They say the best things in life are worth waiting for.
Well, Fiorentina fans certainly learned all about that on Tuesday night after a heart stopping match that will have surely shaved off a few years from their lives.
After 12 years of jubilation and desperation, the Viola are in line to play for their first trophy since being bought by the Della Valle brothers as they proceeded to the final of the Coppa Italia after a 3-2 aggregate victory over Udinese.
After falling 2-1 to the Zebrette a week earlier, the Viola had it all to do against the Friulani for the return leg at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
While a 2-0 scoreline on the night would lend credence to the belief that the home side were all deserving of qualification to the final, that wouldn’t be telling the entire story as Neto played a large role in ensuring the Viola a place in Rome.
The Brazilian goalkeeper was serenaded off the pitch with chants of “Neto! Neto! Neto!” after several key stops, the most spectacular of which came deep in stoppage time when it looked all but certain that Luis Muriel would send the match into an extra frame.
The Colombian’s chance, along with Antonio Di Natale’s’s first half post, will no doubt have left the Friulani wondering what might have been. While their play was perhaps deserving of a goal, the Viola can thank Neto and his always improving play for their spot in the finals.
Coupled with thunderous strikes from Manuel Pasqual and Juan Cuadrado, the 24-year-old’s play were key in allowing the Viola side to make their first Coppa Italia final since 2001 when the Florence side sealed their sixth triumph in the competition with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Parma.
If the Viola are to seal their seventh victory they will have to do so without the likes of Cuadrado as he will miss the clash in Rome through suspension.
It is a bitter pill for Fiorentina to swallow as their season has largely been defined by who’s been unavailable as opposed to who’s been on the pitch. Despite not being at his best on Tuesday night, the Colombian’s ability was apparent and came back to haunt his former club at what must have been the worst of occasions.
While the winger will most certainly not be on the pitch at the Olimpico in early May, the hope is that Mario Gomez will be as the German is all but set to return from his long term injury woes for the Viola’s match against Inter on Saturday.
The striker was on the substitute’s bench for the Coppa Italia clash but Vincenzo Montella rightly opted on the side of caution, especially given the intensity of the match and the possibility of extra time.
While his minutes are likely to be monitored in the coming weeks, Gomez’s likely return against the Nerazzurri will only further raise moral inside the Viola camp and the passionate Curva Fiesole.
It’s not often that a club can look forward to the addition of a new player (well, practically a new player) in February, especially one with the goalscoring prowess of the former Bayern Munich hit man.
Given the Viola’s success without his services (and Giuseppe Rossi more recently), you can’t argue against the sense of optimism that has engulfed Florence in recent days.
The Gigliati will be looking to cap off their great week with another great performance against Walter Mazzarri and his side. It will be interesting to see how Montella gets his side to refocus after such a mentally exhausting week, especially given the unpredictable nature of the Nerazzurri.
With Stefan Savic set to miss out on the match due to injury and Borja Valero out through suspension, Montella will be called upon to show his maturation as a coach as the Viola continue to assert themselves as heavyweights in the world of Italian football.
