Fiorentina 1-0 Lazio: Match report and highlights

HONK HONK | Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images Pre-match Both sides had a lot of absences but Fiorentina (Moise Kean, Nicolò Fagioli, Fabiano Parisi, Marco Brescianini, Albert Guðmundsson, and Niccolò Fortini) had more than Lazio (Ivan Provedel, Mario Gila, Samuel Gigot, Adam Marušić, Nicolò Rovella, Daniel Maldini). Paolo Vanoli made the wacky choice to start Daniele Rugani at the back over Marin Pongračić and Pietro Comuzzo so maybe he was just punting this? With this edition of the Viola, it’s often hard to tell.

First half Lazio had the hosts on the back foot from the word go. David de Gea made a good stop on Mattia Zaccagni early and Matteo Cancellieri roasted Robin Gosens a few times, forcing the keeper into action; he also flapped at a cross that nearly made its way in but he was good enough. Fiorentina had a couple decent moments breaking forward, highlighting the visitors’ absences in midfield, but the Biancocelesti had all the ball and all the threat until one of those rare forays forward ended with Jack Harrison standing up a cross for the Goose to soar over Manuel Lazzari and head home via the post.

It was a vintage Gosens goal and the exact sort of strike you expect from a relegation struggler facing a better side. View Link As you’d expect for a Sarri team, Lazio kept pinging the ball around in an aesthetically pleasing manner without really frightening anyone and Fiorentina continued looking at least a little bit sprightly on the break. Michael Fabbri of course had a Moment, marking off a Viola corner to instead give Lazio a drop ball for some reason involving an advantage played after Gosens got crunched, maybe?

It was weird. Anyways, the half ended there and you know what? It was fine.