Fiorentina 1-2 Milan: Match report and highlights

Pre-match

Vincenzo Italiano left Nico González out following a transatlantic flight, with Arthur also on the bench. Christian Kouamé and Dodǒ both made triumphant returns. It did feel a bit strange that Cousin Vinnie opted to leave perhaps his two best players on the bench for such an emotionally charged match.

And speaking of that emotional charge, the Curva Fiesole gave Joe Barone one hell of a sendoff.

First half

AC Milan took the upper hand almost immediately: Samuel Chukwueze and Rafael Leão were too much and the Viola could only hunker down and pray. Pietro Terracciano made saves on Chukwueze and Olivier Giroud before Andrea Belotti somehow cleared a ball off the line following a Milan corner. It opened up a bit afterwards, with il Gallo whiffing a 1-v-1 and Ikoné skimming an effort just wide as it turned into an end-to-end affair. There were chances at both ends, with Giroud firing over from 10 yards out and Belotti missing another good look. When the whistle went, it felt like a miracle that it was scoreless, but the Viola were unquestionably the worse side.

Second half

All the goals that should’ve happened in the first half? They materialized almost instantly. First, it was a 3-v-3 break that ended with Leão backheeling a ball across the box. Nikola Milenković slipped and allowed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to tap in from about a foot out.

After Kouamé rather bungled a decent chance direct from the restart, Alfred Duncan decided to do it himself with an absolute laser from distance. This is a textbook shot from distance. Show it to your children if they ask how to hit them from range.

The good vibes lasted all of 3 minutes as Fiorentina was caught with way too many players up the pitch. A turnover let them break and Reinjders played a Leão through for a 2-v-1. The winger took it himself, rounding Terracciano (who was up to something inexplicable) and walking it into the net for the most Viola moment imaginable.

The pace didn’t slow down and both sides had chances. Leão and Reijnders continued to terrorize the Fiorentina defense, setting up Alessandro Florenzi for a drive that Terracciano saved well. Belotti had a couple of good looks but Maignan denied him, and also stopped a Rolando Mandragora effort from a long Michael Kayode throw. Christian Pulisic got one in the net but it was rightly called offside. Italiano threw everything forward for the final stretch and got some half chances but the Rossoneri held on and walked away with a 1-2 win.

Full time

Goals: Duncan 50’ (ass. Beltrán); Loftus-Cheek 47’ (ass. Leão), Leão 53’ (ass. Reijnders)

Cards: Biraghi 13’, Martínez Quarta 24’; Thiaw 21’, Tomori 90’, Loftus-Cheek 90’+3

What’s next

With Lazio winning at Juventus and Torino seeing off Monza, Fiorentina drops down to 10th, albeit with a game in hand against Atalanta. We still don’t have a date for that rescheduled match, but the Viola get a practice run at it on Wednesday in the Coppa Italia semifinal against la Dea. After that, of course, is a trip to Juventus, followed by another midweek tie, this time in the Conference League quarterfinal against Viktoria Plzeň. It’s a brutal stretch of the schedule that should pretty well determine Fiorentina’s fate for the rest of the year. No pressure.