Como 0-2 Fiorentina: Match report and highlights

Cesc Fabregas trotted out old friend Patrick Cutrone to lead the line and wear the armband. Raffaele Palladino welcomed Danilo Cataldi back from injury as part of the no-doubt, first-choice XI. The funnier part was seeing Chris Pine and Benedict Cumberbatch in the stands. Never would’ve guessed them to be Lariani supporters but here we all are, spinning around the sun on this big rock.

It didn’t take long for the teams to establish a pattern: Fiorentina taking its time and trying to find the right pass to launch itself into a quick attack while Como waited for a mistake in possession to charge forward. There weren’t many early chances; Robin Gosens had a lovely cross that Lucas Beltrán nearly reached but there wasn’t a lot of action, at least until Edoardo Bove’s deflected cross reached Beltrán in the box, allowing el Vikingo to lay it off for an onrushing Yacine Adli. The midfielder produced as clean a strike as you’ll ever see and Emil Audero never had a chance even though it was right past his feet.

The goal didn’t really change much as Como didn’t want to risk leaving space for Fiorentina to break into and double the lead. The Lariani had a couple of half chances, mostly off Viola mistakes in possession. Moise Kean had a couple half chances that he couldn’t convert and Dodô looked dangerous breaking into space, but the visitors didn’t have the quality to create much. The hosts were even less dangerous, although Cutrone had a sniff right before the half, but Andrea Colpani did just enough to put him off. With 7 total shots in the half, it wasn’t exactly a classic.

Fabregas changed things up at the break, going to a back 3. It clearly threw the Viola off their stride as Como took the initiative, pinging the ball around and preventing Fiorentina from getting out of its own half. The closest the hosts came was a triple chance at the hour mark, but David de Gea denied Edoardo Goldaniga, Federico Barba, and Goldaniga again for an indescribable triple save off a free kick.

Palldino brought on Lucas Martínez Quarta and switched to a back 3 of his own, but it didn’t seem to help. As the Viola continued scuffling, the question of, “Where’s Kean?” grew louder and louder. Moise finally responded with a resounding “presente” after Riccardo Sottil dusted everyone down the wing, picked up his head, and threaded a cross to the striker, who delicately curled the ball into the top corner with his left. My goodness. What can you even do with this guy?

Como deserves credit for its response, piling on further pressure and causing a few awkward moments but ultimately lacking the quality to break through; Andrea Belotti in particular had a chance that he beefed pretty badly, but you watched him last year and already knew that. The only remaining drama was when Andrea Dossena gave Adli a little tap in the face off the ball in stoppage time. The Moroccan went down dramatically, the defender got a straight red, and that was that.

Goals: Adli 19’ (ass. Beltrán), Kean 68’ (ass. Sottil)

Cards: Paz 29’, Dossena 89’ and red 90’+1; Beltrán 58’

With the win, Fiorentina moves into a tie for 1st in Serie A with Atalanta and Inter Milan, trailing the former on goal difference (and head-to-head, but that doesn’t pop up in the standings until the return leg for some reason). That sets up quite the meeting with the Nerazzurri next week. The Viola will be underdogs but, having won 7 straight in the league, there’s a chance. And with Kean, whose 9 goals trail just Mateo Retegui, there’s maybe even a decent chance.

Before that, of course, there’s a Conference League meeting with Pafos on Thursday, which the team will doubtless see as an opportunity from some revenge after its defeat against another Cypriot side in APOEL. Palladino will doubtless rotate the side considerably, but there should be enough quality in there to come away with something as the group stage (?) starts winding down.