Fiorentina vs Arsenal 2013-14 Europa League Round of 16
The Viola of Florence, twice Italian champions and pioneers of European finals.
Fiorentina is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the current club was refounded in August 2002 following bankruptcy.
- Aggregate Score
- Fiorentina 3-3 Arsenal (Fiorentina won on away goals)
- First Leg Venue
- Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
- Second Leg Venue
- Emirates Stadium, London
- Key Matchup
- Vincenzo Montella vs. Arsène Wenger
Lore & Background
Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A seasons. They have won two Italian league titles, in 1955–56 and 1968–69, as well as six Coppa Italia trophies and one Supercoppa Italiana. On the European stage, Fiorentina won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1960–61. They also lost five finals, finishing runners-up in the 1956–57 European Cup, the 1961–62 Cup Winners' Cup, the 1989–90 UEFA Cup, and in the 2022–23 and 2023–24 editions of the UEFA Conference League.
In Their Own Story
The air inside the Stadio Artemio Franchi was thick with anticipation, the roar of thousands of Viola fans echoing off the concrete stands. As the referee blew the whistle for the first leg, the tension was palpable; this was more than just a match, it was a statement to Europe that Florence had returned. Every tackle, every pass, and every near-miss felt amplified by the weight of history resting on the shoulders of the players in purple and white.
Reader's Guide
Fiorentina is one of fifteen European teams that have played in the finals of all three major continental competitions (the European Cup/Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup/Europa League) and in 2023, by reaching the Europa Conference League final, Fiorentina became the first team to reach all four major European club competition finals. Since 1931, the club have played at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, which currently has a capacity of 43,147.
Did You Know?
- Fiorentina was founded in 1926 by Luigi Ridolfi Vay da Verrazzano, who merged CS Firenze and PG Libertas.
- The club's nickname Viola refers to their distinctive purple colours.
- Fiorentina became the first Italian team to reach a European Cup final in 1956–57.
- The club won the first UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1960–61 against Rangers.
- Fiorentina is the first club to record two consecutive UEFA Conference League final appearances and two consecutive defeats.
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