Veneziavs
FiorentinaVenezia had the ball. Venezia lost the game. That about covers it at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, where Fiorentina came in with 37 percent possession and left with four goals, a clean three-point margin, and a Franco Mastantuono hat trick that nobody on the home side had an answer for.
The opening half hour looked like it might go differently. Akor Adams gave Venezia the lead at 22 minutes, finishing off a Gianluca Busio assist to reward the home side's early control. They were moving it well — 560 passes on the night, 90 percent accuracy — and looked comfortable enough. Then the roof caved in.
Seven minutes after going behind, Fiorentina were level. Álex Jiménez found Mastantuono, and the Argentine finished. Then, cabal, one minute later Beto turned provider and Mastantuono did it again. Two goals in sixty seconds. Venezia went into the break having dominated possession and trailing by one. Their ten shots would eventually yield only three on target all night, and the goalkeeper behind them made six saves. The numbers told a story the scoreline confirmed.
Mastantuono Finishes the Job
The second half belonged to Fiorentina without much argument. Mateo Pellegrino made it 3-1 at 66 minutes, converting a Nicolò Fagioli assist to kill whatever slim hope Venezia were carrying out of the dressing room. Joel Schingtienne had already picked up a yellow in the first half, Simon Sohm added one at 73, and the home side were running out of everything — time, legs, ideas.
Mastantuono completed the hat trick with a header at 84 minutes, his third of the night and Fiorentina's fourth. El patojo was everywhere, and Venezia simply had no answer. Antoine Hainaut pulled one back two minutes later off a Ridgeciano Haps assist to make it 4-2, but by then the contest was long settled.
Our pre-match read called this one too close to split — and for about 22 minutes, that looked right. Then Mastantuono happened.
Fiorentina's efficiency was almost absurd. Nineteen shots, ten on target, four goals, one save required from their goalkeeper. Venezia had nearly twice the possession and generated almost nothing dangerous with it. That's a bad combination, and it's been a bad start to the season for the home side, who are now five straight defeats deep.
Fiorentina, meanwhile, are breathing again after a rough patch of their own. The question now is whether Mastantuono can sustain this — three goals in one night from a young player is a statement, not a sample size, but it's the kind of performance that will have people paying attention. For Venezia, the problems look structural. Winning 62 percent of the ball and losing 4-2 isn't a fluke. That's a team that will need to figure out how to actually hurt people, and fast.
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