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Bologna 1-0 Fiorentina: Player grades and 3 things we learned

2024-12-16T22:13:35+01:00

Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

A slightly flat performance isn’t really a cause for concern given the context.

Player grades

David de Gea—7: Made 5 saves, including a couple of very good ones in the second half, and wasn’t at fault for the goal.

Robin Gosens—5: Not a good game for the Goose. Had the lowest pass completion rate of any starter and didn’t influence anything in the final third despite constantly driving on. Eventually, we’re going to have to talk about his defensive lapses, as Bologna’s goal came from him losing Benja Dominguez.

Luca Ranieri—5: A solid, albeit frazzled, performance from the captain. Allowed Santiago Castro too much time and space at times. Clearly prefers taking on big, rugged strikers rather than quick, technical ones. As captain, shoulders some of the blame for everyone’s heads dropping in the second half.

Pietro Comuzzo—5: Made a couple fantastic interceptions but ran out of steam like every other Fiorentina player in the second half, including a cheap booking. Took a bit of a beating and may need to sit out against Vitória on Thursday.

Dodô—6: Had a couple decent moments along with his requisite giveaway at the back. Struggled to stick with Jens Odgaard, who looked Bologna’s best attacker, and didn’t do anything of note in the attacking third.

Yacine Adli—5: Played one incredibly gorgeous through ball for Guðmundsson but that felt like the limit of his impact. Tried to slow down the game and give the Viola some control but couldn’t cope with that Vincenzo Italiano press. Struggled to keep up out of possession.

Danilo Cataldi—5: Had a couple of chances to open the scoring but couldn’t sort it out on his left. Was less precise than usual as Bologna got in his face. Lacks the pace to keep up in a high tempo affair like this was and lacks the pausa to take control.

Lucas Beltrán—4.5: Decent in the first half, although he doesn’t have the top end speed to stretch play. Clearly lost focus as Bologna roughed him up and lost the thread, constantly waiting for Michael Fabbri’s whistle (which was conspicuously absent) and looking frustrated and miserable.

Albert Guðmundsson—5: Had a couple decent moments but didn’t consistently impact play. Still plays with a bit too much ego for me, although a lot of that is probably a result of not having built on-field relationships with his teammates yet.

Andrea Colpani—5: His only shot was a bad try from a free kick as he struggled to establish himself, but he did start a couple of good first half moves with first time passes and tracked back admirably.

Moise Kean—6.5: Won some battles, provided an outlet, and scraped a couple of decent chances for himself out of nothing. Starved of service in the second half as Fiorentina failed to get out of its own box, much less its own half. Did play a little too individualistically after the break but everyone was bad, so that’s fine.

Riccardo Sottil—5: Gave old man Lorenzo de Silvestri some problems with his pace but wasn’t able to unlock the defense. It’s worth pointing out that his failure to unlock the defense wasn’t because he was making awful decisions, at least.

Jonathan Ikoné—5: Pretty anonymous aside from a late, wild shot.

Amir Richardson—5.5: Looked like he wanted it, at least, and managed to turn a header on frame, but isn’t quite ready for this level yet. His athleticism does give him an advantage in open games like this, though, and he still looks like a big part of the team in the near future.

Christian Kouamé—n/a: Didn’t do much of note aside from his usual intense running and imprecise on-ball stuff.

Fabiano Parisi—n/a: Feels like a direct shot at Mario Giuffredi that he’s played both games since the agent threatened to send him out of Florence.

Three things we learned

1. Bologna wanted it more. Fiorentina’s had a wild couple of weeks. First, there was Edoardo Bove’s terrifying collapse. Then, it was Cristiano Biraghi’s outburst. Then Raffaele Palladino’s mom passed just before this one, leaving Stefano Citterio to run things on the touchline. Despite all the positive momentum this team’s built up—8 straight Serie A wins before this, a 7-0 win over hapless LASK—it wasn’t too hard to imagine this being the letdown game.

