Fiorentina bagged a much needed three points with a 2-1 victory over Hellas Verona at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi thanks to goals from Gonzalo Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado.
Nicolas Lopez had equalised for Verona in the first half but Cuadrado’s strike gave La Viola a crucial three points and left the home side disappointed after another defeat.
Here are the player ratings from Fiorentina’s victory.
Hellas Verona
Rafael – 6.5 – Strong
Wasn’t at fault for either goal and made several good stops to deny Fiorentina.
Alejandro Gonzalez – 5.5 – Adapting
Still not fully used to Italian football and struggled to get comfortable during this match.
Vangelis Moras – 5.5 – Risky
Squandered possession on multiple occasions and risked counter-attacks. Failed to stop Cuadrado for the winner.
Rafael Marquez – 6 – Experienced
Always composed in possession, showing his vast experience.
Alessandro Agostini – 6 – Combative
Stopped attacks and blocked shots, sometimes proving to be a vital defensive component when Verona were left exposed.
Artur Ionita – 6 – Gritty
Plenty of tackles from him but was lacking going forward.
Mounir Obbadi N/A
Came off after 9 minuted.
Emil Hallfredsson – 6.5- Steady
Steady and not spectacular, looked to lack an end product.
Panagiotis Tachtsidis – 6 – Inconsistent
Flickered sporadically but needs to add more consistency to his game to fully realise his potential and maximise his impact.
Nicolas Lopez – 7.5- Promising
Capped another fine performance with a goal and shows plenty of promise linking with his strike partner Luca Toni
Luca Toni – 8 – Dominant
Fantastic target man, showing experience and strength in abundance in aerial duels and hold-up play.
Substitutes
Gustavo Campanharo – 6- Decent
Came on and deputised well for the injured Obbadi.
Lazaros Christodoulopoulos – N/A
Came on for the last twenty minutes and didn’t fully impact the game.
Javier Saviola – N/A
Was only given ten minutes.
Fiorentina
Neto – 6 – Secure
Always a source of security between the sticks for La Viola.
Jose Maria Basanta – 5.5- Fading
Started well but faded quickly and became rather sloppy.
Gonzalo Rodriguez – 6 – Erroneous
Despite scoring, he made several mistakes in defence and needs to improve.
Stefan Savic – 6 – Solid
Fiorentina’s most assure defender, showing a lot of tactical intelligence and strength.
Juan Cuadrado – 7 – Mercurial
Finally came alive in the second half after a poor showing early on and showed his class by scoring the winning goal.
Borja Valero – 6.5 – Metronomic
Great presence in the middle for the men in purple, acting as a midfield fulcrum.
David Pizarro – 6.5 – Classy
Does a lot of things very well, a decent performance for the experienced midfielder.
Matias Fernandez – 6- Average
A fairly average display from the Argentine, has played better.
Marcos Alonso – 6.5 – Instrumental
Unlocked the defence with key passes and provided a perfect cross for Cuadrado for the winning goal.
Joaquin – 6.5- Indefatigable
Despite his age, still retains plenty of energy from his younger years.
Mario Gomez – 5.5- Impotent
Got involved but lacked a goal which he badly needs to lift his form.
Substitutes
Juan Vargas – 6.5 – Bright
Came on for 25 minutes at the right time and looked very hungry for possession.
Khouma Babacar – N/A
Played just over ten minutes.
Jasmin Kurtic – N/A
Played less than ten minutes.
