Betis went ahead after six minutes as Cedric Bakambu teed up Ezzalzouli from the byline, who blasted a shot off the underside of the bar and ran away celebrating before seeing the ball bouncing down and back up and out of the area.

Referee Michael Oliver initially waved play on, but a brief VAR check confirmed the ball had crossed the line and the goal stood.

Fiorentina’s first real chance came after 20 minutes when Rolando Mandragora floated a cross just wide from inside the box, visibly frustrated with the miss.

In the moments before halftime, Marc Bartra had a golden chance to double Betis’ lead when a corner kick dropped at his feet, but he fired over the bar.

Just after the break, goalkeeper David de Gea saved Fiorentina with a superb one-handed reaction stop from a Bartra header, keeping Betis from doubling their advantage.

However, the visitors were helpless in the 64th minute as Antony pounced on a blocked rebound and fired a half-volley from outside the box into the far corner to double Betis’ lead.

Chasing a third straight Conference League final, Fiorentina hit back on 73 minutes when Luca Ranieri slammed home a pull-back in the box to reduce the deficit.

Fiorentina will host Betis in the second leg next Thursday for a right to play in the final in the Polish city of Wroclaw on May 28th against either Djurgarden or Chelsea, with the English side having a 4-1 advantage before the return clash in London.