With the tie finely poised, both teams had chances to open the scoring inside the first few minutes. Moise Kean’s goal-bound effort was well-blocked by Stratos Svarnas, before Oskar Repka volleyed over from inside the box.
Kean then produced the game’s first shot on target with a volley of his own, but he could not get clean contact on it and it was an easy save for Oliwier Zych.
The goalkeeper had to produce a better save to tip away Nicolo Fagioli’s attempt though in added time at the end of the first half.
Despite Fiorentina’s dominance, they found themselves behind just seconds after the break – Ivi quickly threaded through Karol Struski, who sneaked his shot past Oliver Christensen at his near post.
Spurred on by the sudden shock of conceding, La Viola pushed hard to get back in front in the tie, as Fabiano Parisi – who opened the scoring in their 4-1 win against Cremonese on Monday in a Serie A relegation six-pointer – forced Zych to parry away his powerful drive.
Also a scorer in that match, Roberto Piccoli then saw his close-range header hit the post.
Fiorentina soon scored the equaliser they had been threatening through Cher Ndour, who came onto Piccoli’s lay-off and, with the aid of a huge deflection, saw his strike hit the back of the net.
Parisi then almost sealed a victory on the night with a shot from range that flew just wide.
Rakow had Zych to thank for keeping the scoreline level in the latter stages, with Fagioli the latest to force a decent save from the goalkeeper.
In a rare attack for the makeshift hosts, a late twist saw them denied a penalty for an apparent dive in the area, while another spot-kick was waved away after Rakow players claimed a handball.
It was desperate at times for Fiorentina, but after a period of survival, they capitalised on Zych coming up for a long throw-in as Marin Pongracic struck from his own half into an empty net to seal a third successive victory in all competitions.
As a result, La Viola have kept their hopes of reaching a third UECL final intact, while Rakow will rue missing the chance to make a first quarter-final in the competition, following a fourth defeat in as many H2Hs against Italian opposition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cher Ndour (Fiorentina)
