Fiorentina v Milan Live Commentary & Result, 04/03/2023, Serie A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	NAP Napoli	36	27	5	4	73	26	+47	86	W L W D D
2	INT Internazionale	37	22	3	12	70	42	+28	69	W L W W W
3	LAZ Lazio	36	20	8	8	55	28	+27	68	W D L W L
4	MIL Milan	36	18	10	8	60	42	+18	64	W L W D D
5	ATA Atalanta	37	18	7	12	61	46	+15	61	L W L L W
6	ROM Roma	37	17	9	11	48	37	+11	60	L D D L D
7	JUV Juventus	36	21	6	9	55	32	+23	59	L W W W D
8	TOR Torino	37	14	11	12	42	40	+2	53	W D W D W
9	FIO Fiorentina	37	14	11	12	50	42	+8	53	W D W L D
10	MON Monza	36	14	10	12	46	46	0	52	W W D D W
11	BOL Bologna	36	13	11	12	48	45	+3	50	W D D L D
12	UDI Udinese	37	11	13	13	47	47	0	46	L L L W D
13	SAS Sassuolo	37	12	9	16	46	58	-12	45	D L L D L
14	EMP Empoli	36	10	12	14	36	46	-10	42	W D W W L
15	SAL Salernitana	37	9	15	13	48	60	-12	42	W D W L D
16	LEC Lecce	36	7	12	17	30	43	-13	33	D D L L W
17	SPE Spezia	37	6	13	18	30	60	-30	31	L D W L L
18	VER Hellas Verona	36	7	9	20	29	55	-26	30	L L W L D
19	CRE Cremonese	36	4	12	20	32	66	-34	24	L L W D D
20	SAM Sampdoria	37	3	10	24	24	69	-45	19	D L D L L

That concludes our commentary of the Serie A fixture between Fiorentina and Milan! We hope you’ve enjoyed it!

Fiorentina welcome Sivasspor to the Artemio Franchi in the Europa Conference League on Thursday ahead of a trip to Cremonese in the league next Sunday. Milan travel to London to play Spurs in the Champions League on Wednesday before returning to San Siro against Salernitana in nine days' time.

Fiorentina make it two wins in a week, beating Milan 2-1 at the Artemio Franchi. The hosts thoroughly dominated the first half without managing to break the deadlock, but their luck would certainly change after the restart. Tomori’s overphysical defending on Ikone gave Gonzalez a chance to beat Maignan from the spot four minutes into the second half, giving the Viola a well-deserved advantage. Pioli’s side improved slightly after conceding, showing a bit more urgency to get up the pitch but their rather ponderous build-up play was confidently managed by the aligned Fiorentina defence. Jovic added what appeared to be the finishing touches with a spectacular diving header three minutes from time, but it proved to be the all-important winner as Hernandez would go on to add a late consolation goal to reduce the deficit to one. The win keeps Fiorentina in 12th, but level with Torino above them, while Milan stay fourth.

90' + 7' FULL-TIME: FIORENTINA 2-1 MILAN.

A. Saelemaekers

Assist

90' + 5' Saelemaekers' unselfish pass earns the substitute an assist.

T. Hernández

Goal

90' + 5' HERNANDEZ GETS ONE BACK! 2-1! Saelemaekers finds a pocket of space to scamper into just ahead of the penalty area, before laying a pass off to his left for Hernandez. The Milan captain latches onto the pass and hits a rocket into the roof of the net to halve the deficit!

90' + 3' The fourth official indicates five minutes will be added to the end of the match for stoppages.

R. Sottil

N. González

90' + 1' Sottil gets a chance to stretch his legs in injury time, coming on for Gonzalez.

A. Barák

S. Amrabat

90' + 1' Barak is sent on to see out the remainder of the match, with Amrabat given a rest.

89' Fiorentina enjoyed a 3-0 win against Verona last time out; they could achieve back-to-back Serie A wins without conceding a goal for the first time since January 2020, against SPAL and Napoli.

Dodô

Assist

87' Dodo's inch-perfect cross is the assist for Fiorentina's second goal.

L. Jović

Goal

87' IT’S TWO FOR THE VIOLA! 2-0! Dodo has the time and space on the right wing to pick his head up and find Jovic at the far post, with the Serbia international diving to put a close-range header past Maignan!

