Serie A | Fiorentina 2-2 Bologna: Viola fight back avoids defeat

Fiorentina completed the comeback from 2-0 down to hold Bologna 2-2 in stoppages with Albert Gudmundsson and Moise Kean penalties, after Emil Holm was sent off.

Both teams were fresh from UEFA victories on Thursday, but while the Viola had a 3-0 win away to Rapid Vienna, they were still without a single success in Serie A. Moise Kean and Robin Gosens returned after being rested, with Tariq Lamptey and Christian Kouame long-term absentees. The Rossoblu lost Jens Odgaard to a knock during the 2-1 win at Steaua Bucharest, joining Ciro Immobile on the treatment table. Coach Vincenzo Italiano missed the trip back to the Stadio Franchi, as he was still undergoing treatment for pneumonia.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Kean drilled inches wide when clear on goal in the opening minutes, but had been caught offside to spare his blushes, while David De Gea fingertipped a looping Santiago Castro strike out from under the crossbar.

Bologna had penalty appeals rejected for a possible Dodo handball, as the footage did not clearly show contact, but they did take the lead.

A corner was not cleared properly and the Pablo Mari header floated into the path of Santiago Castro, who performed a spectacular volley into the far top corner from 12 yards. It was his first Serie A goal outside the Dall’Ara since January.

Fiorentina should’ve equalised moments later when Rolando Mandragora flicked on a corner to the back post, but Luca Ranieri shinned it over from point-blank range.

Nicolò Cambiaghi curled wide and Lukasz Skorupski palmed away a long-range Mandragora free kick.

There was chaos straight after the restart, as the referee awarded a Fiorentina penalty for handball, but it was Skorupski who got his hand to it rather than Jhon Lucumi, and Kean handled too during the two charged down attempts, so it was revoked following a VAR review.

Instead, Bologna doubled their lead when Emil Holm got down the right and pulled across the face of goal, with Cambiaghi getting there first to toe-poke in from six yards.

Kean stung Skorupski’s gloves after a run from midfield, but again the Rossoblu were more clinical and pounced when De Gea parried the Riccardo Orsolini free header at the back post, but could do nothing on the Thijs Dallinga follow-up. However, this goal was disallowed for Orsolini’s offside position.

Nonetheless, many Fiorentina fans started leaving the stadium in protest at their current Serie A form and chanting insults towards the club and squad.

The Viola finally did get their penalty, as after a Juan Miranda goal-line clearance on Edin Dzeko, Lewis Ferguson charged down the Dodo cross with his arm. Albert Gudmundsson rolled a precise snooker shot beyond Skorupski’s fingertips into the near bottom corner for his first Serie A goal of the season.

This suddenly changed the game and after Federico Bernardeschi had penalty appeals rejected for a coming together with Sabiri, Emil Holm received his second yellow card for bringing down Fortini.

The tension also got to Jonathan Rowe, who was substituted to bring on a defender and was booked after his exit for kicking the ball into the stands.

Kean’s acrobatic scissor-kick volley on a Dodo cross was charged down by Bernardeschi’s arms in front of his face, but considered to be in an unnatural position following a VAR review. Kean insisted on stepping up this time and sent Skorupski the wrong way to equalise in stoppages.

A scuffle broke out between Dzeko and Lucumi, then Fiorentina thought they had to win it with the last kick of the game when Skorupski only palmed a Roberto Piccoli header into the path of Dodo, but the Brazilian prodded the rebound onto the side-netting.

Castro 25 (B), Cambiaghi 52 (B), Gudmundsson pen 74 (F), Kean pen 94 (F)

Sent off: Holm 83 (B)