First-half turnaround in Venice

Fiorentina travelled to Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo for the opening fixture of Serie A matchday four, seeking their first league points of the campaign. The visiting side created early opportunities, including a close-range effort from Franco Mastantuono that defender Moreno cleared and a missed diagonal shot by Jimenez in the 19th minute. Venezia capitalized on their first attempt on target in the 22nd minute, when Gianluca Busio launched a counterattack and fed Akor Adams, who struck into the top corner past David De Gea. Fiorentina equalized in the 29th minute as Mastantuono evaded Sagrado on the left flank and scored at the near post past Filip Stankovic. Approximately 40 seconds after play restarted, Mastantuono struck again in the 30th minute, guiding a low diagonal shot off the far post to give Fiorentina a 2-1 lead.

Second-half progression and hat-trick

Venezia attempted to respond after halftime, with Sagrado curling an effort wide from the edge of the penalty area and John Yeboah sending a shot over the crossbar in the 59th minute. Paolo Vanoli turned to his substitutes, replacing Arthur Atta and Beto to refresh the visitors' attack. Fiorentina widened their margin in the 66th minute when Mateo Pellegrino concluded a counterattack with a low left-footed drive into the corner of the net. Mastantuono secured his third goal of the evening in the 84th minute, converting a rebound after Stankovic parried his initial attempt. Venezia reduced the deficit in the 86th minute when Antoine Hainaut beat De Gea at the near post, setting the final score at 4-2.

Vanoli's return and Venezia's selection difficulties

The victory marked a successful debut for Vanoli in his second stint as Fiorentina head coach following the dismissal of Fabio Grosso, who left the club after three consecutive defeats. Vanoli organized his starting lineup around Mastantuono and Beto in attack, supported by midfielders Nicolo Fagioli and Cher Ndour. Venezia manager Giovanni Stroppa operated with limited defensive options, requiring Ridgeciano Haps to drop into the backline alongside Moreno while pairing Yeboah and Adams up front. Venezia faced further complications just before the interval when Busio suffered an injury and had to leave the contest.

Standings and relegation pressure

The four-goal performance earned Fiorentina their first three points of the season, lifting the club out of the relegation zone into 12th place alongside Napoli, Lecce, and Torino. Venezia remained bottom of the Serie A standings on zero points after suffering four defeats in their opening four matches. Stroppa's squad sits in 20th place alongside Genoa, who have also collected zero points so far this season. Following the final whistle in Venice, local supporters voiced their frustration with the team's start by confronting the squad under the stadium curva.

Fiorentina3

Napoli3

Lecce3

Torino3

Venezia0

Genoa0

Fiorentina

3 points

Napoli

3 points

Lecce

3 points

Torino

3 points

Venezia

0 points

Genoa

0 points

Data from the article text