Pre-match
Stefano Pioli set out a very odd XI with Pietro Comuzzo and Mattia Viti as the outside centerbacks (maybe he read my hit piece on Marin Pongračić) and Rolando “Please don’t use me in a deep midfield role”
Mandragora as the regista behind Simon Sohm and Cher Ndour. On the plus side, at least Alessandro Ferrari apologized for losing it at a fan on Sunday.
First half
As everyone predicted, Inter Milan immediately pinned their visitors back, dominating possession and territory as the visitors kept 10 behind the ball. Fiorentina was a bit spunkier than expected, though, and created a couple chances on the break to keep it interesting, with Moise Kean and Cher Ndour in particular causing some minor headaches for the Nerazzuri rear guard. Make no mistake, though: Inter was far superior, and only a couple of outstanding David de Gea saves, on Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco, kept this one scoreless at the half. When Simone Sozza blew for the break, you could almost feel the hope worming its way in.
Second half
The second half resumed the same patter as the first, except Inter turned the intensity up a bit. De Gea stepped outside his mind, making a series of absurd saves, and this started to look like the exact kind of game where the underdog somehow gets away with it. Right when you get the hour mark and it’s still even, you tart to think that mabye it’s going to happen, and the belief grows and ahaha joke’s on you because Fiorentina, like God, hates you. You personally. It was a brilliant strike by Hakan Çalhanoglu.
It took all of 5 minutes for Inter to double the lead. Lautaro Martínez held up the ball and laid it off for Petar Sučić, who was just too quick for Mandragora and rinsed Comuzzo en route to scoring a very nice goal.
That was pretty much that. Kean had a couple chances running in behind but couldn’t shake Yann Bisseck and sort his shooting boots at the same time. Fiorentina hurled bodies forward in desperation and got done on the counter after Inter cleared a rare Viola corner. Jacopo Fazzini let the ball bounce as the last man back and the hosts pounced. It ended with Ange-Yoan Bonny getting in behind and Mattia Viti scything him down. Red card, penalty, done. The rest was just messing around.
Full time
Goals: Çalhanoglu 66’ (ass. Barella) PK 88’, Sučić
Cards: Viti 49’ 86’; Esposito 65’
What’s next
It’s done. Fiorentina hasn’t produced a win through its first 9 Serie A games for the first time in club history. The 1977-1978 side can breathe a sigh of relief knowing it no longer owns that particular ignominy. The only positive is that Pioli and his players don’t have long to brood on this dubious record because they head home to face a Pantaleo Corvino-assembled Lecce in case we needed a little extra stank on it. If Pioli can’t turn things around in the next 3 (vs Lecce, at Mainza in the Conference League, at Genoa) he could well get the sack as the team heads into the international break. And who waits on the other side, you ask? Why, it’s Juventus, of course.
You live in hell. I’m sorry to be the one to inform you.
