STADIO ARTEMIO FRANCHI (Florence) – An inspired performance from Bartlomiej Dragowski ensured that Fiorentina kept third straight clean sheet but it wasn’t enough to build on their recent momentum as they were held to a scoreless draw by 19th-placed Genoa.
It’s the first time in almost two years that La Viola have managed three clean sheets on the bounce in Serie A, which came thanks to Dragowski displaying his full repertoire of stops, but they weren’t able to capitalise at the other end.
Fiorentina started the brighter of the two sides and had Genoa camped out in front of the Curva Fiesole for the opening exchanges.
With the Grifone sitting deep, it took Martin Caceres to try his luck from range to register the game’s first strike and Nikola Milenkovic came close soon after as his header bounced off the crossbar.
But then with 13 minutes played Genoa were awarded a penalty with what seemed like their first venture forward. German Pezzella was left looking foolish as he let Andrea Favilli beat him to a ball and then needlessly fouled the Genoa player.
Domenico Criscito assumed responsibility but the captain’s effort was weak, central, and Dragowski managed to stop it with his feet as he dived to his left.
Federico Chiesa had a couple of chances but never troubled Mattia Perin in the Rossoblu goal.
The first chance after the break fell to Stefano Sturaro. Inside five minutes of the restart he wandered into space at the back post to meet a flicked-on corner, but he somehow swiped and completely missed the ball in front of goal.
Patrick Cutrone’s first real sighter came after some fine and fluid buildup. Pol Lirola centred to Marco Benassi who, in turn, put the ball over the top to Cutrone but from a tough angle his volley started too far wide to curl its way back in and on target.
Lirola delivered another troubling cross but there was nobody on hand to meet it.
Gaetano Castrovilli was withdrawn midway through the half after voluntarily going down off the ball, raising concern around the Franchi.
Valentin Eysseric came on in his place and he had two shots from outside the area that threatened Perin and raised the volume around the ground.
Milenkovic almost thumped into his own goal late on but for Dragowski to put his chest in the way before having to be at full stretch to turn over a Davide Biraschi header from the resulting corner.
The Pole then turned his heroics up a notch when Andrea Pinamonti broke through in the 89th minute, staying big and pulling off a save with his feet.
La Viola continued to probe in the six minutes that were added on in stoppages, but they couldn’t find a way to goal.
