Manchester United loanee Antony once again starred for Real Betis in their Conference League semi-final second leg against Fiorentina
Manchester United loanee Antony celebrates scoring for Real Betis as they reach the Conference League final
Manchester United loanee Antony celebrates scoring for Real Betis as they reach the Conference League final
Manchester United loanee Antony broke down in tears as Real Betis reached the final of the Conference League after victory over Fiorentina in extra-time.
The Brazilian moved to the Seville club during the January transfer window after it became clear that he would not feature in Ruben Amorim's plans. Since moving to Real, Antony has taken it upon himself to redeem himself and his good form would continue on Thursday night.
His brilliant free-kick in the first half which eluded David de Gea looked to have put the La Liga side on the verge of the Conference League final. However, Robin Gosens scored almost immediately to bring Fiorentina back to within one goal of their opponents.
Gosens would score again with around 15 minutes remaining in the contest to draw the score level at 3-3 on aggregate. With momentum with the Italians heading into extra-time, it appeared that Real Betis had missed their opportunity to advance.
However, up stepped Abde Ezzalzouli in the 99th minute to equalise on the night and book his team's place in the Conference League final. At the full-time whistle, an emotional Antony was overwhelmed by the moment and broke down in tears on the pitch.
The final, which will surely feature Antony for the Spanish club, will be against Chelsea in Wroclaw, Poland. Enzo Maresca's men booked their comfortable progression to the final thanks to a 1-0 victory on the night at Stamford Bridge against Djurgarden, 5-1 on aggregate.
Chelsea will be favourites for the final but Antony will be keen to show United that he can perform against a top Premier League club. All in all it has been a good night for the English sides in Europe.
In the Europa League, Antony's parent club cruised to the Europa League final with a 7-1 aggregate victory over Athletic Bilbao. They will face Tottenham Hotspur in the final after they defeated Bodo/Glimt 2-0 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate.
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