ACF Fiorentina recorded a fortunate 3-2 victory against 10-man Genoa at Florence’s Artemio Franchi Stadium on March 17, taking them up to fourth place in Serie A and four points clear of rivals Inter Milan heading into the international break.
Creative midfielder Alberto Aquilani put the Viola ahead after 33 minutes, when he tapped in Adem Ljajić’s pass. Genoa was revitalised after the break, and Daniele Portanova headed past Viola goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano after 59 minutes. Winger Guillermo Cuadrado restored Fiorentina’s lead just after the hour mark with an opportunistic goal, but again Genoa drew level, this time through a goal from Luca Antonelli. With 10 minutes of regular time left, and for the third time in the game, the Viola went ahead; Genoa player Mattia Cassani scored an own-goal when the ball bounced off him from a corner.
NEXT UP. ACF Fiorentina will play Cagliari away in Sardinia on March 30 at 3pm, and will then face rival AC Milan at Florence’s Artemio Franchi Stadium on April 7 at 12:30pm.
CLUB NEWS. January signing Giuseppi Rossi has arrived in Florence. The Italian-American striker had been continuing his recovery post–knee operation in New York, but will now continue with his recovery alongside his new teammates in Florence. The 26-year-old has not played competitive football since October 2011, when he snapped the same ligament twice. Rossi told journalists: ‘When will I be playing again? We’ll see; we’re taking it slow. At this moment I am thinking about my knee and the recovery; then I’ll think about a partnership with Stevan Jovetic.’