And it was. Bologna’s fallen back to earth after a magical run last year and badly needed a big win. Combine that with the home fans clearly not wanting the Viola to set a team-record win streak in the league on their turf and Italiano’s desperation to get one over on his former employer and then contrast that mix with Fiorentina’s current state and you can see a clear contrast in emotional bandwidth.

That’s how it played out, too. Oscar Mayer FC came out in the second half tanked up with jet fuel and just outworked their visitors, who subsided with barely a struggle (3 shots after the break). When the triple blast arrived, the hosts celebrated like they’d won a cup final. Italiano lost his mind on the sideline while Emil Holm hit Kean’s griddy in front of the Bulgarelli. It was tacky, sure, but also showed just how different the levels of desire were in this one.

2. There has to be another way to break the press. Bologna is Serie A’s pressingest team and Fiorentina wasn’t ready. Normally, the Viola just pump the ball to Kean and let him hold it up, but the Rossoblu cut off the angles so well that there wasn’t any way out. Dodô managed a jaunt or two forward but was closed down quickly, and nobody else had the requisite dribbling ability to escape pressure.

If there’s a weakness in the Adli-Cataldi pairing, this is it. Adli can shield the ball and evade pressure when he’s got lots of space a la Arthur Melo, but he’s not as good dribbling through crowds. Cataldi isn’t a dribbler, full stop. If you can prevent them from turning and passing the ball forward, you’ve pretty well neutralized them, and that’s what Bologna did. Maybe Palladino could’ve come up with a counter, but tactics can’t always overcome physical limitations and this may be one of those times.

I see a couple solutions. The first is to use Richardson more. He’s pretty press resistant because he’s so damn tall, which allows him to shield the ball and turn in a way that very few people can. He also likes the sort of one-touch passing game through the middle that’s very good at breaking a press. He’s probably not ready for top-level opposition yet, but he may be the long-term fix for this weakness.

The other solution is getting the forwards to run in behind, but that doesn’t work as well. Beltrán and Colpani both drop back towards play rather than run over the top, and Guðmundsson seems to prefer dropping deep as well. That leaves Kean with the dual role of holding up the ball and chasing it through the channels without any support. Maybe that’s the priority in the transfer window: a wide attacker who’s good at making those runs. The space was there but nobody used it.

3. Fiorentina’s going to lose games. Last time the Viola lost in Serie A was 3 months ago. To put it in perspective, it was at that point still unclear whether or not de Gea was washed, or if Palladino knew what he was doing, or if this team was going anywhere other than like 12th place. 92 days later and we’ve got pretty clear answers to those questions. Now we have to make up new ones.

To me, the most important thing isn’t really losing this game. Like I mentioned above, this was always a series of emotional rake, and Fiorentina duly stepped on them in the most predictable fashion imaginable. That happens. It’s a long season and players aren’t going to be mentally ready for every game, especially with so much else going on around the team. I’m happy to mark this one as an off day and keep on rolling.

The question is what happens next. A win at Vitória will secure a bye to the Round of 16 in the Conference League, which would strike a couple of midweek games off the schedule. Next up in the league is Udinese on Monday. A couple of good performances in those will indicate that there’s nothing to worry about for the long-term, or at least nothing beyond what we always worry about.

Bologna 1-0 Fiorentina: Match report and highlights

2024-12-15T17:14:15+01:00

Stinky. | Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

The Viola finally run out of energy after 8 straight wins in Serie A.

Pre-match

Vincenzo Italiano changed 8 of his outfield players from the Champions League game on Wednesday (remember that stuff?), giving space to ex-Viola defender Lorenzo de Silvestri. Raffaele Palladino missed this one to be with his family in the aftermath of his mother’s passing, so Stefano Citterio took over and named the strongest possible XI, with Albert Guðmundsson starting his first game in months and Lucas Beltrán on the left.

pic.twitter.com/C9NdFSk4EJ
— ACF Fiorentina (@acffiorentina) December 15, 2024

The atmosphere inside the Stadio Renato dall’Ara was really impressive too. The home fans clearly knew that a Viola win would mean a club record 9 straight wins in Serie A and didn’t want that happening on their home turf, adding some extra spice to the always spicy Derby dell’Appennino. It was crowded, loud, and tense from well before the opening kick.

