A chaotic 90 minutes lost any semblance of normality in stoppage time as Sampdoria and Fiorentina played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
The previous six meetings of this pair had seen both sides score and it was always unlikely for that would change on Sunday afternoon.
An early onslaught from the hosts eventually paid dividends after half an hour was played when debutant Luis Muriel announced himself to the Franchi excellently. Striding forward, the Colombian evaded Gaston Ramirez and drew Lorenzo Tonelli towards him, only to skip inside to space and slip a low finish past Emil Audero.
Grey clouds began to appear over the Tuscan hills and Edmilson Fernandes responded by taking some of the shine off what had been an impressive performance from the hosts as he saw red for a second needless yellow card after committing a ridiculous challenge that left referee Marco Di Bello with his easiest decision of the afternoon.
Samp were back on terms within five minutes through Gaston. It had been a half of ups and downs for the forward but he dispatched a sublime free-kick from near 30 yards that kissed the inside of the post on its way into the top corner, bringing many on all sides of the stadium to their feet in appreciative applause.
After the break Muriel added his second with his second and the game’s third top quality goal. Picking the ball up 10 yards inside his own half, he turned with a flick that left Tonelli for dead before galloping the length of the pitch to slot into Audero’s bottom corner.
Fabio Quagliarella responded to criticism from the Violaa suport as he made it ten-straight scoring Serie A games as he scored twice in quick succession to seemingly gift the points to Samp, only for German Pezzella to level in the final seconds.
Chiesa is top, Fernandes is a flop
From the first minute Federico Chiesa had Nicola Murru’s number and the Italian terrorised the Blucerchiati full-back from start to finish.
The 21-year-old was his usual direct self leaving Samp with no answer for his pace and trickery. He should have scored early but rather than let his head drop, he went and went again at the opposing defence, with just one thing in his mind when he got the ball – get into the box.
Jakub Jankto grew frustrated fast when Chiesa twisted and turned him into a state of humiliation in the second half and cynically brought him to ground, rightfully receiving a yellow card as a result.
In stark contrast to Chiesa though was Edmilson Fernandes who continued to provide evidence as to exactly why he shouldn’t be lining up for Stefano Pioli’s side.
It’s not a revelation that Pioli values structure and a work rate but what Fernandes gives in effort, he lacks in discipline and actual ability. His passing, tackling, shooting and everything else appears some way short of what is needed for Fiorentina right now.
Muriel the man
Fiorentina did well to beat AC Milan to the signing of the forward and he has already shown that he fits into the Viola attack perfectly.
When on form his speed and dynamism will complement Giovanni Simeone and Federico Chiesa beautifully and with a start like this under his belt, the Tuscans will be hoping that he can help them in their quest to qualify for Europe.
Muriel has shown enough times in the past though that he is capable of brilliance in short bursts, only for the flames to burn out faster than his coaches would like so it will be interesting to see how Pioli manages him for the rest of the season.
Eternal Quagliarella
With 19 goals Fabio Quagliarella celebrated his most fruitful season in front of goal in 2017/18 and with a double on Sunday he took his tally for this term to 14, giving him every chance of going one better again.
The near-36-year-old’s improvement as his career should be winding down has been incredible and as the key part of Marco Giampaolo’s frontline, he has found a second home in Liguria.
The relationship between the Napoli native and the Viola faithful has been anything but respectful since his loan spell in Florence back in 2003 and he seemed to get the last laugh with his sensationally rapid late double.
After converting a penalty to make it 2-2, Quagliarella was on the receiving end of taunts from the entire stadium, inspiring him to show all of his experience and clinical touch to send Samp ahead minutes later.
