Fiorentina recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Inter Milan at the Artemio Franchi on Sunday. It was Inter's second consecutive three-goal defeat, as the pressure continues to build on coach Walter Mazzarri. Fiorentina, meanwhile, will be hoping this victory will finally kickstart their campaign.
Fiorentina vs. Inter Milan: Final score 3-0, Viola record comfortable victory
Fiorentina recorded an excellent 3-0 win over Inter Milan on Sunday.
Tullio M. Puglia
It took just seven minutes for Fiorentina to break the deadlock, through a wonderful goal from their strike starlet Khouma Babacar. The Senegalese forward wriggled free of his marker and lashed a rocket of a shot straight into the top corner, with Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanović powerless to do anything but watch it sail straight into the back of the net.
Mauro Icardi almost produced a response for Inter just five minutes later, but his effort from the edge of the box curled just wide of the target. It would prove to be a costly miss, as it came shortly before Juan Cuadrado's stunning 19th minute strike that doubled Fiorentina's advantage. The Colombian international drove into space and curled the ball into the bottom corner from 20 metres out.
It was very almost game, set and match in just the 26th minute, though Cuadrado flicked Jasmin Kurtić‘s drilled cross wide under pressure in the penalty area.
Inter barely produced a single first half chance of note after Icardi’s early miss, and only once did they call Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto into action. A great drilled shot from wing-back Dodô, with just over five minutes of the half remaining, skimmed off the turf in front of the viola goal, forcing his compatriot into a fine diving save.
Inter saw more possession early in the second half, but they still struggled to carve out any real goalscoring chances. Only a great save from Handanović prevented Fiorentina sealing the points just past the hour, as he got down to deny Cuadrado from point-blank range.
However, Handanović failed to stop Nenad Tomović icing the cake with just over 10 minutes of the game left. A surging run from the Serbian defender saw him charge straight through the Inter defence, before drilling a low shot inside Inter’s near post.
From there, the nerazzurri had a couple of attempts from distance, but Neto was equal to ambitious efforts from both Hernanes and Danilo D’Ambrosio. They succumbed to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat, with only a last-gasp save from Handanović and subsequent goalline clearance from Juan Jesus preventing substitute Josh Brillante from adding a fourth in stoppage time.
Fiorentina: Neto; Alonso, Savić, Rodríguez, Tomović; Aquilani, Pizarro, Kurtić; Cuadrado (Brillante 86’), Fernández (Vargas 78’); Babacar (Bernardeschi 65’).
Goals: Babacar (7’), Cuadrado (19’), Tomović (76’).
Inter Milan: Handanović; Jesus, Vidić, Ranocchia (Hernanes 59’); Dodô (Obi 67’), Medel, Kovačić, M’Vila, D’Ambrosio; Icardi, Osvaldo (Palacio 75’).
Goals: None.
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