Curve da derby dell’Appennino tra #Bologna e #Fiorentina allo stadio Dall’Ara. Una sfida dal sapore europeo. #BolognaFiorentina pic.twitter.com/g9ALoZESi2
— Matteo Dovellini (@MatteoDovellini) December 15, 2024

First half

The games pattern was immediately evident. Both sides tried to play direct. For Fiorentina, that meant targeting Moise Kean for knockdowns as Bologna pressed high up, trying to get Guðmundsson and Beltrán to link up with him. For the Rossoblu, it was balls over the top for forwards to chase. Neither team really tried to play through the midfield, leading to an open game with chances both ways, although the visitors probably edged the half on balance. The real story was the physicality: Bologna set out to level Fiorentina and succeeded, resulting in Beltrán in particular looking frustrated.

Second half

Bologna ingested some rocket fuel at the break and came out like gangbusters, with Santiago Castro hitting the post after just 14 seconds. The hosts didn’t let up and pinned Fiorentina back, playing the whole game in the visitors’ half, and the pressure eventually told as the Oscar Mayers constricted things. The goal came from Robin Gosens losing Benja Dominguez down the wing. The Argentine’s low cross took a slight deflection and eventually reached Jens Odgaard at the back post for the simple finish.

The goal only intensified Bologna’s approach and, with the stadium rocking, it felt like the knockout punch would land at any moment. Somehow, though, the Viola hung on, but they never managed to get out of their shell, not mounting anything resembling an attack until the 80th minute, by which point it was pretty well over. Bologna celebrated the final whistle a bit extravagantly, perhaps—the stadium lights blacking out were a bit much—but it was pretty clear who wanted it more.

Full time

Goals: Odgaard 59’ (ass. Freuler)

Cards: Pobega 13’, Lykogiannis 82’; Dodô 16’, Comuzzo 89’

Stats

What’s next

Well, Fiorentina didn’t manage to set a new club record for consecutive wins in Serie A; the streak ends at 8, which is still a hell of an achievement. The result leaves the Viola in 4th with 31 points, although Lazio could leapfrog them with a result against Inter Milan tomorrow. If you want to wallow, you can say that the title chase is probably over, but that’s probably a reach in multiple directions. Bologna, by the way, are now in 7th, which feels a bit too on brand for an Italiano side.

Fiorentina needs to regroup ahead of a trip to Guimarães to take on Vitória in the Conference League on Thursday; a win there will assure a top 8 finish in the group/league/whatever stage and a subsequent bye into the Round of 16, rather than a potentially messy playoff that will also put 180 more midweek minutes into the schedule. After that, it’s a rare Monday game against Udinese, and then a trip to the less important black-and-white striped club to close out 2024.

Bologna vs Fiorentina: Lineups and how to watch

2024-12-15T14:22:57+01:00

Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The hosts dig deep into the bench for the Derby dell’Appennino while the visitors stick to the regular starters.

Late news

Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano rotates the side quite a bit from the group that drew against Benfica on Wednesday; only Łukas Skorupski, Sam Beukema, Emil Holm retain their places. Ex-Viola defender Lorenzo de Silvestri is somehow still present at age 36.

Fiorentina mister Raffaele Palladino won’t be on the sideline due to his mother’s recent death; we all send our deepest condolences. Stefano Citterio will handle the coaching duties for the day and picks the first-choice XI, featuring Lucas Beltrán on the left wing and Albert Guðmundsson as the number 10.

It’s chilly in Bologna but the atmosphere inside the Renato dall’Ara is as warm as you’d expect for the Derby dell’Appennino. Having Italiano facing the Viola for the first time since his excellent spell in charge of the side only adds fuel to the fire, so expect the Oscar Mayers (now 75% thicker) to provide a particularly hostile environment to support the coach.

