Fiorentina

Prandelli Pleased With Birthday Win

Cesare Prandelli celebrated his 51st birthday in style as his Fiorentina side won 6-2 over the Amici Del Forte...

Aug 20, 2008 3:03:37 AM

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina (Foto Grazia Neri)

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Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina (Foto Grazia Neri)

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Fiorentina were without many of their international players, but they nonetheless put out a relatively strong side for the charity match. La Viola lined up a 4-3-3 formation but played several players out of position during the goal-happy match.

Luciano Zauri and Marco Donadel formed an unlikely central defensive partnership, while Sergio Almiron and Felipe Melo had the task of controlling the play from midfield. Gianluca Commotto and Franco Semioli returned from their short-term injuries.

Everyone who managed to score in the match netted a brace. Giampaolo Pazzini, Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo for Fiorentina, while ex-Fiorentina player Marco Nappi scored twice for the opposition.

It was a fun-filled match that allowed Prandelli to experiment with his side and look for solutions to Adrian Mutu's absence, as the Romanian striker is out for 20 days due to an injury sustained on national duty.

In any case, Prandelli received a nice birthday present with his side's victory. The Tuscans should have a much more difficult test against AZ Alkmaar in Holland on Friday.

Adam Scime