Empoli shocked Fiorentina in the Tuscan derby securing a 2-0 away win with goals from Francesco Caputo and Emmanuel Gyasi.
Aurelio Andreazzoli snatched his second win in five Serie A games in charge of Empoli, beating the Azzurri’s harsh rivals Fiorentina in a Tuscan derby at the Stadio Franchi in Florence on Monday night.
The start was promising for La Viola who saw Etrit Berisha produce a stunning save from a Nico Gonzalez header, while Lucas Martinez Quarta sent a perfectly executed bicycle-kick shot over the crossbar.
It was just the beginning of an extremely tough night for the Argentinean centre-back.
Francesco Caputo opened the account at minute 31 with his first season goal. Alberto Grassi sprinted down the right flank, saw the experienced striker advance into space behind Martinez Quarta and when he received the ball inside the box, he beat Pietro Terracciano with a chip shot.
Fiorentina seemed to melt and Caputo scored the second one before the half-time break. However, it was disallowed as a silent VAR check spotted the ex-Sassuolo striker putting the ball inside the net by touching the ball with his arm, so he was also given a yellow card.
Italiano introduced Riccardo Sottil at the beginning of the second half, but it was not enough to shake Fiorentina.
The Italian winger forced Berisha to another save, but La Viola were too inconsistent and despite dominating possession, they struggled to find a way through Empoli’s defence.
Another player coming off the bench, Gyasi, left his mark and scored his first goal this season at minute 81. Martinez Quarta didn’t control an Arthur Melo back pass, so Nicolò Cambiaghi pounced on the Argentinean defender and found a passing line for Jacopo Fazzini. The ex-Fiorentina midfielder saw Gyasi cut inside the box so it was easy for him to beat Terracciano again.
Berisha produced another great save on Nico before the final whistle while Mattia Destro could have made it three for Empoli but the former Genoa and Milan striker failed to finish off a counter-attack sending a right-footed shot wide at the near post.
Empoli’s win means the Tuscans are now out of the drop zone while Fiorentina sit fourth, level on 17 points with Napoli.
Player statistic
| 21' |  |
Francesco Caputo (Assist: Alberto Grassi) |
| 52' |  |
Sebastian Walukiewicz | ||
| 71' | |
Matteo Cancellieri | ||
| Lucas Beltrán | |
77' | ||
| 79' | |
Jacopo Fazzini | ||
| 81' | |
Emmanuel Gyasi (Assist: Jacopo Fazzini) |
Match statistic
