Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi fell victim to a fan attack during the UEFA Conference Final against West Ham where the Hammers emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. Playing at the Eden Arena in Prague, I Viola’s hopes were crushed by a Jarred Bowen last-minute winner as David Moyes ended West Ham’s 58-year European title drought.
But in the first half, Cristiano Biraghi was attacked by a cup which gave him a massive cut on his head and left him bloodied as physios rushed to attend to him. West Ham midfielder Declan Rice came in to check with Biraghi as the game was halted for some time.
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After a gritty first half, the Hammers managed to end the deadlock in the 62nd minute thanks to a Saiid Benrahma penalty before Fiorentina levelled with a Giacomo Bonaventura goal in the next five minutes. With another deadlock settled in, Jarred Bowen stepped up and fired it past Terracciano to win it all for the Hammers.
Reacting to the incident Biraghi spoke about how he doesn’t feel anything as he was frustrated with the incident and hopes that people don’t repeat these mistakes. He said, “I don’t feel that I need to say anything. I am not judging them, but I hope someone does their job and deals with them.”
Further talking about Bowen’s late winner, Biraghi stated that the team just lost all hope as the ball hit the back of the net.“It hurts a lot,” he said. “Finding the words to describe the horrible sensation we have within us right now is very difficult.
“We are dead inside, especially because we are the protagonists on the field, but we carry with us an entire city that over the last two or three weeks has shown how important Fiorentina is for them. We played for them too and the greatest sadness is returning empty-handed. What hurts, even more, is that West Ham weren’t irresistible,” he further added.