UEFA Cup Football News – The Italian outfit started the match with attacking intentions and got their first chance of the match after only three minutes. However, Romanian forward Adrian Mutu failed to trouble Ajax goalie Maarten Stekelenburg with his weak effort. 

The Tuscans came close to opening the score in the 7th minute.Again Mutu sneaked through the Ajax defence before finding the net from close range. However, the referee followed his assistant’s signal and disallowed the goal for offside.

Ajax were unable to create any danger and were lucky that Fiorentina showed some sloppy finishing. Creative midfielder Riccardo Montolivo escaped the offside trap and went by Stekelenburg with ease. However, the Italian international failed to find the empty net from a difficult angle and the score remained all blank.

The Amsterdam outfit created their first chance of the match after 23 minutes. The referee awarded Ajax a free kick from about 25 yards and Uruguayan attacker Luis Suarez stepped up in an attempt to cause Sebastian Frey some trouble. His shot went about a yard over the crossbar though.

A scrimmage inside the area around the half hour mark caused Ajax all kinds of trouble. The Dutch defence failed to clear the ball and Fiorentina should have taken advantage. Once again Mutu should have scored, but the former Chelsea player mishit his shot and Stekelenburg picked up the weak shot with ease.

All Ajax’s attacking moves went via Suarez and the tricky forward almost opened the score with five more minutes before the whistle. His powerful shot posed Frey some serious trouble, but the French shot stopper managed to scramble the ball into safety.

The Italians immediately hit the guests on the counter attack, but once again failed to cap a nice team move with a goal. Prolific striker Alberto Gilardino outplayed Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen, but the forward produced a weak shot that went yards wide of the Ajax goal.

Luis Suarez and Alessandro Gamberini were both booked in the dying minutes of the first half after an incident on the sideline. Stupid yellow card for both players that could turn out to be an important one later on in the tournament.

Right back Gregory van der Wiel got punched in the face after 55 minutes of play and had to leave the pitch for treatment. The Viola quickly took advantage and Gilardino came close to opening the score with a superb header. However, Stekelenburg pulled off an excellent save to deny the former Milan striker.

The guests surprisingly grabbed the lead at the hour mark. A nice team move via Suarez, Rasmus Lindgren and Urby Emanuelson ended up at Swedish attacker Kennedy Bakircioglu, who fired home from about ten yards. Frey never stood a chance against his powerful effort, which went in via the crossbar.

Fiorentina had trouble dominating the match like they did before the break and hardly created any serious chances in the second half. Gilardino should have leveled both sides after 74 minutes after being set up by substitute Stevan Jovetic though. Nevertheless, the striker failed to control the ball properly and the chance went begging.

The home side got another excellent chance in the 77th minute. Zdravko Kuzmanovic was set up inside the area and should have scored. However, the talented youngster reacted too hasty and fired the ball over the Ajax goal.

Fiorentina defender Dario Dainelli had no other choice but to foul Leonardo on the edge of the box after a nice solo effort. Suarez stepped up for the awarded free kick and fired in a powerful low shot. The Fiorentina goalie showed his class and saved the free kick with his feet to prevent further damage.

Yet another free kick almost doubled Ajax’s lead after 88 minutes. A quickly taken free kick reached Suarez on the right side of the goal, but the youngster shot wide to keep Fiorentina’s chances of grabbing a good result alive.

Line-Ups:

Fiorentina: Frey; Zauri, Gamberini, Dainelli, Pasqual; Montolivo, Felipe Melo, Gobbi (Kuzmanovic/58); Semioli (Jovetic/58), Gilardino and Mutu.

Ajax: Stekelenburg; Van der Wiel, Oleguer, Vermaelen, Schilder (Sno/75); Anita, Lindgren, Emanuelson; Bakircioglü, Suárez and Sulejmani (Leonardo/58).