Fiorentina have got one foot in the final of the Coppa Italia to further enhance what is becoming a very good season for Vincenzo Italiano’s side, whilst Cremonese’s season seems to be coming to an end from a competitive standpoint.
The Coppa Italia semi-final first leg saw Fiorentina travel to the Stadio Giovanni Zini and they took the lead thanks to a header from the in-form Arthur Cabral.
Cremonese showed some improvement in the second half but then Emanuel Aiwu handled in the box, gave away a penalty and got a straight red card with 15 minutes to play. Nico Gonzalez converted the penalty and seemed to put the tie beyond doubt.
Fiorentina’s upturn in form
Fiorentina have been having a very unusual season up until recent weeks in the sense that their Serie A form has left a huge amount to desire but their cup form has been exemplary.
Whilst they have never looked like they would be sucked into the relegation battle, they have been stuck in lower mid-table for most of the campaign until the last few weeks. Suddenly, they have won five league games in a row which includes matches against Inter and AC Milan.
Alongside that, they had already made their way to this semi-final against Cremonese and they have also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League where they will be facing Lech Poznan, a tie that they will fancy themselves to win. Looking at the other teams in the competition, they will feel that the tournament is very winnable.
Cremonese’s season may have peaked already
With the Grigiorossi needing a miracle to stay in Serie A and now needing a miracle to reach the Coppa Italia final, it seems that their season may have effectively come to an end already.
It was a tremendous achievement to get into Serie A but the standard has proved too high and the team from Cremona are 12 points from safety with 10 games to play, having won just once in the league all season.
The Coppa Italia has been a safe haven as they have knocked out Ternana, Modena, Napoli and Roma on their way to the semi-finals. Whilst there is still the second leg to play, Cremonese heading to the Stadio Artemio Franchi and winning by three goals seems highly unlikely.
The winner of this tie will face either Inter or Juventus in the final, whose first leg ended 1-1 in dramatic circumstances.
