Fiorentina Sporting Director Daniele Pradè says the team had to make it to the final, dedicating it to former CEO Joe Barone. La Viola progress to the final of the competition for a second consecutive year, beating Club Brugge 4-3 on aggregate thanks to a late Lucas Beltran penalty. Speaking after the match (via GDM.com), Pradè dedicated the victory to Barone, expressing his praise for the team and their performance:
“I believe the joys that sport, and football in particular, can bring are indescribable. We live for this, we live for what the fans, our president, our families can feel. And today, we couldn’t help but win it, it was for Joe. At the moment of the penalty, we held hands with their entire family, it was wonderful. We had promised this progression to the Commisso family as well, so we are extremely happy. Celebrating under the stands is a wonderful thing. I’ve played important European matches before, but such a frenzy is hard to find, it was truly an incredible game.”
The sporting director also praised Beltran and Vincenzo Italiano: “Beltran is a strong player, today he showed true courage by taking that penalty after we had missed the last five. Moreover, this year has been truly incredible: every time we shoot, we hit the post or the crossbar, a championship-winning average… Now is not the most opportune time to talk about Vincenzo Italiano’s future, but I can say that the relationship with him will always remain indelible: with him, we have achieved incredible milestones, he is loved by all of us, by Joe and the Commisso family, by me and everyone.”
Pradè concluded the interview by recalling last year’s final loss to West Ham and expressing the team’s desire for redemption: “Trying again a year later (to win the Conference, ed) is one of the wonderful opportunities that sport gives you. You spend a week feeling terrible because you lost a match, even the family feels bad; and then you experience these incredible joys together with all of them.”
