Mandragora's Super Goal Gives Fiorentina the Edge over Atalanta in Coppa Italia Semifinal

Mandragora's superb goal against Fiorentina was enough to beat Atalanta in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal. A tough and hard-fought match, the first of three that need to be played in this 2024, with the Serie A match being postponed due to the premature death of Joe Barone. The rescheduled date is yet to be determined due to the European cups commitments of both clubs, which in the meantime face each other in the national tournament. Bologna better than Liverpool, Manchester City, and Juventus: the special ranking that rewards the Rossoblu. The Match In the first half, Fiorentina made their presence felt more than Atalanta with 12 shots to 2. One of these was the winning shot by Mandragora who at the 30th minute receives the ball well from Nico Gonzalez and shoots with his left foot. The ball takes a trajectory that fools Carnesecchi and nestles into the net off the crossbar before hitting the post. An important goal, shot from farther away than any other according to Opta data (27.6 meters), which then earned Viola the victory. The other attempts, like those by Beltran at the 24th minute or Nico Gonzalez at the 42nd, either hit the defenders or went out, with Carnesecchi being challenged on only a few occasions. In the second half, Gritti decides to bring in Miranchuk and Scamacca who revitalize Atalanta. The pace increases and so does the danger of the team with Hien, a few minutes from the start of the second half, shooting on goal, but Terracciano is forced to save in a dive. At the 57th minute, it's again the Tuscans who advance with Nico Gonzalez hitting well with his head, but Carnesechi is attentive and dives well to deflect the shot into the corner. A few minutes later, it's again the Argentine winger who worries the former Cremonese with a shot from inside the box, but the goalkeeper is attentive and saves reflexively. At the 67th minute, Bakker takes matters into his own hands and after being launched into the area, shoots across with his left foot, but the razor-sharp shot ends just wide. The match continues like this until the 95th minute, with nerves taking over the field and the game becoming more fragmented and less clear. The match thus ends 1-0 with Fiorentina securing an important victory ahead of the return leg.