Fiorentina coach Paolo Vanoli admits Ismaila Sarr\'s first-half goal for Crystal Palace was decisive in their Europa Conference League elimination on Thursday night.
The Viola won the quarterfinal second-leg 2-1 at the Stadio Franchi, but lost the tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Vanoli later said: "We are disappointed about the goal conceded in the first half because, just like in the first leg, we need to learn to avoid certain mistakes that then put you in these situations.
"But at the same time, we never gave up — we always believed and we managed to turn the result around. I am truly proud of the team and I want to congratulate them because I am genuinely proud of them.
"It's a shame we had to approach it while also dealing with difficulties in the league, because we couldn’t always face it with the right freshness.
"We faced a strong team, a Premier League side that beat Newcastle on Sunday and was a real contender to win the trophy. Beating them means we have also taken a step forward in our growth."