Fiorentina suffers a loss in Udine
With rumors of an impending strike, the Fiorentina was unsure of playing in Udine on December 11. However, the Fiorentina went onto the pitch even though many of its starting players were injured. Mario Alberto Santana scored his first goal of the season at the 31st minute of the first half. In the second half of the match, Udinese players Pablo Armero and Antonio Di Natale each scored a goal to win the match 2-1.
Out of the TIM Cup
On December 14, the Fiorentina went to Parma to play a match for the qualifying round of the TIM Cup. Santana scored a goal in the 113th minute of play during the second overtime period. Parma striker Hernan Crespo followed by scoring two goals within the last few minutes of the match. The Fiorentina is out of the TIM Cup competition while Parma moves on to the quarterfinals.
Match against Inter postponed
The Fiorentina’s December 19 home game with Inter has been rescheduled for February 16 at 6:30pm.
Happy Birthday to Santana
Mario Alberto Santana celebrated his 29th birthday on December 23. The Argentine right winger, who has been with the club since 2006, has been playing in Italy since 2002, and acquired Italian citizenship two years ago.
Market begins
The official market for buying and selling players started on January 3 and will end on January 31. As of January 4, midfielder Papa Waigo is on loan to the Italian Serie B team, Grosseto. The club also announced that Alberto Gilardino is not for sale even though the media claimed that Juventus was interested in him.
Mutu walks out
On January 5, before the first match of the year, Adrian Mutu walked out of the training session. The club, which called the Romanian striker’s behavior ‘disrespectful,’ is planning to take legal action against him.
A draw for the Fiorentina to start the year
On January 6, in its first away game of 2011, the Fiorentina was losing after the first half when Bologna striker Marco Di Vaio scored after five minutes of play. In the second half, four minutes after Santana replaced Marco Marchionni, Santana scored a goal to tie the match, and the Fiorentina ended the game in a draw.
Mazda: team’s new sponsor
Mazda Motor Italia is now the official sponsor for the Fiorentina until the end of the 2013 season. Mazda CEO Wojciech Halarewicz stated, ‘We are certain to have found the right partner, a young, dynamic and nonconforming team.’
Fiorentina beats Brescia
The Fiorentina was losing at the end of the first half when Brescia players Alessandro Diamanti and Nicolas Cordova scored one goal each. It wasn’t until 32 minutes into the second half that Gilardino scored the team’s first goal. To follow up, Santana scored a goal at the 86th minute while Adem Ljajic scored only two minutes later, thus allowing the Fiorentina to win the match 3-2.
