The conference league enters the final phase of the competition and in its second edition we have four new faces in the semi-finals. Fiorentina travels to Basel to play the second leg of their tie and AZ Alkmaar receives a very dangerous West Ham led by Declan Rice and Paqueta. Here’s all you need to know about these two matches:
How can you watch sports in Spain?
The second leg of the semi-finals will be played at the St. Jakob-Park Stadium in Florence. The matches can be viewed via Movistar Champions League 4 in Spain.
How did Fiorentina get here?
Having qualified for the Conference League the previous season, the Italian side met a group made up of Istanbul Basaksehir, Heart of Midlothian and RFS. They qualified for the second stage elimination in a group tied on points with Basaksehir but with a worse goal difference. In the first round, Sivasspor was not a very difficult opponent for the Italians, winning 5–1 on aggregate.
In the quarter-finals, Lech Poznan suffered a draw in the first leg and lost 1–4, but equalized the tie in the second leg, although Fior recovered from the problem, leaving the score 2–3. .
How did Basel get here?
Basel also finished second in their group, with Slovan Bratislava winning the group and Pyunik Yerevan and Zalgiris being eliminated. In the round of 16 they met Slovan Bratislava, and left the tie with the most goals scored in the season. Basel won on aggregate after two 2–2 draws in the penalty shootout.
In the quarterfinals, Nice was also a very tough opponent. Another 2–2 first leg draw left everything wide open, and Basel won 2–1 to progress 4–3 on aggregate.
How were they in the first phase?
Fiorentina 1-2 Basel
In the first phase, Basel managed to leave Italy with good results. They found Arthur Cabral’s opening goal through Diouf and Amdouni. The tie is completely open.
How can you watch sports in Spain?
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar will be played at the AFAS Stadium in London. Matches can be followed via Movistar Champions League 3.
How did West Ham get here?
From the first minute the English proved to be one of the favorites to win the competition. In a group with Anderlecht, Silkeborg and FCSB as rivals, they remained unbeaten with 6 wins out of 6. AEK Larnaca was their opponent in the Round of 16, and they were never a threat to the ‘Hammers’. 0–2 in the first leg and 4–0 in the second leg, making it 6–0 on aggregate to progress to the next round. In the quarter-finals, Gent sowed a little more doubt at West Ham. A 1–1 draw in the first leg decided everything in London, and there they did not fail. 4–1 to close out the tie and move on to the semi-finals.
How to get to EZ Alkmaar?
AZ Alkmaar also finished first in the group against Dnipro, Apollon Limassol and FC Vaduz. In the first round of elimination they would face Lazio, one of the ‘coconuts’ of the tournament, but the Dutch were better. Two 2–1 friendly scores for AZ would leave them in the quarter-finals. There they faced Anderlecht, which has been their toughest opponent. The first leg was won 2–0 by Belgium, and the second leg would repeat a favorable result for the locals, except for the tie on penalties, which AZ won.
How were they in the first phase?
West Ham 2-1 AZ
The first leg saw West Ham back at home. Rijnders landed in the middle before the break, but after the equator, Bananarama and Antonio turned it around on 10 minutes.
