Fiorentina v Napoli: early penalty, protests, Zufferli rated | OneFootball

The victory of Napoli at the Franchi against Fiorentina (1-3) has sparked discussions about the refereeing and more. The match officiating by Luca Zufferli, a young referee from Friuli, was analyzed in detail by expert Luca Marelli on Dazn, as reported by Virgilio in its section dedicated to football.

Fiorentina-Napoli, the analysis: quick penalty, protests, and hostile chants. The judgment on Zufferli

From the awarding of the penalty after just three minutes to the late goal by Fiorentina, passing through controversial incidents and chants against the Neapolitan fans, here is the complete analysis.

Zufferli, a referee on the rise

Chosen by Rocchi as one of the most promising prospects of the CAN, Zufferli has already made several appearances in Serie A, showing rigor in applying the rules and a physical structure suitable for high-paced matches. His career has not been linear: debut in Serie A in 2023 with some uncertainties, the following season with significant errors in Roma-Empoli, then a progressive growth leading to gaining trust to officiate big matches.

At the Franchi, he was assisted by Bindoni and Tegoni, with Collu as the fourth official, Aureliano at VAR, and Meraviglia at AVAR.

Previous encounters with Fiorentina and Napoli

Fiorentina had always won with him on the field (three matches in Serie A and one in Coppa Italia), while for Napoli, the record was positive with a 1-0 victory against Verona last season.

A match without cards for the players

An interesting disciplinary note: Zufferli did not issue any yellow cards to the players. The only yellow card was given to coach Stefano Pioli, punished for protests in the final minutes. A management that divided opinions: on one hand, great control over the match, on the other, the feeling of some missed cards.

The key moments from the analysis

Penalty at 3’ for Napoli After De Gea's saves on Hojlund, Anguissa is clumsily brought down by Comuzzo. Zufferli has no doubts and points to the spot. VAR check of over two minutes to verify Di Lorenzo's initial position: decision confirmed, penalty converted by De Bruyne.

Beukema spared at 30’ The blue defender makes a harsh tackle on Kean: a yellow card was warranted, but the referee lets it go.

Hostile chants from the stands Throughout the match, offensive chants against the Neapolitan fans came from the Fiorentina sections. An off-field aspect that cannot go unnoticed.

Piccoli against Milinkovic-Savic at 70’ The Fiorentina striker falls after contact with the goalkeeper, but the referee deems the challenge fair. A reasonable decision.

Fiorentina's goal at 80’ Ranieri scores the 3-1 goal. Napoli protests for an alleged foul on Anguissa: a light contact by Piccoli with his hand on the midfielder's back, judged not to be a foul.

Marelli: “Clear penalty, right to validate the Fiorentina goal”

Luca Marelli, Dazn's analyst, clarified the main incidents. On the penalty: “Comuzzo's foul on Anguissa is clear. The VAR checked Di Lorenzo's position: it was regular.”

On Fiorentina's goal: “Piccoli placed a hand on Anguissa, but the intensity was minimal and the midfielder let himself fall. In my opinion, the correct choice was to award a corner kick. The goal was rightly validated.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.