Pre-match
Stefano Pioli ignored the preseason directive to get Tommaso Martinelli into cup games and stuck with David de Gea in goal. Cher Ndour and Nicolò Fagioli got rare starts in midfield while Edin Džeko replaced
the suspended Moise Kean up front. It was nice to see old friend Tomáš Ujfaluši back at the Artemio Franchi, though. He started his career at Sigma before spending the majority of his career in Florence so it was a fun moment for him.
First half
From the opening whistle, Fiorentina was clearly a level or two above Sigma. Their press caused the visitors all kinds of trouble and won them the ball in promising positions. The Czechs also pressed high up and gave the hosts a lot of space to attack in behind, and the Viola duly ran Roberto Piccoli down the right-hand channel time and again. It paid off before the half hour mark when he met Ndour’s header through following a scruffy passage of play in the middle and finished really well for his first goal in the purple shirt.
Sigma naively pushed forward and left even more space for Fiorentina to attack. Piccoli’s pace and movement created constant problems, particularly for hefty defender Jan Král, and opened space for everyone else. Weirdly enough, it was Luca Ranieri who stung the bar (Dodô turned home the rebound but was offside) and Ndour came close as well but it was pretty much the Piccoli show. David Tkáč had a good curled effort that forced de Gea into a save but that was the visitors’ only shot on frame.
Second half
The second half continued the themes of the first: Fiorentina pressed high and caused Sigma all manner of trouble, while Sigma tried to do the same and were carved apart time and again. There were hiccups—de Gea was forced into another good save and Marin Pongračić produced his requisite bonehead pass out the back—but it never really felt like the Viola were in danger of losing the lead; Sigma simply didn’t have the quality as the good guys calmly saw out the win, and Ndour put the bow on it with a fantastic goal just before the death.
Full time
Goals: Piccoli 27’ (ass. Ndour), Ndour 90’+5 (ass. Guðmundsson)
Cards: Fagioli 25’, Ndour 62’, de Gea 86’; Kostadinov 64’
What’s next
Let’s start with the good part: Fiorentina won! For the first time in 5 games! In a real competition! (I’m not counting the Conference League playoff against Polissya.) Piccoli scored! Clean sheet! Dancing badgers! A time machine back to middle school and a second chance to kick the ass of everyone who bullied you!
Snap back to reality. A trip to the capital to take on joint-leaders AS Roma looms on Sunday. The Giallorossi have the 2nd-most goals in Serie A so far (10) and are coming off a truly bizarre loss to LOSC today that featured them missing 3 penalties in a rowe, which shouldn’t be possible. Gian Piero Gasperini has hit the ground running and will doubtless have the Lupi howling to return to winning ways; it’s going to be a tough game, is what I’m saying.