85' Igor has a rare sight of goal and fires a speculative effort from well outside the penalty area that sails high and wide of the target.

Y. Adli

C. De Ketelaere

83' Adli is given a chance to impress with De Ketelaere making way.

G. Castrovilli

G. Bonaventura

81' Bonaventura's match against his former side comes to an end without a goal, as Castrovilli is instructed to take his spot.

L. Jović

Arthur Cabral

81' Fiorentina make a change at striker with Jovic replacing Cabral.

P. Kalulu

Yellow Card

80' Kalulu and Gonzalez battle for the loose ball, with the Fiorentina forward going down five yards from the Milan penalty area. The referee blows his whistle and awards the hosts a free-kick, before showing the Milan centre-back a yellow card.

78' Saelemaekers swings a Milan corner into the penalty area looking for Ibrahimovic, but Cabral meets it with his head first to clear. The referee blows his whistle and points to the spot, apparently under the belief the striker had touched the ball with his hand. After a brief check on the VAR screen he overturns his decision and gets the match restarted.

76' Fiorentina have conceded in eight consecutive matches at home Serie A; they have not endured a longer run at home without a clean sheet in the competition since 2005 (nine).

L. Ranieri

C. Biraghi

74' A change at left-back for Fiorentina sees Ranieri come on for Biraghi.

A. Saelemaekers

Junior Messias

74' Messias is withdrawn, to be replaced by Saelemaekers.

72' Bonaventura uses the space in midfield to drive forward before laying it off to Gonzalez. The winger takes a touch to lay it off for Biraghi but the ensuing cross from the full-back is cleared by Hernandez at the far post.

N. González

Yellow Card

70' Gonzalez is the fifth player in the match to be shown a yellow card. His late, sliding tackle on Kalulu was right under the nose of the referee, who has no choice but to book the forward.

68' Bonaventura cuts inside and curls a shot to the far corner but it wraps around the outside of the post for a Milan goal-kick.

T. Bakayoko

I. Bennacer

66' Bennacer's first game back from injury sees him last 66 minutes, with Bakayoko on in his stead.

D. Origi

A. Rebić

66' Origi is also sent on, with Rebic recalled to the bench.

Z. Ibrahimović

O. Giroud

66' Ibrahimovic comes on for the final 24 minutes, with Giroud making way.

65' Mandragora whips a Fiorentina corner into the penalty area but Thiaw’s powerful header clears the penalty area and puts it out for a throw.

64' Cabral controls Bonaventura’s cross with his chest before firing a volley towards goal that’s blocked at the outset by Tomori.

62' Messias teases a low, centring cross through the legs of a defender towards the six-yard box but Giroud is a step behind the delivery with the chance coming to nothing for the Rossoneri.

60' Rebic steps up and strikes the free-kick but he sends a disappointing effort up and over the crossbar.

J. Ikoné

Yellow Card

59' Ikone brings Rebic down right on the left corner of the penalty area. It's a free-kick for Milan in a good position to test Terracciano, while the Fiorentina player is shown a yellow card.

58' HERNANDEZ IS DENIED! Kalulu plays a lovely long ball towards the Fiorentina penalty area for the Milan captain, who takes a touch and fires a shot towards goal that’s smothered by an onrushing Terracciano!

57' De Ketelaere strides forward in possession and plays a lovely ball into the channel for Rebic, who gets into the penalty area but is promptly dispossessed by a well-timed sliding challenge from Igor.

55' Rebic hits a slow-rolling shot from 20 yards out that looks to beat Terracciano in the corner, but again the goalkeeper is quick to react as he smothers the ball at his near post.

53' Rebic is again tasked with set-piece duties, putting his corner-kick to the near post. It’s a poor effort this time however, with Dodo the only player in the area, able to clear it away comfortably.

51' GREAT SAVE! Rebic’s corner from the left is met by Giroud on the edge of the six-yard box, with the striker sending his header towards the goalkeeper. With great reflexes, Terracciano manages to reach to the spot and parry the ball away, keeping the hosts ahead!

N. González

Penalty Goal

49' NO MISTAKE FROM THE SPOT! 1-0 FIORENTINA! Gonzalez steps up and calmly dispatches his penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way in the process!

