Mastantuono and Valdepeñas Strike Late as Fiorentina Overpower Sassuolo 4-2
Fiorentina climbed the Serie A table with a 4-2 away victory against Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium, Città del Tricolore on November 2, 2026, lifting Paolo Vanoli’s side past their opponents on matchday 10. The fixture swung on second-half tactical adjustments and clinical late finishing that neutralized an energetic opening from the hosts.
Tactical Shifts and Late Decisiveness Fuel Fiorentina Comeback
Sassuolo absorbed early pressure despite registering lower overall possession, breaking the deadlock against the run of play on 25 minutes when Sebastiano Esposito released Armand Laurienté on the counter-attack to drill a low shot past David de Gea. Fiorentina maintained sustained territorial pressure, equalizing in first-half stoppage time when Alieu Njie fed Mateo Pellegrino inside the box for a composed finish.
Fiorentina
clubThe visitors seized control immediately after the restart as Marco Brescianini released Njie to fire a low effort from outside the area into the bottom-right corner on 50 minutes. Although Laurienté restored parity for Sassuolo on 65 minutes by meeting Nemanja Matić’s cross at a tight angle, Fiorentina’s bench reinforcements altered the spatial geometry of the match.
Substitute Pedro Gonçalves unlocked the defensive block on 79 minutes, laying off to Franco Mastantuono to finish clinically into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the box. Víctor Valdepeñas ultimately secured the three points in injury time, converting following an assist from Cher Ndour to wrap up a six-goal encounter.
Franco Mastantuono
player| Statistic | Sassuolo | Fiorentina |
|---|---|---|
| Possession % | 58 | 42 |
| Total Shots | 7 | 15 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 6 |
| Shots off Target | 1 | 6 |
| Blocked Shots | 4 | 3 |
| Corners | 5 | 3 |
| Offsides | 4 | 12 |
| Fouls | 12 | 15 |
- 25′, Goal (Sassuolo): Armand Laurienté scores, assisted by Sebastiano Esposito. (1-0)
- 40′, Yellow Card (Sassuolo): Ibrahim Sulemana.
- 42′, Yellow Card (Fiorentina): Radu Drăgușin.
- 44′, Yellow Card (Fiorentina): Alieu Njie.
- 45+2′, Goal (Fiorentina): Mateo Pellegrino scores, assisted by Alieu Njie. (1-1)
- 50′, Goal (Fiorentina): Alieu Njie scores, assisted by Marco Brescianini. (1-2)
- 65′, Goal (Sassuolo): Armand Laurienté scores, assisted by Nemanja Matić. (2-2)
- 79′, Goal (Fiorentina): Franco Mastantuono scores, assisted by Pedro Gonçalves. (2-3)
- 90+2′, Yellow Card (Fiorentina): Wilfried Gnonto.
- 90+3′, Goal (Fiorentina): Víctor Valdepeñas scores, assisted by Cher Ndour. (2-4)
- 90+6′, Yellow Card (Sassuolo): Gabriel Kulla.
Physical duels across the central corridor prompted regular interventions from the refereeing crew during a combative first period, resulting in cautions for Ibrahim Sulemana, Radu Drăgușin, and Alieu Njie before the interval.
Referee Marcenaro paused play following Armand Laurienté’s 65th-minute equalizer to conduct a pitchside review examining a potential handball in the build-up phase, ultimately confirming the goal after assessing the sequence.