85th-minute penalty, awarded after Brandon Mechele fouled M’Bala Nzola. Maxim de Cuyper had earlier leveled the tie for Club Bruges, following Fiorentina’s 3-2 victory in the first leg in Florence.

Now, Fiorentina advances to face either Aston Villa or Olympiakos in the final. The Italian side aims to go one step further than last season’s Conference League, where they were runners-up to West Ham.

In the semi-final second leg, Bruges took the lead through left-back De Cuyper, who found the net from a central forward position. Despite a lively home atmosphere at Jan Breydel Stadium, Fiorentina controlled the game. The match even had to be briefly paused in the second half due to flares obstructing the referee’s view of the sidelines.

Fiorentina’s bad luck with the woodwork continued in Bruges, as Christian Kouame hit the crossbar with a powerful shot, and captain Cristiano Biraghi struck the bar with a free-kick. However, their place in the final was secured when Mechele fouled Nzola, leading to Beltran’s successful penalty.

Bruges nearly forced extra time, but Hans Vanaken’s late shot was saved. Former Fulham defender Denis Odoi, who had been substituted, was also sent off from the bench after an altercation with a Fiorentina player.