48' PENALTY TO FIORENTINA! Ikone turns past Tomori cleverly on the wing, using the space provided to get into the penalty area. The centre-back looks to regain his position but he’s far too physical with the wide forward, who goes down and looks to the referee - who points to the spot immediately!

46' Milan get the match restarted from the kick-off!

Fiorentina will look to continue to pile the pressure on the visitors, with Gonzalez and Ikone interchanging with the striker at every opportunity. A yellow card in the first period for Cabral could present Jovic with an opportunity, while ex-Milan midfielder Saponara could be in line for an appearance. Pioli’s team will need to improve if they wish to have a hope of securing three points. The pace of Dest could help at right wing-back, while Giroud will almost certainly be replaced by Ibrahimovic at some stage.

The first half at the Stadio Artemio Franchi comes to an end without anything to separate the two sides, with Fiorentina and Milan locked at 0-0. The score was the only place the two sides were even however, with the hosts thoroughly dominating the first 45 minutes. Pioli’s side struggled mightily to get up the pitch, with the Viola pressing in a methodical and organised fashion. Two clear chances for Bonaventura and one for Cabral went unfinished at one end largely thanks to the heroics of Maignan, while the Rossoneri’s only opportunity was a promising one, with Giroud’s volley denied by Terracciano.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: FIORENTINA 0-0 MILAN.

45' + 2' The fourth official indicates two minutes will be added to the end of the half for stoppages.

45' Biraghi sends a flat, dangerous cross into the penalty area from a spot on the left edge of the 18-yard box is smothered gratefully by a diving Maignan.

43' Milan have won their last two Serie A meetings against Fiorentina and could make it a three-game winning streak against Viola in the competition for the first time since 2008-2011 (seven).

41' Cabral looks to exploit the lack of bodies inside Milan’s half with an early pass forward for Bonaventura but the Fiorentina midfielder is never likely to beat Kalulu, who plays it calmly back to his goalkeeper.

39' Bonaventura’s delivery is a dangerous one but Gonzalez can’t put his effort anywhere near the goal, sending his header directly behind for a goal-kick.

37' Cabral turns around Tomori but goes down after tripping over Hernandez’s outstretched leg. It’s a free-kick for Fiorentina in a promising position on the right wing, with Bonaventura set to take it.

Junior Messias

Yellow Card

35' Messias is the latest player to be booked, shown a yellow card for a late slide that catches Biraghi on the foot.

33' GREAT OPPORTUNITY! Milan’s first chance of the game is a good one, with Bennacer stepping inside from the right before playing a lovely cross to the far post for Giroud. The forward meets it in trademark style with a lovely left-footed over-the-shoulder volley, but Terracciano stoops low to make the necessary block.

31' Maignan hoists the ensuing free-kick down the pitch looking for a flick-on but play is called to a halt for a handball on Tonali, who was unable to corral the bouncing ball.

Arthur Cabral

Yellow Card

29' Cabral is shown the second yellow card of the match, for a sliding challenge on Kalulu.

28' Messias cuts inside from the right after receiving a pass from Tonali and plays a low, unsuccessful cross that skips through the crowd of bodies for Terracciano.

26' TOMORI CLEARS IT OFF THE LINE! INCREDIBLE! A flowing Fiorentina attack ends in a scramble as Gonzalez plays a lovely first-time pass through the lines, which unlocks the Milan defence and plays Mandragora into the penalty area. The midfielder squares it for Bonaventura, who takes a touch before skewing an off-balance shot past Maignan. It looks to be a certain goal until the intervention of a falling Tomori, who manages to scuff it clear!

24' Kalulu misjudges the flight of the ball, presenting an opportunity to Gonzalez but again the Milan goalkeeper is alert and quick off his line to back up his defender and win back possession.

22' Maignan hits it long and hopeful looking for Rebic but the ball is sent over the head of the jumping forward before falling kindly at the feet of Terracciano.

20' Gonzalez lashes a left-footed shot to the near post looking to catch Maignan but the goalkeeper is equal to the delivery, pushing it behind for yet another Fiorentina corner.

18' Milan are really struggling to keep hold of possession and move the ball up the pitch, with the Rossoneri seeing just over 30 per cent of the ball. They haven’t registered a shot of any kind either, with Terracciano a spectator in the opening 20 minutes.

