Lots of emotions at the Gewiss Stadium, with the Bergamo team missing out on overtaking Juve in third place. Belotti scored a double in the Viola. Concern for Scalvini: knee knocked out and Euro 2024 at risk
With the recovery of the 29th matchday of Serie A the curtain falls on Serie A 2023-2024. At the Gewiss Stadium, Fiorentina beat Atalanta 3-2, doing Juventus a favor as they finished the championship in third place ahead of the Bergamo side. The goals all in the first half: it opens Belotti in the 6th minute (diving header), then the equaliser Lookman with a precise scavettto (12′). Viola comes back forward with a nice left-footed volley Nico Gonzalez (19′), but was caught again in the 32nd minute with a low shot from Scalvini: first goal of the season in Serie A for the defender in the final he hurt his left knee and now seriously risks missing Euro 2024. In injury time in the first half, a brace from Rooster, who beats Carnesecchi from a few steps away (47′). In the second half Pasalic’s crossbar and chances for Miranchuk and Scamacca. Fiorentina was already certain of participating in the Conference League again. Last career direction for referee Daniele Orsato.
THE MATCH
The end of the championship features a team to which Europe has given immortality and another which instead experienced a crushing defeat for the second year in a row. In the end the second place prevailed, i.e. Fiorentina, which had a surge of pride probably also in the memory of the late Joe Barone and closed the Italian cycle with a prestigious victory which counted for nothing for its ranking, given that Viola were already certain of eighth place and participation in the Conference League.
The most classic of the end-of-season matches takes place at the Gewiss Stadium, with dancing defenses and lots of emotions. There were five goals in the first half alone, with the festival starting after just 6′: Castrovilli’s cross, Belotti’s diving header which left Carnesecchi dead. The Dea responded immediately and equalized in the 12th minute: a delicious through ball from De Ketelaere for Lookman who went past Martinelli with a lob and equalised. Viola are dangerous especially on the left and in the 19th minute they return ahead: this time Biraghi’s beautiful cross finds Nico Gonzalez all alone, a left-footed volley that hits the post and goes out behind Carnesecchi. The two teams faced each other head-on without too many tactics and Atalanta had the strength to find a new equalizer in the 32nd minute thanks to a low shot from the edge of the area by Scalvini which Martinelli failed to reach. First goal of the season in the league for the defender. The end of the half was still a Viola affair: after a goal rightly disallowed by Ranieri for offside, in the 47th minute Belotti found Beltran’s shot at his feet and made no mistake from a few steps away and scored the hat trick.
In the second half there was no shortage of emotions, but there were goals. Duncan doesn’t find the poker at the start, finishing on the outside of the net after discarding Carnesecchi (48′). Then Pasalic almost smashes the crossbar in the 54th minute: Orsato reports Lookman’s offside but it doesn’t appear to be there and in the event of a goal the VAR would have corrected the pitch decision. Gasp also plays the Scamacca, Miranchuk and El Bilal cards and the Russian has the clearest opportunity on his feet after a tackle from Scamacca, but with his left shot he finishes just wide. Before leaving the field, CDK catches Koopmeiners at the far post who, hindered by Kayode, misses the target with his header. Fiorentina scares the Goddess with a header from Nico, Carnesecchi raises it over the crossbar. The last gasp comes in the 93rd minute, with 2006 Martinelli who says no to Scamacca with a flourish and makes his debut in Serie A the best way possible. Despite the defeat, it’s time for farewells and celebrations in Bergamo.
REPORT CARDS
Lookman 7 – The Europa League hero ends his spectacular season with an applause-worthy display that earned him goal number 12. Applause.
De Ketelaere 6.5 – The Belgian doesn’t find a way to score, but draws football. The assist for the momentary 1-1 from Lookman was splendid, a through ball that earned applause.
Scalvini 6 – In defense not always impeccable, nice low shot which is worth the first goal of the season in Serie A. Too bad about the knee injury at the end: goodbye to the European Championship?