Lineups

Bologna (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Holm, Lucumí, Beukema, De Silvestri; Pobega, Freuler; Ndoye, Odgaard, Dominguez; Castro

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Gosens, Ranieri, Comuzzo, Dodô; Adli, Cataldi; Beltrán, Guðmundsson, Colpani; Kean

How to watch

TV: Unlikely, but check the international television listings to make sure.

Online: Here is your list of safe, reliable, and legal streams. Any requests for or links to illegal streams will get you banned. We’ll be posting live updates on Twitter if that’s your thing. Otherwise, keep it in the comments for the usual mix of joyful adrenaline and terrified adrenaline with the best damn sports community on the internet.

Forza Viola!

Friday Poll: Who should be Fiorentina’s left winger?

2024-12-14T00:07:46+01:00

Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

The Viola need to fill a Bove-sized hole on the pitch.

Now that Edoardo Bove is out of the hospital, Fiorentina can breathe a sigh of relief. Replacing him on the pitch, though, will doubtless give Raffaele Palladino some headaches. Bove was the key to Fiorentina’s early-season success. His energy and intelligence meant he could basically play 2 positions, shifting out wide when the number 10 wanted space between the lines and tucking in when the leftback wanted to overlap, while also providing an extra body in central midfield out of possession.

Fortunately, Palladino’s got a lot of guys who can operate on the left wing. Unfortunately, none of them replicate Bove’s impact. It may take some chopping and changing for the mister to figure out how best to compose his XI, especially with Albert Guðmundsson finally healthy again. Let’s run down the obvious options in alphabetical order.

Lucas Beltrán

In a lot of ways, el Vikingo is the most similar of the group to Bove. He’s always busy, presses really well, and is comfortable in central positions. He hasn’t shown a real facility for playing out wide yet but he also hasn’t been asked to, so he could probably adapt. It does seem a shame to take him out of the number 10 position, where he’s been outstanding since Guðmundsson’s injury (2 goals, 5 assists) and shown a great understanding with Moise Kean. Palladino’s tried him out there for short spells over the past few games, so this may be his top pick.

Albert Guðmundsson

Guðmundsson’s mostly played as a second striker for most of his career but does have some experience out wide. Using him on the left could create more space for him as opponents clog the middle, making it easier for him to cut inside and shoot. However, he was brought in to play as the 10 and has looked best when given license to roam a bit. His defensive work is also suspect, especially since that left winger needs to offer Robin Gosens some protection.

Christian Kouamé

He’s often the object of derision among fans, but the Ivorian is popular with all his coaches because he’s smart, runs non-stop, and follows instructions. He’s always been great at tracking back and doesn’t mind making big off-ball runs to open space for his teammates. His lack of end product is frustrating but Bove wasn’t always super decisive in the final third either. The real issue is that Kouamé is Kean’s only backup, at least until January, and using both of them at the same time risks blowing up Palladino’s player rotation.

Fabiano Parisi

Palladino’s used Parisi on the left wing several times this year to mixed results. Against opponents looking to attack, it’s worked out: Parisi’s dribbling and pace make him tough to stop on the break. Against more deeper blocks, though, he lacks the technical ability to break down his man or the physical attributes to offer a threat otherwise. Like Kouamé, using him here would also blow up the rotation, especially now that Cristiano Biraghi’s talked his way out of town. That goes double if Mario Giuffredi follows through on his bluster to force Parisi out too, although we’ll see if that actually happens.

Riccardo Sottil

The new mister has coaxed a new level out of the ravishing winger, helping him find consistency and a more reliable end product. It also helps that Ricky’s fully healthy and often looks like the fastest guy on the pitch. He’s not going to replicate Bove’s defensive contribution or passing but his ball-carrying might replace the latter, and, if nothing else, his ability to win free kicks and chip in with goals and assists (4 and 2 respectively this year, or 1 every 156 minutes) means he would juice the attack. The concern is that his newfound impact is best deployed against smaller squads, but maybe it’s time to trust him one more time.

Fiorentina 7-0 LASK: Player grades and 3 things we learned

2024-12-13T20:07:03+01:00

Ooooh, that hair. | Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

That was a paddlin’.

