At the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Fiorentina hosted their most hated rivals on Sunday afternoon. Whilst it wasn’t the prettiest of affairs, the hosts dominated the first half, and were rewarded with the opener from the spot thanks to Dusan Vlahovic’s cheeky Panenka. However, Andrea Pirlo unleashed Alvaro Morata on the interval, and the Spaniard immediately grabbed the equalizer with a stunning curler, as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. So here are our player ratings for the clash between Fiorentina and Juventus.
Fiorentina XI
Bartlomiej Dragoswski – 6
The big Pole almost had nothing to do throughout the first half, but was beaten by Morata’s strike after the break.
Nikola Milenkovic – 7
A solid performance from the highly-rated defender, who was able to take the ball off Dybala with ease during the first half. Also threatened with a shot on goal of his own, but it was saved by Szczesny.
German Pezzella – 6.5
A decent outing from captain who marshalled the backline with confidence, allowing very few balls to cause actual trouble for the Viola.
Martin Caceres – 6
A strong first half from the Uruguayan against his former club, but struggled to contain Ronaldo’s runs from the left side after the break.
Lorenzo Venuti – 6
The Italian only lasted one half, but it wasn’t a particularly bad display. Whilst he didn’t threat offensively, he helped in containing the visitors’ left flank.
Sofian Amrabat – 7
A dominant performance from the physical Moroccan. Won the ball back repeatedly in midfield, and helped in closing down on Sandro on the left wing, while also contributing in advancing the play towards the Bianconeri areas.
Erick Pulgar – 6.5
Another solid performer in the middle of the park. The former Bologna man repeatedly threatened with his shots from the outside of box, and kept the ball ticking for the Viola.
Gaetano Castrovilli – 6
The Italian international is usually much more involved in creating the play, but was rather committed to tactical role on Sunday.
Igor Julio – 6
The Brazilian usually plays as a center back, but was deployed in the left wingback role, perhaps to limit Cuadrado’s threat. Enjoyed a positive first half, but began to suffer during the second.
Franck Ribery – 6
The legendary Frenchman was giving the license by Giuseppe Iacchini to roam freely inside the opposition area, and was a threat for the Old Lady’s defenses whenever he had the ball at his feet. Looked more intense after Juve’s equalizer, committing several fouls.
Dusan Vlahovic – 7
The young Serbian star is the man of the hour in Florence, and he scored his 17th goal of the season with a confident Panenka after earning the penalty kick himself. Won countless fouls, and was a menace to deal with for his opponents.
Fiorentina Substitutes
Lucas Martinez Quarta – 6
Replaced Venuti during the interval and helped in containing Juve’s right flank.
Cristiano Biraghi – 5.5
The former Inter man was brought on in the last twenty minutes, but struggled when dealing with Cuadrado’s threat.
Christian Kouamé – N/A
Valentin Eysseric – N/A
Dusan Vlahovic puts Fiorentina in front against Juventus with a perfectly executed panenka.
Ice cold ❄️ pic.twitter.com/MypwaCfMcr
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 25, 2021
Juventus XI
Wojciech Szczesny – 6
A mixed bag for the other Polish goalkeeper. Although he made some vital saves – including a suicidal dive to beat Vlahovic to the ball – caused fumbles inside the penalty box on a couple of occasions.
Leonardo Bonucci – 5.5
Whilst it wasn’t a horrible performance from the veteran, it felt that his presence as a third center back was unnecessary, and was taken off by half time.
Matthijs de Ligt – 6
The Dutch defender was mostly dominant, but he ended up committing too many fouls, which eventually earned him a yellow card.
Giorgio Chiellini – 6.5
An imposing performance from the captain who kept his side in the match despite suffering from an onslaught early on. Helped in bringing the ball forward as well.
Alex Sandro – 5.5
The Brazilian was the man of the match for Juventus against Parma last Wednesday, but was completely nullified by the Fiorentina defenders on Sunday.
Juan Cuadrado – 6.5
Even though the Colombian struggled to break through the lines of his former club during the first half, he found his rythme in the second, and caused the Viola defenses several scars.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6.5
The former Boca Juniors man was reliable in defense, making several interceptions, and he gifted Ramsey a golden opportunity to level the score late in the first half.
Adrien Rabiot – 5.5
The French international gave away a needless penalty kick after handing the ball inside the area, and didn’t offer much for his side throughout the match.
Aaron Ramsey – 5
Another forgettable display from the former Arsenal man, who didn’t seem to have a clear playing role. Wasted his side’s lone chance in the first half after finding himself one-on-one with Dragowski.
Paulo Dybala – 5.5
The Argentine had to drop too deep in order to receive the ball, and Pirlo decided to sacrifice him at half time, even though he helped in creating the only major opportunity of the first 45 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 5
The Portuguese superstar is currently suffering from a torrid run, as nothing seems to be working out in his favor. Although he threatened with few runs in the second half, his touch was mostly clumsy, and wasted the victory for his team as he failed to connect with a sublime cross from Kulusevski late in the match. Moreover, he repeatedly went to the ground too easily.
Juventus Substitutes
Alvaro Morata – 6.5
The former Atletico and Real Madrid man immediately equalized with an exquisite curler to the top far corner. Nonetheless, his impact was minimal for the rest of his cameo.
Dejan Kulusevski – 6
The young Swede added some much needed energy to the visitors’ attacks, and delivered an inch-perfect cross that was wasted by Ronaldo.
Weston McKennie – N/A
31 – Álvaro Morata has scored 31 seconds after the start of the second half, or from the start of his game as substitute: this has been the fastest goal for a substitute in this #SerieA season. Ready.#FiorentinaJuve
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 25, 2021