ACF Fiorentina got knocked out – this Monday evening by bottom-placed Monza. The negative trend that has lasted for weeks continues.
After 14 completed games in this Serie A season, many a Fiorentina fan had even dreamed of the championship – but 31 points with only one defeat were also an announcement. Since then, however, the worm has been in it – and the Tuscans are suddenly stumbling uncontrollably into Italy’s upper house.
This was also the case at the end of the 20th matchday, when they suffered a not undeserved 0-2 defeat at bottom-of-the-league AC Monza. It was already their fourth defeat in their last five league games – only in the 2-2 draw at record champions Juventus did they at least get a point.
Maldini’s favorite opponent
The favored Violets had even started quite well in Monza – including chances for Gudmundsson (5th) and Sottil (12th). A penalty kick after Pablo Mari’s boarding against Sottil was denied by the VAR, because there was too much show (19th).
As time went on, however, the home Lombards also found their feet – and after a close-range hammer from Bondo, Fiorentina goalkeeper de Gea was annoyed (24): the veteran was annoyed at the defensive behavior of his teammates.
This was especially true in minute 44, when Monza suddenly took the lead: after Daniel Maldini’s shot on goal and Florenz’s Comuzzo’s short clearance, the rushing Ciurria coolly shot into the bottom left corner. Maldini almost added to that before half-time (45.+2), but then postponed it until the second half of the game.
Maldini likes to score against Florence
Here, the guests from Tuscany continued to struggle and, apart from a good shot from distance by Gosens (60′), were short of ideas in attack. And so it was left to Maldini to make it 2-0: Paolo Maldini’s son and grandson of the late Cesare Maldini took a clean cross from Pedro Pereira and shot directly into the bottom left corner of de Gea’s goal, leaving him with no chance of defense (63′).
Incidentally, that was only the second goal of the season for the young international, who has been playing for Monza since January 2024. Curiously enough, he scored his first on the third matchday, of all days, in a 2-2 draw in Florence.
The Biancorossi finally held on for their second win of the season, only conceding a 1-2 (74th minute) from a Beltrani penalty, and gained new self-confidence in the relegation battle. Florence, on the other hand, once again came away empty-handed and is slowly feeling the pressure of the chasing pack (such as Milan) breathing down its neck.
