Mastantuono's brilliance crowns a thrilling Fiorentina comeback in Serie A
Will he return to Real Madrid?
Argentine Franco Mastantuono fired Fiorentina to a thrilling 4-2 win over Sassuolo. His decisive strike in the 79th minute ended a run of three straight defeats, before Victor Valdepenas wrapped up the scoring with his first goal for the club in stoppage time.
According to Spanish newspaper "AS", the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia played host to a clash between two of Serie A's leakiest defences. Both sides arrived unhappy with their form, each desperate to steady the ship and get back on track.
Caution ruled the opening exchanges. Each side sized up the other, and the first clear chance was slow to arrive, save for an effort from Mastantuono, on loan from Real Madrid, in the sixth minute.
That wariness dragged the tempo down. The Argentine kept trying to breathe life into the contest with his runs and his pace.
Fiorentina closed down the spaces well. Sassuolo buzzed around in midfield but found no clear way through, even as they gradually pushed forward.
Then came Laurienté. The Frenchman pounced on his chance in the 25th minute, with Esposito springing a counter through a clever pass.
De Gea rushed off his line to protect his net, but he could not stop Laurienté from opening the scoring for Sassuolo.
Ndour hunted a quick response after an organised attack led by Mastantuono inside the box, and Pellegrino duly levelled before the break.
The forward collected a pass from Ndour in the 47th minute, shielded the ball from Candé and poked it past Turati from close range. The first half finished 1-1.
Having teed up Pellegrino, Ndour leaned on his individual quality after the restart. A powerful right-footed drive from the edge of the box put Fiorentina 2-1 up in the 50th minute.
Aquilani refused to accept it. He threw on Boey from the 59th minute to sharpen Sassuolo's attack, while Mastantuono kept bursting into the home box, rattling the hosts with a left-footed shot the defence turned behind for a corner.
The change paid off. Sassuolo found their spark again, and Matić created the equaliser in the 65th minute for Laurienté, who buried his second of the night from a tight angle to make it 2-2.
After a long wait, with his movement a constant menace in Sassuolo's areas, Mastantuono tipped the balance for good in the 79th minute.
The move began with João Mário on the left. He fed Pedro Gonçalves, who in turn teed up the Argentine star, and Mastantuono rifled it left-footed past Turati for Fiorentina's third.
Sassuolo were left to shadow Mastantuono almost until the whistle. They searched for the right opening to turn it around but came up short.
Valdepenas sealed it in the 94th minute with his first goal in a Fiorentina shirt. Pedro Gonçalves sparked a fresh attack, slipped the ball to Ndour, who crossed to the far post, and the Spaniard was waiting to tap home for 4-2.