Player grades

Tommaso Martinelli—6.5: Made a good stop on Maximilian Enstrup after Kayode’s flubbed knockdown but didn’t have much else to do as every other save he made was quite tame. More than anything, it was cool to see him make his first appearance in the Franchi, which must’ve been quite an experience for him.

Fabiano Parisi—7.5: Under the spotlight after his agent threatened to pull him from the squad and responded brilliantly. In fairness, this game set up perfectly for him, as he had to do minimal defending and could bomb down the flank unopposed as LASK sat very narrow. Still, he was really good, chasing down loose balls and making things happen in the final third.

Photo by Andrea Martini/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Just too quick.

Luca Ranieri—6.5: Played a lovely ball in for Ikoné that #ChaosJonny missed. Struggled a bit against big Maximilian Entrup but did enough. Pretty quiet day for him, all things considered.

Lucas Martínez Quarta—6.5: Much like Ranieri, didn’t have much to do. Did pick up a pointless booking in stoppage time, which was frustrating.

Michael Kayode—6.5: Motored up and down impressively but continues to look shaky, exemplified by a really bad attempt to chest down a high ball for Martinelli to scoop up. Kayode got it all wrong and was lucky not to be punished. The potential is still there, but he set the bar impossibly high for himself last year and now everyone thinks he’s bad. It’ll be fine.

Rolando Mandragora—7: Invisible as ever but in the right way. Didn’t have to do too much running and focused on knocking the ball around, doing a good job of regulating the tempo. Finished a nice team move and hit a lovely ball over the top for Kouamé/Kean on that early goal that got ruled out. Well done, Roly.

Amir Richardson—7.5: Silky in possession, clever on the ball, and quick to snuff out moves before they got going. He’s got every tool and for the first time this year, he used them all correctly. This is the kind of player he can become night in and night out, and watching him reach that ceiling is going to be a joy.

Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

Too tall.

Riccardo Sottil—9: He’s too fast, too clever on the ball, and too skillful for the likes of LASK and he made sure everyone knew it. Still a bit arrogant at times but he’s finding his footing. This is who Fiorentina fans have been hoping he’d be for years.

Christian Kouamé—7: Ran non-stop both in and out of possession. Got an assist and helped create half a dozen great chances with his pressing. Still managed to squeeze in a couple of mystifyingly bad touches but that’s just who he is and no amount of grumbling will change it.

Jonathan Ikoné—7.5: Scored the simplest goal of his life but, knowing his track record, that’s still an accomplishment. Was a bit quieter than I’d expected but still produced a few slithery runs capped off by weird decisions.

Moise Kean—7: So unlucky not to score but that’s fine. Was pretty quiet after his initial goal was ruled off until the very end of the first half, when he went on the rampage and was denied only by Lukas Jungwirth at close range and the frame of the goal. He’s still him.

Matías Moreno—6.5: Without any pressure, he could play a little looser and it suited him. Composed with his positioning and on the ball, making a couple of decent interventions in the box. Still settling in.

Lucas Beltrán—7: Won the penalty and bustled around as per. I was hoping to get a sense of how he’ll look on the left as Guðmundsson takes over as the 10 but the circumstances prevented us from getting a good sense. In a lot of ways, though, he’s the closest thing to a Bove replacement on the roster, so this may be the way forward.

Albert Guðmundsson—7.5: Obviously a cut above everyone else, threading passes through the middle and taking neat touches in and around the box. Still ramping up but approaching full power.

Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

And he confidently gerned home the spot kic.

Andrea Colpani—6.5: Showed some neat touches and nearly scored off a lovely feed from Kouamé that eventually resulted in the own goal. Also deserves plaudits for his tracking back.

Jonas Harder—6.5: Fiorentina’s first ever number 64 was tidy enough on the ball and didn’t let the moment overwhelm him as he made his debut. He’s not ready for a regular role with the senior side yet but he’s definitely one to watch.

