Fiorentina delivered a dominant performance against long-time rivals Juventus, securing a resounding 3-0 victory that keeps them firmly in contention for a top-four finish.
Goals from Robin Gosens, Rolando Mandragora, and Albert Gudmundsson deepened the struggles of Thiago Motta’s side, which now finds itself slipping to fifth place in Serie A.
Fresh off their 3-1 triumph over Panathinaikos that secured a spot in the Conference League quarter-finals, Fiorentina entered the match without Andrea Colpani and Edoardo Bove.
However, they were boosted by the return of Rolando Mandragora and Nicolò Zaniolo from suspension.
Juventus, still reeling from a shocking 4-0 home defeat to Atalanta that ended a five-game winning streak, had to cope with the continued absences of Douglas Luiz, Arek Milik, Gleison Bremer, and Juan Cabal. Notably, Moise Kean, Nicolò Fagioli, and Nico Gonzalez faced off against their former club.
Despite concerns about the match proceeding due to severe flooding in Florence, the game went ahead as planned, beginning with a minute’s silence in memory of Fiorentina director Joe Barone, who passed away a year ago.
The hosts wasted no time taking control, breaking the deadlock through a set-piece opportunity.
Robin Gosens initially saw his header from a Danilo Cataldi corner blocked by Renato Veiga, but he reacted swiftly to fire home a powerful volley from ten yards out.
Fiorentina doubled their lead moments later when Kean nodded down a long ball to Fagioli, who delivered a clever pass through the center. Mandragora capitalized, maintaining his composure to send a precise left-footed shot past Michele Di Gregorio into the far bottom corner.
Juventus attempted to respond after the break, with Weston McKennie seeing a volley blocked by Luca Ranieri in the six-yard box.
However, the Bianconeri struggled to create genuine threats in attack.
Fiorentina extended their advantage when Fagioli found Gudmundsson in midfield. The Icelandic playmaker seized the opportunity, driving forward before unleashing a stunning strike that zipped through Veiga’s legs and nestled into the near bottom corner.
The margin could have been even greater, but Kean was flagged offside after dispossessing Veiga and scoring into an empty net.
At the other end, Gosens continued to shine, making a crucial acrobatic clearance to deny Teun Koopmeiners’ dangerous cross.
Juventus’ best chance came from Khephren Thuram, but his tame effort was easily collected by veteran goalkeeper David De Gea.
The night ended on a sour note for Juve as Andrea Cambiaso limped off with an ankle injury. With seven goals conceded in their last two matches, Juventus’ slide down to fifth place marks a troubling period for Motta’s squad.
