The eventual winner from Gonzalo Rodríguez came inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour, and means that Fiorentina stay just about in contention for the Champions League. Still four points adrift of AC Milan with only six points left to play for, it sadly remains an unquestionably tough ask. As for Siena, their fourth straight defeat practically -- if not mathematically -- condemns them to Serie B. They need to win both of their remaining games and hope Genoa lose both of theirs if they are to stand any chance of survival.
Siena vs. Fiorentina, Final Score 0-1: Viola squeak past doomed Siena
The Tuscan derby didn’t turn out to be quite the football fest we’d hoped, with Fiorentina only beating the soon-to-be relegated Siena through an early goal.
Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetić went closest early on, as his volley from inside the box called Gianluca Pegolo into action inside the opening couple of minutes. The viola laid siege to the Siena box, and took the lead through Rodríguez after 13 minutes. The ball was pulled across the area by captain Manuel Pasqual, with Rodríguez touching the ball in from a position practically on the goal line.
Despite taking the lead so early, Fiorentina never looked completely comfortable. Siena were content to keep men behind the ball and play on the counter, though rarely managed to carve out chances of their own. Pegolo was forced into a great save to tip a long-range Borja Valero shot against the post, before Marcelo Larrondo failed to convert a one-on-one against his former club. Emiliano Viviano, by contrast, was barely troubled at all.
That changed in the second half, with the introduction of the lively Alessandro Rosina forcing a couple of saves from the viola keeper. Things began to get a little nervy for Fiorentina, who never managed to score the goal to kill the game. A Pasqual free-kick was tipped away by Pegolo before Luca Toni's shot hit the bar when it was easier to miss. It wasn't an impressive showing from the Champions League hopefuls, though they still come away with three points.
Siena: Gianluca Pegolo; Claudio Terzi, Christian Terlizzi, Jorge Teixeira; Matteo Rubin, Francesco Bolzoni (Alessandro Rosina 52), Adrián Calello, Ângelo (Alessio Sestu 81); Simone Vergassola, Reginaldo (Erjon Bogdani 64); Innocent Emeghara
Fiorentina: Emiliano Viviano;, Stefan Savić, Marvin Compper, Gonzalo Rodríguez; Manuel Pasqual, Matías Fernández (Rômulo 72), Giulio Migliaccio, Borja Valero, Juan Cuadrado; Marcelo Larrondo (Mounir El Hamdaoui 60), Stevan Jovetić (Luca Toni 81)
Goals: Rodríguez 14 (F)
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