Three things we learned

1. Fiorentina advances. The Viola had the early game, but once the dust settled after the later fixtures, the standings confirm that, mathematically speaking, the team is advancing out of the group/league/whatever weird thing we’re calling this first stage with 1 game left. Considering how this Conference League campaign began—scraping past Puskás Akademia in the playoff then unconvincingly holding off TNS and St Gallen—it’s a pretty fine achievement.

As you can see, Fiorentina’s climbed to 3rd after goosing its goal difference. The top 8 sides advance straight to the Round of 16 while places 9 through 24 have an additional two-legged playoff to determine the other side of the bracket. The objective is to finish in that top 8 to skip another couple of draining fixtures, which, given the injuries throughout the squad, has to be front and center of Raffaele Palladino’s mind.

Funnily enough, Fiorentina can secure that bye with a win at Vitória next week, which would be quite nice. A draw will be enough if 3 of Cercle Brugge, Jagiellonia, Rapid Wien, APOEL, and Djurgården fail to win. If Fiorentina draws and 3 or more of those 5 win, the Viola will still probably advance on goal difference. A loss, however, muddies things quite badly. Once again, if 4 of those aforementioned 5 teams win or 3 of them win by massive margins, the Viola will drop to the playoff spots. If that all seems complicated, well, it is. And Palladino and his boys could simplify it significantly by taking all 3 points in Guimarães.

2. The team doesn’t look too distracted. There was significant concern that, between Edoardo Bove’s situation and Cristiano Biraghi/Mario Giuffredi’s temper tantrum, the players’ minds would be understandably elsewhere. We saw what that looked like against Empoli in the Coppa Italia last week and I had braced myself for a repeat in this one, especially when LASK came out wearing what looked like Udinese kits from 2010. Those Zebrettini teams were awful to play against and I figured it’d be more of the same.

There were multiple points the team could’ve lost focus, starting with Kean’s early goal being chalked off. They did switch off after each of the first 3 goals, too: LASK had a great chance moments after conceding, but a bit of luck saw the Viola escape unscathed. After the break, it was all business. The traditional Italian approach is to call off the dogs once the scoreline is 3-0 in order to rest everyone and preserve a bit of dignity for the opponents, but Fiorentina never slowed down.

Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

All smiles.

To me, that indicates a level of unity that’s really important for any good team. It’s easy for everyone to get along when everything’s going well, when the wins are piling up, and that’s where we are now. With the Biraghi situation, though, there was the opportunity for things to collapse and they didn’t. The guys stuck together. Rather than being a pariah, Parisi was right at the heart of everything, despite his agent trying to remove him from the squad. The players all celebrated with the staff, too, so it seems that everyone’s still fully behind Palladino.

Fiorentina’s in a weird position right now. Despite rattling off wins at a historic clip, they’ve faced real adversity in these Bove and Biraghi situations. That almost makes winning easier: everyone rallies around and focuses on the team, creating an us-vs-them mentality that can carry everything through. However, there will be a point this season when the club’s dropped a few games and everything begins falling apart. While we never know how anyone will react to that, the emotional strength currently on display is reassuring.

3. This wasn’t a serious game. Serious teams don’t lose games 7-0, and right now, LASK isn’t a serious team. The Schwarz-Weißen were missing 12 senior players, have already sacked a coach this year, and look like they could sink into the relegation places if they aren’t careful. Maybe they bounce back after a result like this but the combination of Fiorentina’s superiority, their own negative circumstances, and the random bounces of the ball meant that this one was over before the half hour mark. Serious analysis isn’t possible in those circumstances.

Viola Station 68 is here, albeit a bit late

2024-12-13T02:57:17+01:00

Photo by: Sharpshooters/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Mike and Tito talk about Edoardo Bove, goalkeepers, and team construction.

While McMike’s under the weather and possibly suffering Nyquil hallucinations, your remaining favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots—that’sProducer Mike and Tito if you weren’t clear—run through the latest goings on. At the top of our minds, of course, is Edoardo Bove, because his medical episode was terrifying, and we first and foremost hope that he’s okay and that he does whatever’s best for his health going forward.

