Fiorentina ran out 5-2 winners against Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday evening.
La Viola went 3-0 up through Alberto Aquilani, Giuseppe Rossi and Mario Gomez before Alberto Gilardino pulled one back for the home team. Rossi then added a fourth for the visitors before Francesco Lodi and Gomez fired home penalties to round off the scoring.
Rossi missed a golden opportunity in the second minute with Nenad Tomovic passing to Borja Valero who fed the ball to Mario Gomez in the box. Gomez hit the bottom of the post and from the rebound Italian international Rossi blazed his shot past the left upright when he should have made it 1-0 to his side.
Antonio Floro Flores then tried an ambitious early strike from 35 yards which failed to trouble Neto. Alberto Gilardino was better-positioned on the right and Flores would have done well to pick out his teammate.
Aquilani opened the scoring for the away side in the 10th minute. A corner from Valero was lofted in to the penalty area and missed by everyone except the unmarked Aquilani, who headed into the bottom left of the goal and left Rossoblu ‘keeper Mattia Perin flat on his back.
Rossi then made it 2-0 out of virtually nothing with a speculative effort in the 14th minute, as Perin made a terrible error between the sticks. The Italian international struck the ball on the volley from outside the box, and the spin of the ball took the young ‘keeper by surprise. He got down to it, but it hit him in his mid-rift and spun into the back of the net.
Pasqual sent a teasing cross into the box moments later which Gomez stretched to reach but narrowly missed, while down the other end Alberto Gilardino had a good chance to pull one back for the home side. However, his free header from Mario Santana’s cross ended up in the awaiting arms of Neto.
Genoa had a shout for a penalty when the ball struck Gonzalo Rodriguez on the arm in the penalty box, however the referee waved away the protests, and it would have been a harsh call from the official had he given it.
Gomez found the back of the net in the 40th minute from 5 yards after some smart play down the left. Valero passed the ball to Pasqual, who crossed the ball into a dangerous area for Gomez. The German side-footed it into the back of the net at the near post.
A miskick from Marvin Compper almost saw him score an own goal at the end of the first period, but Neto took no chances, tipping the ball over the bar. Fiorentina were very much in control going into the break despite Genoa having a flurry of 10 corners before the whistle was blown.
Antonelli had a good low shot at the centre of the goal saved by Neto early in the second period, with Neto getting down well to save the shot after the Genoa defender found himself in space on the left. Genoa were much more aggressive after the interval and pressed Fiorentina into losing possession.
Gilardino capped off some great pressure from the home side in the 56th minute with an exquisite right-footed volley from the right side of goal into the bottom left corner. A great lofted ball was played forward by Francesco Lodi which Gilardino finished brilliantly first time.
Rossi then hit back seconds later for the visitors in the 56th. a great through ball from Valero to Aquilani was crossed into the penalty area for Rossi, who opened up his body and slotted the ball home into the bottom left corner.
Gilardino was hauled down in the box by Compper on 58 minutes and awarded a penalty which Lodi converted confidently, calmly placing the ball into the left side of the net as the goalkeeper went the wrong way.
Genoa almost scored again soon after as Neto smothered a close-range shot from Gilardino, but the play was pulled back for a foul on Tomovic which eased the pressure on the Gigliati defence.
Aquilani fired just wide after being assisted by Rossi on the edge of the box. Some great interplay from Fiorentina resulted in dangerous shot which flashed just wide of the left upright.
With Tomovic going down injured, the play was paused, slowing the momentum of the game down and with Genoa manager Fabio Liverani complaining to the referee that the player was not taken from the pitch. The game slowed considerably after the home team’s penalty, as Neto then went down injured following a clash in the box with Gilardino.
Gilardino then went down again in the box after a wonderful lofted pass from Lodi, and calls for a penalty were waved away by the referee. On second glance, it was clearly not a penalty, which the striker was honest in acknowledging.
Perin saved what looked like a certain goal from Gomez after Matias Fernandez picked the ball up in the midfield and played the German international through on the left, with his shot being tipped just wide.
In stoppage time with Genoa chasing the game Sampirisi took down Fernandez in the penalty area giving away a clear penalty and picking up his second yellow card of the game, after his first in the 70th minute. Gomez slotted away the penalty in the bottom left, capping off a dominant performance for the Tuscan giants.
