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·11 September 2026

Serie A | Venezia 2-4 Fiorentina: Mastantuono magic gets Vanoli off the mark

Teenage talent Franco Mastantuono came up with a hat-trick to get Fiorentina’s Serie A campaign underway at the fourth time of asking in an eventual 4-2 thriller away against Venezia on Friday evening: Mateo Pellegrino, Akor Adams and Antoine Hainaut with the other goals on the night.

This was Vanoli’s first game back in charge after being called in to replace Fabio Grosso after just three games of the 2026-27 Serie A season. Grosso had overseen Fiorentina’s worst start to a Serie A season since the 1930s, and sporting director Fabio Paratici has since explained that the dismissed former head coach lacked confidence in the project and the team that had been assembled for him over the summer.

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VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 11: Head coach of ACF Fiorentina Paolo Vanoli during the Serie A match between Venezia FC and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on September 11, 2026 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

Vanoli, who had left his position as Fiorentina head coach at the end of the 2025-26 season, was reappointed and decided to change half of the starting line-up after last weekend’s defeat against Torino. He made five alterations to his outfielders and introduced Beto for his full Viola debut following his late summer transfer from Everton.

Click here to see how the game unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Fiorentina came out looking determined to atone for their errors in the early stages of the 2026-27 season and had a number of early opportunities through Beto, Mastantuono, Alex Jimenez and Cher Ndour.

But despite their early pressure, it was Venezia who nicked the lead against the run of play midway through the first half. Club record signing Adams was freed on the right-hand side of the area and dispatched a well-taken first-time finish into the far corner of the net for his first goal in Serie A.

VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 11: Akor Adams of Venezia FC celebrates after scoring his team’s opening goal during the Serie A match between Venezia FC and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on September 11, 2026 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

Vanoli will be pleased with the reaction that his Fiorentina players showed, levelling just five minutes after Adams’s strike. Mastantuono, on loan from Real Madrid, cut in off the right flank and onto his left foot before firing a shot into the near post from the edge of the area in real Arjen Robben fashion. A very well-taken strike for the 19-year-old’s first goal in Serie A.

The Argentine star didn’t waste much time to add the second goal of his Serie A career, scoring the next time he got on the ball just over a minute later.

Venezia surrendered possession almost immediately after the re-start, Haps slipped disastrously at the back, Beto tapped it to Mastantuono, who scored in off the far post with another left-footed effort from the edge of the area for 2-0.

VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 11: Franco Mastantuono of ACF Fiorentina celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between Venezia FC and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on September 11, 2026 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

The start of the second half started in the opposite manner to the first. Trailing after their initial first-half lead, Venezia came out looking for an early equaliser and threatened for much of the first 15 minutes of the second period.

Just as they were starting to look at serious risk of conceding, Fiorentina broke with Pellegrino on the counter attack. The Argentine, on as a second half sub, had most of the Venezia half to cover before slotting one under Stankovic and into the bottom corner of the net to give Fiorentina a two-goal cushion.

That became a three-goal lead in the final 10 minutes when Mastantuono popped up to claim his hat-trick. Following pressure from a Fiorentina corner, Cher Ndour lofted the ball over the last line of defence, Mastantuono was played onside, tried to dink it over Stankovic, had the ball ricochet back off the keeper, onto his face and then finally into the back of the net for 4-1.

In a crazy end to proceedings, Venezia equalised almost immediately afterwards: Ridgeciano Haps’s deep cross from the left touchline was too high for Lion Lauberbach in the middle, but it fell kindly for Antoine Hainaut, who slammed it home on the full volley.

This leaves Venezia rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table with zero points and a goal difference of -8 after four matches, whilst Fiorentina have lifted themselves out of the drop zone, now in 15th on three points with an improved goal difference of -6.