Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano was happy to grab the win at Europa Conference League opponents Cukaricki.

A 1-0 win was earned by a penalty converted by M'Bala Nzola.

Italiano later said: “We came here to play our game and get the three points, so I think we achieved that.

“I am happy for Nzola, the way he earned the penalty. It's true we could've scored more goals, but Cukaricki are a different team on home turf and that was evident this evening.

“Open matches are always dangerous, we know about that from last season with Riga. It was better if we had sealed it earlier, but our opponents put everyone behind the ball and we should've been quicker to move the ball around. In any case, the important thing was getting three points."

He added, “We hoped today Nzola would get his first Conference League goal and he got it. That can help boost his self-confidence. I particularly admire the way he won the penalty with that run, because he needs to attack the space more."