Fiorentina suffers a loss at Franchi
On April 10, the current top-ranking team, Milan, came
to Franchi Stadium to play against the Fiorentina. After only eight minutes of
play, Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf scored a goal for Milan. The Fiorentina
tried to even the score, to no avail, and at the 41st minute, Brazilian striker
Alexandre Pato scored another goal for Milan. Although Viola left winger Juan
Manuel Vargas scored a goal for the Fiorentina 24 minutes into the second half,
the Fiorentina weren’t able to score another goal to even the score. The
Fiorentina have lost only four games at home this season, and this loss to
Milan was the Fiorentina’s second this year after losing to Inter in February.
Happy Birthday to Behrami and Donadel
Newcomer Valon Behrami, a Swiss national of Albanian
descent, celebrated his 26th birthday on April 15. Since joining the team as a
winger in January, Behrami has become a vital player to the team. He started
his career in Italy in 2002, played in England for three years, and returned to
Italy this year to be a part of the Fiorentina. Viola midfielder and vice captain
Marco Donadel turned 28 on April 21. He is in the last year of his contract
with the Fiorentina, and his future with the team is unsure. There is much
speculation that Donadel will be going to Genoa.
Match against arch rival ends in a draw
The highly anticipated match against Fiorentina’s arch
rival, Juventus, took place on April 17 at Franchi Stadium. Mihajlovic called
this match a derby that would be more important than all the others. Even
though the Fiorentina gave it their all, they were unable to score a goal.
Fortunately, neither did Juventus. The match ended in a draw, thus giving each
team one point in the Serie A rankings with the Fiorentina holding strong in
10th place.
Mutu opens the Melarancio Tournament
Adrian Mutu represented the ACF Fiorentina to open the
Melarancio Tournament in Scandicci, kicking the first ball of the opening game
on April 18. The tournament, in its 25th year, was founded by USD Casellina to
commemorate the 11 schoolchildren who perished in the Melarancio tunnel on the
A1 motorway during an organized trip in 1983.
