fiorentina sink dnipro to top group e published: thursday 12 december 2013, 20.53cet
acf fiorentina 2-1 fc dnipro dnipropetrovsk
joaquín and juan cuadrado got the goals as the viola came from behind to secure a victory which sewed up top spot in group e.
acf fiorentina came from behind to see off fc dnipro dnipropetrovsk in florence and ensure they progress into the round of 32 as group e winners.
with both sides already guaranteed qualification before matchday six, juande ramos's men looked set to usurp the section leaders when yevhen konoplyanka struck after 13 minutes. however, joaquín headed vincenzo montella's charges level before juan cuadrado rifled in the winner 13 minutes from time to guarantee the viola top spot in the group.
it was clear that first place was a priority in both camps as the teams came out firing. massimo ambrosini nodded over after five minutes for the hosts before artem fedetskiy drilled off target when unmarked in response. a lovely move brought the breakthrough as konoplyanka jinked in from the left, played a slick one-two with ruslan rotan and curled the return pass artfully inside the far post.
the viola roared back and denys boyko did excellently to deny cuadrado's close-range effort before ryder matos headed over a flicked-on corner with the goal gaping. however, three minutes before the break, cuadrado bought space on the right with a deft piece of skill and curled to the back post for joaquín to thump in an equalising header.
cuadrado fizzed an effort just wide after the interval before ambrosini blasted over boyko's punched clearance. the visitors showed they still had the capability to scare fiorentina as konoplyanka brought an excellent save out of neto, but cuadrado ultimately settled things, shifting the ball out of his feet before rifling into the bottom corner from 25 metres.
