Empoli progressed to the quarter-finals on the expense of Fiorentina after a 2-2 sport throughout the 90 minutes and a 4-3 penalty shootout victory for the guests in testing circumstances on the Stadio Franchi.
Emmanuel Ekong opened the scoring after 4 minutes, which Moise Kean and Riccardo Sottil responded to within the second half, just for Sebastiano Esposito to attract Empoli stage once more quarter-hour earlier than full-time.
Kean and Luca Ranieri missed the essential spot kicks for Fiorentina, whereas Esposito transformed the successful spot kick to ship his aspect via to the final eight.
See the way it all unfolded on the .
Raffaele Palladino to his workforce that performed for 17 minutes in opposition to Inter in Serie A on Sunday, whereas Roberto D’Aversa went with a youthful Empoli aspect that included 18-year-old Lorenzo Tosto and 20-year-old Luca Marianucci within the again three.
There have been loads of tributes for Edoardo Bove forward of kick-off. The 22-year-old collapsed within the seventeenth minute of Fiorentina’s Serie A match in opposition to Inter on Sunday and stays in intensive care, though he has been awake and alert since Monday.
There was a tifo from the Curva Nord, who held his shirt quantity aloft from the stands, whereas the , certainly one of which learn: ‘We’ll await you, Edo’
It took simply 4 minutes of motion for the impasse to be damaged. Lucas Martinez Quarta gave the ball away in a central space, 40 yards out from his personal objective, which allowed Ekong to pounce and dispatch a routine end previous Pietro Terracciano when one-on-one.
It took a short time for Fiorentina to recuperate from their early slip. Dodo tried to get his workforce going with an unbelievable run after 17 minutes, beginning in his personal half and ending up on the left byline. His cross was steered onto the crossbar by Kean.
It will be Kean, once more, to place Fiorentina again on stage phrases. A neat alternate between Riccardo Sottil and Amir Richardson within the space pressured a save from Jacopo Seghetti within the Empoli web, and the Italy worldwide was readily available to stab house the rebound from two yards out.
Sottil thought he had handed Fiorentina the victory with just below 20 minutes to go. He collected the ball on the left flank earlier than reducing in and dispatching an effort into the far nook, though it did take a nick off Robin Gosens on the best way in.
Empoli had been stage once more only a few minutes later, although. Liam Henderson’s ball fed Esposito one-on-one. The Italian made no mistake in delicately lifting it over Pietro Terracciano to stage the scores once more. Kean got here inside millimetres of placing Fiorentina forward simply earlier than the ninetieth minute, however objective line know-how deemed that he had not scored, nor had Ardian Ismajli, who nearly put one in for an personal objective within the follow-up.
With the scores stage at full-time, the sport went straight to penalties, moderately than further time.
The primary three penalties had been efficiently transformed. Albert Gudmundsson, Lorenzo Colombo and Christian Kouame all transformed, earlier than Ekong made the primary error.
Luca Ranieri then missed his penalty and Liam Henderson squeezed his in to attract the shootout stage after three kicks every.
Kean missed in spectacular style, blazing his effort up and over and manner into the stands. Luca Marianucci then scored his to place Empoli 3-2 up within the shootout.
Cataldi scored Fiorentina’s subsequent one, nevertheless it was already out of La Viola’s palms by that time. Esposito was up subsequent and blasted one straight fown the center to ship his aspect via as 4-3 winners within the shootout.
Empoli will face the winner of Juventus-Cagliari within the quarter-final.
Full-time: Fiorentina 2-2 Empoli (3-4 on penalties)
Ekong (E) 4′, Kean (F) 59′, Sottil (F) 70′, Esposito (E) 75′.
Penalties scored
Fiorentina: Gudmundsson, Kouame, Cataldi.
Empoli: Colombo, Henderson, Marianucci, Esposito.
Penalties missed
Fiorentina: Ranieri, Kean.
Empoli: Ekong.