Belotti 7.5 – Among the worst in the Conference League, he greets Fiorentina with a brace which unfortunately is worth three useless points. First with a head and then with a robbery, the Rooster crows twice but it is too late.
Martinelli 6.5 – Born in 2006, Italian gives him the day he will remember for the rest of his life, his debut in Serie A. Without blame for the two goals, very good in the final on Scamacca’s header.
Ranieri 5 – Still in shock from the mistake in the Conference League, he doesn’t recover and plays another subpar match. He also gets a yellow card which will keep him out of the first day of the next championship.
THE SCORESHEET
ATALANTA-FIORENTINA 2-3
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi 6; Toloi 5.5 (29′ st Djimsiti 6), Hien 5.5, Scalvini 6 (39′ st Hateboer sv); Holm 5.5 (12′ st Miranchuk 6), Ederson 6.5, Pasalic 6, Ruggeri 6; Koopmeiners 5.5; De Ketelaere 6.5 (29′ st El Bilal 5.5), Lookman 7 (11′ st Scamacca 6). Available: Musso, Rossi, Bakker, Adopo, Mendicino, Zappacosta. All.: Gasperini 6
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Martinelli 6.5; Kayode 5.5 (43′ st Faraoni sv), Martinez Quarta 6, Ranieri 5, Biraghi 6; Lopez 6, Duncan 6 (32′ st Ikoné 5.5); Nico Gonzalez 6.5 (43′ st Barak sv), Beltran 5.5 (32′ st Infantino 5.5), Castrovilli 6 (21′ st Kouame 5.5); Belotti 7.5. Available: Terracciano, Christensen, Dodo, Milenkovic, Bonaventura, Arthur, Comuzzo, Parisi. All.: Italian 6.5
Referee: Bearded
Markers: 6′ and 47′ pt Belotti (F), 12′ Lookman (A), 19′ Nico Gonzalez (F), 32′ Scalvini (A)
Warned: Martinez Quarta (F), Ranieri (F)
Expelled:-
Note:-
THE STATISTICS
• Atalanta ended a Serie A season in the top four positions for the fifth time in their history in the competition, after 2016/17 (4th), 2018/19 (3rd), 2019/20 (3rd) and 2020/21 (3rd).
• Fiorentina have won three of their last four Serie A away matches (1L), as many successes as in the 14 previous away matches.
• This is the first half that has seen the most goals in this Serie A: five; furthermore, Atalanta had not conceded at least three goals during the first 45 minutes of league play since 17 October 2020, against Napoli (four).
• Andrea Belotti has been involved in seven goals in his last six Serie A appearances against Atalanta (six goals and one assist): no player has been involved in more goals against the Dea in the last four seasons in the competition (seven also for Lautaro Martínez).
• Andrea Belotti has scored multiple goals in Serie A for the first time since the first day of this championship, a brace against Salernitana last 20 August with Roma.
• Nicolás González is one of three players of Argentine nationality capable of scoring at least 12 goals in a Serie A season with Fiorentina, after Gabriel Batistuta (eight occasions) and Giovanni Simeone (2017/18).
• Ademola Lookman is the only player capable of scoring double figures in home matches in the 2023/24 Serie A (10 goals for him at the Gewiss Stadium).
• Ademola Lookman is the player in Europe’s big five leagues who has been involved in the most goals in all competitions from April onwards (14: eight goals and six assists).
• Fiorentina is the first team against which Ademola Lookman has found the net in three different matches in Serie A.
• Giorgio Scalvini is the youngest Italian player to score from outside the area in this Serie A (20 years and 174 days).
• At 18 years and 148 days, Tommaso Martinelli is the youngest goalkeeper to take the field with Fiorentina in Serie A in the three points for a win era (since 1994/95). Martinelli is also the first footballer born since 2006 to start a Serie A match.
• Aleksey Miranchuk is the first Russian footballer to play 100 games in Serie A in the three-points-for-a-win era (since 1994/95).
