Serie
A: Cagliari 1 – 0 Fiorentina
The Fiorentina fell to yet another road defeat on November 16, this time
to lowly Cagliari. Playing again without
talisman Adrian Mutu, who is tending to a knee injury, Fiorentina lacked any
real creativity and spark, rarely threatening the Cagliari goal. The Viola were
a bit unlucky after Cagliari was awarded a somewhat dubious first-half penalty
for a foul on Roberto Aquafresca, which the striker converted with ease into
the only goal of the game. Conversely, officials turned a blind eye late to an
apparent foul on Alberto Gilardino. Protests ensued but they were futile, and
the team was forced to accept defeat.
Serie
A: Fiorentina
4 – 2 Udinese
Fiorentina won a vital three points in an entertaining and high-scoring
affair against visitors Udinese on November 22. Billed as a must-win match for
both sides, Fiorentina overcame a dreadful first-half performance to score four
second-half goals and clinch the much-needed victory. Udinese were by far the
better team in the opening 45 minutes, forcing Sebastien Frey into several
acrobatic stops prior to Udine’s Antonio Floro Flores splendid curling shot
from outside the area. Whistled off the field at half time, the Viola returned
a completely different team, taking an almost immediate lead with goals by
Adrian Mutu and Riccardo Montolivo and scoring twice more before Udinese
claimed their second goal in the final minutes.
