Fiorentina-Empoli 2-1, a two-faced match for the Azzurri

Florence, 27 April 2025 – Un Empoli with two faces - bad in the first half, good in the second - narrowly loses, 2-1, the derby with Fiorentina at the "Franchi", on the fifth to last day of the Serie A championship. The president's team Courses remains in second-to-last place in the standings with 25 points, 1 point behind Lecce, who will play tonight in Bergamo against Atalanta. Empoli, who have not won in 19 games (since the 4-1 in Verona on 8 December 2024), have 4 rounds of the tournament left to save themselves. The liveliness shown by solbakken in Bologna in the Italian Cup he convinces D'Aversa to field him from the start, leaving Colombo on the bench. Ismajli and Anjorin among the owners.

The first half, however, is all about the Viola. In the 4th minute, a wrong throw by Pongracic and chaos in the Fiorentina area: Ranieri fixes it. In the 7th minute the team coached by Palladino, who has reached his 150th bench, breaks the deadlock: action in the Viola half of the pitch that starts from Judicial and it ends with the former Milan player, launched vertically, who finds himself one-on-one with Vasquez and freezes him with a sweet and precise shot. In the quarter of an hour Solbakken's defensive lightness: he almost takes advantage of it Ranieri (save all Ismajli).

In the 25th minute the lilies doubled their lead: assist from Adli, author of a precise cross from the right, Mandrake he lifts the ball in the center of the area and quickly tips it into the goal: a splendid goal. In the 43rd minute Fazzini's goal is disallowed: Solbakken crosses when the ball was out of the field. It's a Empoli more reactive in the second half: D'Aversa immediately brings on Henderson and Colombo in place of Anjorin and Solbakken respectively. At the 11th attempt from distance on the fly by Esposito, he saves De Gea.

Not even a minute later, the Azzurri shorten the score: it's Fazzini to score from the center of the area, after receiving a nice ball from the right by Goglichidze. In the 20th minute, Folorunsho kicks forcefully from 24 meters, but the ball ends up wide. In the 21st minute, a fine turn by Gudmundsson, left culpably alone in the area: Vasquez he gets excited, putting the ball in the corner. In the 28th minute Zaniolo serves Gosens, who shoots diagonally hitting the outside of the net.

In the 45th minute Kovalenko misses the winning deflection from close range: De Gea blocks confidently. In the 46th minute a shot from Kovalenko from the edge: De Gea saves himself, the shot is powerful, but central. If he wants to keep his Serie A, theEmpoli must find success again: it's almost a miracle that he's only at -1 having not won in 19 rounds.

TABLE

FIORENTINA – EMPOLI 2-1

FIORENTINA (3-5-2): De Gea; Pongracic, Marì, Ranieri (14' st Comuzzo); Folorunsho (25' st Parisi), Mandragora, Cataldi, Adli (14' st Richardson), Gosens; Gudmundsson (37' st Fagioli), Beltran (25' st Zaniolo). Subs: Terracciano, Martinelli, Moreno, Ndour, Caprini. Coach: Palladino.

EMPOLI (3-4-2-1): Vasquez; Goglichidze (44' st Sambia), Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Grassi (31' st Kovalenko), Anjorin (1' st Henderson), Pezzella; Fazzini (37' st Konate), Solbakken (1' st Colombo); Esposito. Subs: Seghetti, Silvestri, Brancolini, Marianucci, Tosto, Bacci, Campaniello, De Sciglio, Asmussen. Coach: D'Aversa.

REFEREE: Rapuano of Rimini.

MARKERS: 7' Adli, 25' pt Mandragora; 12' st Fazzini.

NOTES: serene day. Yellow cards: Beltran, Anjorin, Henderson, Ranieri, Mandragora. Corners: 1-5. Injury time: 1', 6'.