Losing him for the foreseeable future, though, means that Daniele Pradè and Roberto Goretti have a lot more work to do in the January transfer window, although there may be some in-house solutions to replace Edo. Returning to actual stuff on the pitch, we also discussed the Cagliari game and touched on the Coppa Italia before taking a dive into the future of the goalkeeping position in Florence.

Along the way, we also discussed whether it’s better to get punched in the mouth or grabbed by the nipple and who’s going to stake out McMike’s house to confirm that he’s alive, as is a Viola Nation tradition. Thanks to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. Hit us up on the website, Twitter, or Blue Sky with any questions. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. Forza Viola!

Fiorentina 7-0 LASK: Match report and highlights

2024-12-12T21:08:09+01:00

Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

That was a paddlin’.

Pre-match

Raffaele Palladino trotted out a distinctly second-choice XI. Tommaso Martinelli made just his second senior start (and first at the Franchi). Moise Kean did get the nod up front to provide some teeth to an attack. Markus Schopp trotted out his expected lineup, largely because he’s got 12 absences in the senior team. It’s worth noting, too, that the Stadio Artemio Franchi was pretty empty, allowing the 700 visiting fans to make themselves heard a bit more than you’d expect.

First half

Fiorentina came out like gangbusters. Moise Kean scored with 2 minutes after Christian Kouamé (maybe intentionally) dummied a bouncing ball past goalkeeper, but VAR ruled it out for the slightest of handballs. Luca Ranieri played Jonathan Ikoné in beautifully moments later but #ChaosJonny scooped it wide while he was all alone. The breakthrough finally came via Riccardo Sottil, who roofed a sliding volley after Fabiano Parisi tracked down a Michael Kayode cross and played it back in.

Kayode nearly gave away the equalizer by missing an attempt to chest it down for Martinelli but the youngster managed to push Maximilian Entrup’s shot onto the bar and Parisi eventually cleared. The Viola then retook the initiative, looking miles the better side as they created several opportunities, with Parisi, Sottil, and Kouamé all looking active. The goal, though, came from a woeful backpass from LASK’s Maxim Talovyerov. Kouamé ran it down, rounded Jungwirth, and then played it back to the penalty spot, where Ikoné arrived all alone to thunder it into the empty net.

LASK again came close right after conceding, with Talovyerov just missing a free kick header, but the good guys quickly retook the initiative, knocking the ball around LASK’s half and applying constant pressure as they searched out a third. That pressure resulted in yet another goal. This time, Sottil hung a free kick up to the back post and Amir Richardson headed it home. Sometimes, it’s just as simple as letting the very tall dude score headers.

The Viola nearly switched off again but again LASK lacked the quality to take advantage, and the scales immediately tipped back towards the hosts. The only drama left was whether referee Balász Berke would start pulling out his cards—Florian Flecker in particular deserved one—and whether Kean would score; he had 2 great chances in stoppage time but had the first saved after nutmegging his defender in the box and watched the second strike the woodwork. It was, in short, all Fiorentina in the first half, and that was just fine with us.

Second half

Fiorentina emerged from the break perhaps a bit too relaxed, allowing the game to open up more than it needed to for the opening minutes. The boys settled down, though, and started turning the screws again. They added the 4th via Sottil again via a nice passing move between him and Kouamé, but the way the ball set up for him after his first attempt was blocked summed up the evening: everything broke right for the Viola.

Now thoroughly demoralized, LASK just gave up the ghost. The Austrians were completely unable to get out of their own half and Fiorentina constantly won the ball high up and looked for clever little combinations to add another. It eventually worked when substitues Lucas Beltrán and Albert Guðmundsson combined to put Rolando Mandragora clean through on goal and he duly bundled it home.

