The purple team has not been having a great performance in Serie A - they are in 16th place with 28 points -, but advancing to the next round in the international tournament could restore confidence and reverse their difficult present.
All results from Thursday's matches in the Conference League:
AEK Larnaca 1 – 2 Crystal Palace (agg. 1-2) Mainz 05 2 – 0 Sigma Olomouc (agg. 2-0) AEK Athens 0 – 2 NK Celje (agg. 4-2) Rakow Czestochowa 1 – 2 Fiorentina (agg. 2-4) Shakhtar Donetsk 1 – 2 Lech Poznan (agg. 4-3) Rayo Vallecano 0 – 1 Samsunspor (agg. 3-2) Sparta Prague 0 – 4 AZ Alkmaar (agg. 1-6) IP Racing Strasbourg 1 – 1 HNK Rijeka (agg. 3-2)
Racing Strasbourg secured qualification to the Conference League quarter-finals after drawing 1-1 at home against HNK Rijeka of Croatia, with a goal from Valentín Barco that earned them a spot in the next round.
According to what Agencia Noticias Argentinas was able to find out, the former Boca player scored the equalizer in the 26th minute of the second half, while Toni Frukha had given the visitors the lead in the 21st minute of the first half.
The aggregate score was 3-2 in favor of the French team, as they had won away 2-1 in the first leg.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace of England, a Premier League team, achieved a narrow 2-1 victory over AEK Larnaca thanks to a brace from Senegalese striker Ismaila Sarr.
Similarly, Fiorentina of Italy managed to impose a 4-2 aggregate score after defeating Rakow Czestochowa of Poland 2-1 this Thursday.
