Antony stunner sees Betis edge Fiorentina in semifinal 1st leg

Real Betis edged closer to a place in the Conference League final with a spirited 2-1 win over Fiorentina in a lively semifinal first leg on Thursday, sparked by goals from Abde Ezzalzouli and Antony.

Betis went ahead after six minutes as Cedric Bakambu teed up Ezzalzouli from the byline, who blasted a shot off the underside of the bar and ran away celebrating before seeing the ball bouncing down and back up and out of the area.

Referee Michael Oliver initially waved play on, but a brief VAR check confirmed the ball had crossed the line and the goal stood.

The visitors were helpless in the 64th minute as Antony pounced on a blocked rebound and fired a half-volley from outside the box into the far corner to double Betis' lead.

Chasing a third straight Conference League final, Fiorentina hit back on 73 minutes when Luca Ranieri slammed home a pull-back in the box to reduce the deficit.

Fiorentina will host Betis in the second leg next Thursday for a right to play in the final in Wroclaw on May 28th against either Djurgården or Chelsea.