Fiorentina wasn’t done, though, and kept hunting the ball down in the visitors’ half. Guðmundsson’s passing quality was on full display and he looked likely to add another but it ended up being Filip Stojković, although it wasn’t his fault at all. Albert played in Kouamé, who one-upped him with a lovely ball into the middle for Andrea Colpani. El Flaco’s shot was saved but rocketed off Stojković and into the net to make it 6-0.

pic.twitter.com/MP9ZvXYZJS
— New goal video acc: @CenterOfGoals (@DoraKathal51055) December 12, 2024

Was that it? Reader, it wasn’t. An utterly deflated LASK faffed around in their own box again and it ended with a poor touch by Talovyerov that Flecker tried to clear, but Beltrán pounced and got his boot in ahead. Berke pointed to the spot and Guðmundsson waited for Jungwirth to dive then rolled it the other way. 7-0. Good lord.

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— New goal video acc: @CenterOfGoals (@DoraKathal51055) December 12, 2024

Kouamé nearly won another penalty in stoppage time but was offside, thank goodness. The only real interest at that point was watching local kid, Primavera star, and Italy U19 international Jonas Harder make his senior debut in midfield. By the end, it was pretty clear that the LASK players would’ve rather been anywhere on earth than inside the Franchi. Yikes.

Full time

Goals: Sottil 10’ (ass. Parisi) 58’, Ikoné 22’ (ass. Kouamé), Richardson 39’ (ass. Sottil), Mandragora 69’ (nice ass. Guðmundsson), Stojković OG 82’, Guðmundsson PK 85’

Cards: Martínez Quarta 90’; Jovičić 45’+1

Stats

What’s next

Fiorentina earns its biggest European win ever and its highest scoring to boot, outdoing last year’s 6-0 against Čukarički. It’s also Sottil’s first double at senior level. Richardson also got his first Viola goal, while Ikoné buried his 4th in the Conference League, putting him one off the lead (jointly held by Krzysztof Piątek of all people). It was a good chance for a lot of guys to have some fun.

It’s time to get serious again, though, as the Viola travel across the mountains for a narrative-packed Derby dell’Appennino against Vincenzo Italiano’s Bologna on Sunday. A win in that game will set a new all-time Serie A winning streak for Fiorentina with 9 in a row, which would be pretty dang cool.

In the Conference League, this win means Fiorentina has taken a big step towards finishing in the top 8 in the table, which in turn means a direct path into the Round of 16 rather than an extra two-legged playoff. The Viola sit 2nd in the standings behind Chelsea, even on 12 points with Lugano and Legia Warsaw, although Jagiellonia, Rapid Wien, and Vitória could leapfrog them with games kicking off later today. Regardless, though, Fiorentina’s advanced out of this wacky group stage, and will secure a bye with a result against none other than Vitória a week from today.

Fiorentina vs LASK: Lineups and how to watch

2024-12-12T18:08:48+01:00

Trying to explain any piece of culture from before 2021 to a teenager will get you this response. | Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

The Viola roll out a distinctly second-choice lineup to take on the struggling Austrians.

Late news

Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino sends out a distinctly second choice XI, highlighted by Tommaso Martinelli making just his second senior start and first at home. Lucas Martínez Quarta, Michael Kayode, Fabiano Parisi, Rolando Mandragora, Amir Richardson, Christian Kouamé, and Jonathan Ikoné step in as well.

LASK manager Markus Schopp has picked something that looks like a 4-3-3 with rightback Filip Stojković in midfield, but it could be more of a 4-2-3-1 with Stojković on the wing. Given the selection crisis facing him—12 senior players unavailable—the rest of the side pretty well picked itself, so there aren’t any surprises.

Lineups

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Martinelli; Parisi, Ranieri, Martínez Quarta, Kayode; Mandragora, Richardson; Sottil, Kouamé, Ikoné; Kean

LASK (4-3-3): Jungwirth; Bello, Smolčić, Talovyerov, Bogarde; Jovičić, Žulj, Stojković; Flecker, Entrup, Berisha

How to watch

TV: I mean, check the international television listings, but do you really think that’s happening?

Online: Here is your list of safe, reliable, and legal streams. Any requests for or links to illegal streams will get you banned. We’ll be posting live updates on Twitter if that’s your thing. Otherwise, keep it in the comments for the usual mixture of soaring hope and wing-melting despair with the best damn sports community on the internet.

Forza Viola!