Raffaele Palladino relished a ‘magical night’ for Fiorentina after humiliating their old rivals Juventus 3-0. ‘Now we must take that final step that we’re missing.’
The Viola had the risk of suffering from fatigue after playing on Thursday in the Conference League Round of 16, overturning a first leg defeat by beating Panathinaikos 3-1 to go through.
However, they looked much sharper than Juve throughout the match, comfortably winning 3-0 with goals from Robin Gosens, Rolando Mandragora and Albert Gudmundsson.
“We always try to study our opponents, but we had very little time to prepare for this match, only having a training session on Saturday,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.
“We made life very difficult for Juventus, it was a magical night and we’re happy to have given this joy to our fans.
“Now we must have the maturity to take that final step that we’re missing, which is to raise the bar and put in performances like this even against teams that are below us in the table.”
Palladino sees too many Fiorentina ups and downs
This victory means Fiorentina are still in the race for a top four finish and Champions League qualification, as part of a group of six teams crammed together in a six-point radius.
They climb into eighth position, only four points adrift of Juventus who are now in fifth.
They will also face NK Celje in the Conference League quarter-finals on April 10 and 17.
“We just have to focus on our own path. I want to take Fiorentina as far as possible,” added Palladino.
“This has been a season with many ups and downs, but we are improving, both as a group and individually.
“I am seeing some good things, in training and match situations. I really liked everything tonight, we played with spirit, courage and quality.”
