Manchester United did not look the masters of Europe in the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence last night, more like men in waiting. Errors by Roy Keane and Henning Berg helped Fiorentina's two Argentine strikers, Gabriel Batistuta and Abel Eduardo Balbo, give them a match-winning 2-0 lead. Having defeated two Italian sides, Internazionale and Juventus, on the way to winning the tournament last season Manchester United appeared well capable of coping with the fitful challenge of Fiorentina. So much, from the Florentine point of view, depended on the mood and form of their Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta, an unpredictable talent.
From the outset the longhaired Batistuta lurked by the shoulder of the shaven-headed Jaap Stam like an Afghan hounding a bull mastiff. A lot also depended on how well Roy Keane kept track of the movements of Rui Costa, to whom Fiorentina looked for most of their creative ideas.
The Portuguese was always likely to infiltrate that uncertain area between midfield and defence, when sometimes it is not clear where the responsibility of picking up an attacker lies. Yet the ability of Scholes to arrive unannounced in precisely the same area at the other end might have brought United a goal after eight minutes.
The width which David Beckham and Ryan Giggs gave United's attack soon stretched Fiorentina at the back and when Andy Cole dragged the ball back from the left of the penalty area to find Scholes running through for a shot, the Italian team's defence was suddenly exposed. Scholes's shot went just wide with Francesco Toldo going the wrong way.
Suspect at the back Fiorentina might be, but going forward their football worried United with moments of instinctive improvisation in and around the penalty area. After 17 minutes Abel Balbo and Moreno Torricelli found Rui Costa in space some 25 yards out and his well-struck shot produced a sharp diving save from Mark Bosnich.
The speed into tackles of Fiorentina's midfield made it hard for Manchester United to keep the game at the even tempo which they would have preferred. And when United did get caught in possession they found themselves having had to double back quickly to cope with the inevitable counter-attacks.
Rui Costa, Balbo and Batistuta, moreover, were starting to slice through United's cover with swift exchanges of passes. And while their supporters groaned when one such move ended with a feeble pass from Balbo intended for Batistuta, Florentine rejoicing was not far away.
In the 25th minute Keane gained possession midway inside the United half and, with Balbo in his line of vision, decided to pass back to person or persons unknown. The ball ran straight into the path of Batistuta, who dashed through to beat Bosnich with a firm and gleeful drive.
To get back into the match Manchester United needed to take on Fiorentina at their own game, up the pace, and stop Angelo Di Livio and Sandro Cois dictating the pattern of play around the halfway line. Toldo could only punch out a Beckham free kick four minutes from half-time which came ducking and swerving at him over the line of defenders. Then in a bizarre sequence of ricochets, the ball bounced off Aldo Firicano and Tomas Repka before rebounding from the crossbar.
What a difference to United a goal at that point would have made. As it was they might have fallen further behind at the start of the second half when Jorg Heinrich saw his shot beat Bosnich but only to go wide.
The moment soon proved portentous. In the 52nd minute United fell further behind, again after an unforced error, this time by Henning Berg.
The Norwegian was well-placed to stop Batistuta slipping through near the left-hand touchline but his challenge was clumsy and he merely kicked the ball against the Argentine. Batistuta carried on towards the byline before centring low for Balbo to squeeze a shot between Bosnich and the near post.
Fiorentina: Toldo, Repka, Fircano, Pierlini (Adani 79), Heinrich, Cois, Di Livio (Rossitto 67), Torricelli, Rui Costa, Balbo (Bressan 79), Batistuta. Subs Not Used: Taglialatela, Padalino, Amoroso, Tarozzi. Booked: Batistuta, Cois. Goals: Batistuta 24, Balbo 52.
Manchester United: Bosnich, Irwin, Berg (P. Neville 63), Stam, G. Neville, Giggs, Keane, Scholes, Beckham, Cole (Sheringham 63), Yorke (Solskjaer 63). Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Butt, Fortune, Higginbottom. Booked: Scholes, Beckham.
Referee: B Heynemann (Germany).
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