epa11646346 Fiorentina's goalkeeper David De Gea saves a penalty during the Italian Serie A soccer match ACF Fiorentina vs AC Milan at Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Italy, 06 October 2024. EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI
David De Gea saves a penalty during Fiorentina-Milan EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI

Fiorentina fought beat Milan 2-1 as David De Gea saved two penalties with Yacine Adli and Albert Gudmundsson scoring the goals, despite a stunning Christian Pulisic volley.

The Rossoneri had won three Serie A games in a row, but lost 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen midweek in the Champions League. Alvaro Morata returned to the starting XI, though Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Luka Jovic, David Calabria, Ismael Bennacer, Marco Sportiello and Alessandro Florenzi didn’t make the trip. The Viola opened their Conference League campaign on Thursday against The New Saints, but lost Rolando Mandragora to a knee injury, so Yacine Adli faced his parent club. That was only their second victory in nine competitive games under Raffaele Palladino.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

Morata’s glancing header turned an Emerson Royal cross just wide, but Fiorentina received a penalty when birthday boy Theo Hernandez mistimed his clearance and kicked Dodo’s boot. Moise Kean stepped up rather than Albert Gudmundsson and saw his central attempt smothered by Mike Maignan.

Kean then got himself in the way of a Danilo Cataldi strike and was offside when turning in the rebound, while Rafael Leao’s strike was deflected over by Pietro Comuzzo.

Fiorentina did take the lead with a player owned by Milan, as Adli gathered from a throw-in, spun Christian Pulisic and bent a right-foot snooker shot in off the inside of the far post. He refused to celebrate against his old club.

Milan were also awarded a spot-kick when Tijjani Reijnders tripped over Luca Ranieri as he ran onto the Pulisic through ball. However, Theo Hernandez also saw his penalty saved, this time De Gea getting right down into the bottom corner for the one-handed save. Not since January 2022 had two penalties been saved by two different goalkeepers in the same Serie A match, then it was Cagliari-Fiorentina.

Kean had the ball in the net straight after the restart, but was clearly offside running onto a ball over the top.

The referee pointed to the spot again on a corner when Matteo Gabbia anticipated Kean to the bouncing ball and had his foot kicked instead. Tammy Abraham decided to take it this time, but De Gea managed another incredible save at the near bottom corner. Not since Federico Marchetti in Carpi-Lazio in May 2016 had a goalkeeper saved two penalties in the same Serie A match.

Milan did equalise four minutes later from open play, as Theo Hernandez’s cross found Pulisic at the back post for an extraordinary right-foot volley, hooking it back across the face of goal and into the far top corner.

Kean tried to replicate that move on the Robin Gosens cross, but got it wrong and turned over the bar when he had time to control it.

Ranieri had to time his sliding tackle absolutely perfectly to stop Pulisic scoring from a Rafael Leao through ball, and he did, while De Gea stuck out a boot to parry Abraham’s angled drive.

Fiorentina restored their advantage when Kean knocked down a long De Gea ball over the top, as Gudmundsson controlled with his left foot, let it bounce and smashed in with the right from just inside the area.

It remained fiery and wide open, Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino sent off for dissent and De Gea managing a desperate one-armed save on the Samuel Chukwueze strike that bounced right in front of him.

Abraham was also denied by a desperate Ranieri block in the box on the Noah Okafor pull-back, but in stoppages Kean’s screamer from the D smashed against the underside of the bar and bounced back out.

Losing when missing a penalty on his birthday proved too much for Theo Hernandez, who was sent off for insulting the referee after the final whistle.

Fiorentina 2-1 Milan

Adli 35 (F), Pulisic 60 (M), Gudmundsson 73 (F)

Saved penalty: Kean 22 (F), Theo Hernandez 45 (M), Abraham 56 (M)

Sent off: Theo Hernandez 96 (M)

06-10-2024 19:45
MatchDay 7

Player statistic

1st half
Dodô Yellow card 8'    
Moise Kean Missed penalty 22'    
    24' Yellow card Fikayo Tomori
Yacine Adli
(Assist: Robin Gosens)
Goal 35'    
    43' Yellow card Álvaro Morata
    45+1' Missed penalty Theo Hernández
2nd half
    56' Missed penalty Tammy Abraham
    60' Goal Christian Pulisic
(Assist: Theo Hernández)
    72' Yellow card Tijjani Reijnders
Albert Gudmundsson
(Assist: Moise Kean)
Goal 73'    
Edoardo Bove Yellow card 90+5'    

Match statistic

40
Possession %
60
12
Total shots
16
3
Shots on target
8
8
Shots off target
5
1
Blocked shots
3
Corners
7
4
Offsides
11
Fouls
21
Fiorentina
Milan

Starting lineups

43
Goalkeeper
2
Defender
6
Defender
15
Defender
23
Midfielder
90'
32
Midfielder
67'
4
Midfielder
21
Midfielder
29
Midfielder
77'
10
77'
20
Attacker
16
Goalkeeper
22
Defender
23
Defender
46
Defender
19
Defender
14
Midfielder
29
Midfielder
7
Attacker
11
82'
10
Attacker
73'
90
Attacker

Substitutes

11
Attacker
1
Goalkeeper
7
Attacker
65
Defender
30
Goalkeeper
9
Attacker
22
Defender
24
Midfielder
67'
3
77'
99
77'
33
Defender
90'
42
Midfielder
31
28
Defender
80
Midfielder
18
Midfielder
20
Defender
73
96
Goalkeeper
25
Goalkeeper
17
Attacker
73'
21
Attacker
82'
2 thought on “Serie A | Fiorentina 2-1 Milan: De Gea double penalty save inspires fiery victory”
  1. Dummy tottenham, FIKyou tomorilakaka, dutch reindeer, Yusuf buffoona – of these misfits don’t deserve to be anywhere near the Milan shirt. Disgrace to Milan and the club’s entire history. not to mention Fonseca the Portuguese tart.

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