Fiorentina cruised to an emphatic 6-0 victory over a 10-man Lecce at the Stadio Ettore Giardiniero on Sunday, stretching their unbeaten run to five games across all competitions.
The dominant display saw La Viola tighten up their defense once again, conceding just two goals in their last five matches.
For Lecce, the international break provided little respite, as they slumped to yet another defeat, now winless in six (D2, L4), with a string of toothless performances dragging them into the relegation zone.
The match started on a promising note for Fiorentina, who took control early.
Danilo Cataldi opened the scoring 20 minutes in with a superb first-time strike from the edge of the area, his maiden goal for the club.
The ball rocketed low into the bottom-left corner, leaving Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone with no chance.
This early blow rattled the hosts, and their defense began to crack under Fiorentina’s relentless pressure.
Fiorentina doubled their advantage 15 minutes later. Falcone’s weak save fell kindly for Andrea Colpani, who unleashed a clinical rebound from the edge of the box, slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner.
With Lecce two goals down, the pressure mounted, and disaster struck just before halftime when Antonino Gallo was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge on Fiorentina’s Dodo.
Down to 10 men and staring at a mountain to climb, Lecce’s hopes of a comeback quickly faded.
To compound their misery, Cataldi made no mistake from the resulting free-kick. His perfectly-placed effort curled into the top-right corner, giving Fiorentina a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.
With Lecce in disarray, Luca Gotti attempted to salvage the situation with a trio of changes during halftime, but his efforts did little to stem the tide.
Fiorentina picked up right where they left off, and within nine minutes of the restart, Colpani netted his second goal of the game.
After his initial effort was blocked by Falcone, Colpani remained alert, volleying home the rebound with authority into the top-left corner, putting the result beyond any doubt.
La Viola’s onslaught continued as Lucas Beltrán joined the scoring spree just after the hour mark. Christian Kouame’s precise cutback found Beltrán unmarked in the six-yard box, and the Argentine striker calmly tapped the ball into the empty net, further exposing Lecce’s fragile defense.
The humiliation was complete when Fabiano Parisi’s deflected strike from distance looped into the top-left corner, adding Fiorentina’s sixth goal with 20 minutes still to play.
Lecce, already reeling, could do little but hold on to prevent further embarrassment as Fiorentina eased through the closing stages.
This comprehensive victory lifts Fiorentina to fifth place in the Serie A standings, solidifying their push for European qualification.
On the other hand, Lecce’s struggles deepen as they languish in 18th place, having now endured three consecutive league defeats without scoring. With their form plummeting, Lecce face a growing battle to avoid being sucked further into the relegation mire.