16' Bonaventura and Amrabat look to work a corner-kick short but De Ketelaere and Rebic combine well to win back possession before earning a throw-in.

14' Play stops in the 13th minute for a round of applause for Davide Astori, who wore the number 13 shirt for Fiorentina as their captain. It has been five years since the tragic death of the centre-back, who also represented his nation.

13' Bonaventura, Biraghi and Amrabat stand over the free-kick but it’s the former Milan midfielder who strikes it, with his effort breaking through the wall only for Maignan to palm it away.

M. Thiaw

Yellow Card

11' Thiaw gives the ball away on the edge of his own 18-yard box and sticks out a leg to catch Cabral, giving away a free-kick in the process. It’s also a yellow card for the defender, who was inches away from conceding a penalty.

10' A lovely pass around the corner from Bonaventura plays Ikone into the penalty area but the winger’s attempt to cut inside is thwarted by a retreating Thiaw, who gives away a corner.

8' Biraghi’s second corner-kick attempt is fired into Igor, who can’t turn the delivery goalward, with the ball rolling out for a Milan throw-in on the far side.

6' An early inswinging corner from Biraghi finds Bonaventura at the far post but Tomori is able to hook it away before Maignan eventually claims the ball in his hands.

5' Bennacer and Messias come across to squeeze Mandragora off the ball but the Algeria international catches his opponent on the calf, giving the hosts a free-kick in midfield.

3' Mandragora lifts a left-footed pass down the pitch for Cabral, who loses the footrace to Maignan. Uncharacteristically for the goalkeeper however, he puts the ball straight out of play for a Fiorentina throw.

1' Fiorentina get the match underway from the kick-off!

Milan make three changes from the XI that beat Atalanta 2-0 last weekend. A suspension to Rade Krunic sees Bennacer return to the line-up after injury, while a slight bit of discomfort in training for Brahim Diaz gives Rebic a chance to start against his former side. The final switch is also in the front line, where De Ketelaere replaces Rafael Leao - missing due to yellow card accumulation.

Fiorentina make two changes to the side that beat Hellas Verona 2-0 on Monday. Biraghi is back in at left-back due to the injury to Aleksa Terzic, while Barak is replaced in midfield by Bonaventura; formerly of Milan.

MILAN SUBS: Ciprian Tatarusanu, Davide Calabria, Fode Ballo-Toure, Sergino Dest, Simon Kjaer, Alessandro Florenzi, Yacine Adli, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Tommaso Pobega, Aster Vrancx, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Divock Origi, Alexis Saelemaekers.

MILAN XI (3-5-2-1): Mike Maignan; Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori; Junior Messias, Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Theo Hernandez; Charles De Ketelaere, Ante Rebic; Olivier Giroud.

FIORENTINA SUBS: Luca Ranieri, Josip Brekalo, Salvatore Sirigu, Antonin Barak, Riccardo Saponara, Nikola Milenkovic, Joseph Alfred Duncan, Christian Kouame, Riccardo Sottil, Michele Cerofolini, Lorenzo Venuti, Alessandro Bianco, Luka Jovic, Gaetano Castrovilli.

FIORENTINA XI (4-3-3): Pietro Terracciano; Cristiano Biraghi, Igor, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Dodo; Rolando Mandragora, Sofyan Amrabat, Giacomo Bonaventura; Nicolas Gonzalez, Arthur Cabral, Jonathan Ikone.

With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let’s take a look at how the two sides are lining up - starting with our hosts!

Lazio’s impressive win against Napoli on Friday drops Milan down into fourth, level with Inter and a point behind Maurizio Sarri’s squad. The Rossoneri have put together four-straight wins in all competitions since a loss to Inter, with all four matches ending in clean sheets for Stefano Pioli’s side. The team is also buoyed by the return of key figures, including Mike Maignan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Fiorentina come into the match on the back of two-successive victories, eliminating Braga from the Europa Conference League before hammering Hellas Verona 3-0 on Monday. The win five days ago ended a spell of six straight games in the league without victory for La Viola, who sit in 12th.

On the five-year anniversary of the death of Davide Astori, the club he captained welcomes the side where he spent his youth, in what is sure to be an emotional affair for both sets of supporters at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Serie A fixture between Fiorentina and Milan!

Fiorentina v Milan Live Commentary, 04/03/2023

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