Genoa-Fiorentina 0-1
NET: 27′ st Gosens.
GENOA (4-4-2): Loyal 6; Sabelli 5.5 (34′ st Zanoli sv), Vogliacco 5.5, Vasquez 6.5, Matturro 6; Thorsby 6 (34′ Pereiro sv), Frendrup 5.5, Badelj 6 (26′ st Miretti 5.5), Martin 6.5; Ekhator 6 (26′ st Masini 5.5), Pinamonti 6. On the bench: Stolz, Sommariva, Marcandalli, Melegoni, Bohinen, Ahanor, Kasa, Dorgu. Coach: Gilardino 6.
FIORENTINA (4-2-3-1): De Gea 7; Dodò 6, Martinez Quarta 6, Ranieri 6.5, Gosens 7; Richardson 6 (18′ st Adli 6), Bove 6.5 (29′ st Mandragora 6); Colpani 6 (29′ st Ikone 6), Beltran 6.5 (38′ st Rubino sv), Sottil 5.5 (38′ st Biraghi sv); Kouame 5.5. On the bench: Terracciano, Martinelli, Baroncelli, Parisi, Kayode, Moreno, Comuzzo. Coach: Palladino 6.5.
REFEREE: Chiffi of Padua 6.
NOTES: clear evening, pitch in fair condition. Booked: Pinamonti, Richardson, Martinez Quarta, Vogliacco, Vasquez, Matturro. Corners: 4-4. Recovery time: 2’+1, 5’+1
Fiorentina feat that wins at Ferraris thanks to a goal from Gosens but they have to thank De Gea on a great day who avoided capitulating on at least three occasions against a Genoa team who despite the absences, as many as 10, played until the last second and finished amidst the applause of their fans. Genoa started very compact with Gilardino drawing a simple but effective 4-4-2. Up front he relies on Pinamonti and Ekhator, the 2006 player making his debut from the first minute, the two look for each other and find each other while Fiorentina doesn’t appear as brilliant as usual with Kouamé initially aiming too much only up front. The pace was very low from the start and allowed the hosts, who had to deal with 9 absentees and Balotelli, who had just arrived, in the stands following his new teammates, to control Palladino’s players. The start is a rossoblù brand with Matturro and Martin who tries to worry De Gea without too much luck. In the 22nd minute a diagonal shot from Sabelli ends up just wide and is perhaps the most important opportunity in the first half for the home team. However, Fiorentina grows as the minutes pass and in the final part of the half they challenge Leali twice. On both occasions, however, they were shots from outside the area, the first with Dodò, the second with Richardson. The second half opens along the lines of the first half with Genoa trying without too much luck as early as the fourth minute with Ekhator coming back from Martinez Quarta but shooting high and Fiorentina controlling.
Rossoblù still dangerous in the 24th minute with a diagonal shot from Martin which was deflected into a corner. However, tiredness began to make itself felt among the hosts and Gilardino brought on Masini and Miretti, while Palladino had replaced only Richardson for Adli a few minutes earlier. At 28′ the episode that changes the match. Cross from the right by Beltran, melee in the area with a series of rebounds that allow Gosens to finish low, beating Leali. Genoa, however, responds immediately with Pinamonti with a shot from outside that De Gea saves in two halves. Genoa takes control of the match by crushing Fiorentina who defends themselves as best they can. Dodò saves from Matturro’s bank, avoiding the intervention of Pinamonti and Vogliacco and shortly afterwards Masini comes close to scoring the goal of the year with an overhead kick but the ball goes wide. The final is an assault with De Gea as the protagonist on Vasquez, the former Manchester man saves his team’s victory by removing the ball from the top corner after the Mexican’s header. It’s the last gasp before Chiffi’s final whistle. The Viola can thus rejoice for their sixth consecutive victory in the championship and European cups but Genoa emerges to the applause of the entire stadium and now awaits Balotelli in the stands in view of the next fundamental challenges.