Can Fiorentina end their European final curse?

Their purple shirts remain well-known across the continent, but it is more than half a century since they lifted the old Cup Winners’ Cup. Giancarlo Rinaldi looks at Fiorentina’s painful record in European finals down the years.

In the early days of European football, Fiorentina must have thought they had cracked it. In the space of five glorious years straddling the 1950s and 1960s they made no fewer than three finals. It has taken them more than 60 years to reach another three.

With more than 30 participations in continental competition – sixth in the all-time Italian standings behind Juve, Inter, Milan, Roma and Napoli – it gives you an idea of the scale of the heartache the Viola have suffered. Their only triumph remains that Cup Winners’ Cup crown more than six decades ago.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Conference League Final against Olympiacos, here is a snapshot of Tuscany’s finest and their agonising record in their five previous European finals.

Real Madrid 2-0 Fiorentina (European Cup 1956/57)

In the formative years of the competition, Los Blancos were already its dominant force, but the Serie A side’s task was made all the more difficult by playing the game at the Santiago Bernabeu in front of a reported 124,000 crowd. Despite playing with “courage and honour” – according to La Stampa – Giuliano Sarti could only hold out for so long in goal. He was eventually beaten by an Alfredo Di Stefano penalty, with more than a suspicion of offside in the build-up, midway through the second half. Francisco Gento added another as the Spanish giants continued their impressive run.

Fiorentina 4-1 Rangers on agg (Cup Winners’ Cup 1960/61)

The Lions of Ibrox saw off their Scottish rivals in some style with wins both at home and away in what remains their only major European trophy. Luigi Milan was the protagonist of the first leg in Glasgow with a deadly double, making the return to Florence something of a formality as Kurt Hamrin ran riot. Milan struck again early in Italy to put the outcome beyond doubt before Alex Scott got a consolation for the Scottish side. It was the outstanding Hamrin – who passed away earlier this year – who fittingly delivered the final goal to lift the trophy. Little did fans suspect they would never see another.

Fiorentina 0-3 Atletico Madrid (Cup Winners’ Cup 1961/62)

A brave defence of their title would end up in heartache against a club from the Spanish capital once more for the Viola. This time around it would take a replay to deny them the retention of their crown, having drawn 1-1 with Atletico in front of fewer than 30,000 fans at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Hamrin was once again the scorer for the Tuscans after future Serie A star Joaquín Peiró had given the Colchoneros the lead. Incredibly, for nowadays anyway, the replay would take place nearly four months later in Stuttgart. While Atletico were largely unchanged, the Viola had altered nearly half their team, and it showed as the Spaniards strolled to a 3-0 triumph.

Fiorentina 1-3 Juventus (UEFA Cup 1989/90)

Bad enough to lose a final, but worst of all to lose it to your most bitter rivals. In a quick fire exchange in the first leg in Turin, Roberto Galia gave the Bianconeri the lead before Renato Buso equalised with a flying header. But it was Gigi Casiraghi’s goal near the hour mark which most irked the men in purple, as there was a pretty clear shove in the back in its build-up. A long-range Gigi De Agostini effort – badly judged by keeper Marco Landucci – left them with a mountain to climb. It might have been surmountable in their own ground, but they had to play the return match in Avellino due to pre-World Cup work in Florence, and their alternate option in Perugia denied due to fan misbehaviour in the semi-final. The choice of venue, seen by Viola fans as heartland of Juve support, only made it all the more painful.

Fiorentina 1-2 West Ham (Conference League 2022/23)

The latest agonising chapter was just last year, as Vincenzo Italiano’s men gained the unwanted tag of becoming the first side to lose a final in all four major European competitions. Having battled through round after round, they fell behind to a Said Benrahma penalty, but hit back through Jack Bonaventura. The stats would show that the Serie A side had more possession and more shots as they pressed for a winner, but they were caught by a sucker punch late in the day from Jarrod Bowen. The bitter end to the season was only compounded by Fiorentina losing the Coppa Italia final to Inter in the same campaign.