4-2 Away Win Lifts Fiorentina Clear of Drop Zone as Mastantuono Hits Three
Fiorentina climbed out of the Serie A relegation zone into 15th place following a 4-2 victory over Venezia at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on Friday. Real Madrid loanee Franco Mastantuono delivered a breakout performance, scoring a hat-trick to grant returning head coach Paolo Vanoli his first three points of the season.
The result leaves Venezia rooted to the bottom of the Serie A standings without a point after four matches, carrying a minus-eight goal difference. Fiorentina moved up to three points, recovering from an opening run of three winless games under previous manager Fabio Grosso.
Fiorentina
clubMastantuono Strikes Twice in Two Minutes Before Counter-Attacks Punish Venezia
Vanoli altered five outfield positions from the previous fixture, handing forward Beto his full club debut in a reworked starting lineup. Despite Fiorentina controlling the early chance creation, Venezia seized the lead in the 22nd minute when Gianluca Busio slipped a pass into the penalty area for Akor Adams to finish first-time into the far corner.
Fiorentina produced a swift response, leveling seven minutes later through a sharp individual effort. Álex Jiménez fed Mastantuono on the right wing, allowing the 19-year-old midfielder to cut inside onto his left foot and shoot past goalkeeper Filip Stankovic in the 29th minute.
Franco Mastantuono
playerSixty seconds later, Venezia defender Ridgeciano Haps slipped while attempting to build out from the back, enabling Beto to gain possession and lay the ball off to Mastantuono. The Argentine midfielder struck his second left-footed effort into the far corner to hand the visitors a lead they would hold for the remainder of the contest.
Venezia pressed higher in search of an equalizer early in the second half, holding 63 percent possession overall, but exposed space behind their high defensive line. Substitute Mateo Pellegrino capitalized in the 66th minute, collecting a pass from Nicolò Fagioli on the break, a swift transition from defense to attack, before slotting his shot into the bottom corner.
Mastantuono completed his hat-trick in the 84th minute, timing his run to collect a lofted pass from Cher Ndour and converting the second attempt after his initial chip ricocheted off Stankovic. Venezia added a late goal in the 86th minute when Antoine Hainaut volleyed home a deep cross from Haps.
Match Key Statistics
| Metric | Venezia | Fiorentina |
|---|---|---|
| Possession % | 63% | 37% |
| Total Shots | 11 | 19 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 10 |
| Corners | 2 | 4 |
| Fouls Committed | 10 | 6 |
Match Timeline
- 22′ Goal: Akor Adams (Venezia), assist by Gianluca Busio
- 29′ Goal: Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina), assist by Álex Jiménez
- 30′ Goal: Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina), assist by Beto
- 38′ Yellow Card: Joel Schingtienne (Venezia)
- 66′ Goal: Mateo Pellegrino (Fiorentina), assist by Nicolò Fagioli
- 84′ Goal: Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina)
- 86′ Goal: Antoine Hainaut (Venezia), assist by Ridgeciano Haps
Disciplinary action was sparse throughout the 90 minutes, with defender Joel Schingtienne receiving Venezia’s lone yellow card in the 38th minute following a foul in the defensive third.
Fiorentina advance to 15th place with three points and a minus-six goal difference heading into Matchday 5 of the Serie A season.