Fiorentina wins salvation challenge at home of'Hellas Verona, Fagioli decisive in hot finish
Florentin beat Hellas Verona away 1-0 in the second match of Serie A’s Easter Saturday. A result, that of the Bentegodi, significant for the salvation struggle, especially for the winning team: in fact, the gigliati reach the 15th position with 32 points, overtaking Cagliari defeated in the early afternoon by Sassuolo. The Scaligeri, on the other hand, remain at 18 points and are now closer and closer to relegation to Serie B.
The match at the Gialloblù’s ground is lively right from the first minutes: the first thrill is given by Fiorentina at 4′, with Fagioli’s conclusion that gets past Montipò, but sees the ball hit the crossbar. From there on, however, it is Hellas that takes the reins of the game, creating several chances from the sides of De Gea, who foils more than one danger: in the 11th minute he is good at deflecting Bernede’s conclusion into a corner, in the 32nd he neutralizes Orban’s shot, and in the 39th he is again careful on Oyegoke’s attempt. The result, therefore, does not change until halftime.
The resumption begins with the same twenty-two on the field in the first half, with Sammarco not giving up Gagliardini despite the yellow he picked up in 17′ (holding on Gudmundsson). It is necessary to wait until 59′, after a decidedly low-intensity quarter of an hour, for the first change, with Piccoli taking over from Fabbian in a Fiorentina that shifts from 4-3-2-1 to 4-4-2. It is still Verona that is dangerous, however, at 64′: De Gea misjudges Frese’s cross from the left, the ball arriving dangerously close to the goal line but Gosens avoids trouble and sends in a corner.
The pace becomes bland, however, and despite more substitutions on both sides (there are Sarr, Bradaric and Suslov for Verona in place of Orban, Oyegoke and Bernede, while the Viola rely on Fazzini and Balbo in place of Kean and Gosens), the match seems to be slipping toward 0-0. In the 82nd minute, however, everything changed: a quick Viola restart, Harrison served the incoming Fagioli who, with first intention, with his right flat from the limit, scored the 1-0 goal, making the enthusiasm of the visiting sector explode.
The finale became incandescent: Gudmundsson and Suslov came to blows in the 86th minute after catching each other, tearing each other’s shirts, during a free kick for Hellas, forcing referee Guida to draw a red card against both. At 90′ last changes: Kospo and Brescianini in Fiorentina, replacing Comuzzo and Fagioli, while on the other side Mosquera takes over Nelsson. There are six minutes of recovery time, Verona tries with the force of desperation but has to surrender at the triple whistle: Fiorentina wins.
