Serie A | Fiorentina 1-3 Como: Liberali celebrates first Serie A goal

Como were clinical in a 3-1 victory away to Fiorentina and celebrated Mattia Liberali’s first start with a goal, but the Viola were frustrated by the referee and VAR.

The Viola were revitalised by the return of coach Paolo Vanoli, but hit another bump with their 2-1 defeat at Genoa. Luca Ranieri, Arthur Atta and Fabiano Parisi missed out, with Mateo Pellegrino back to partner Franco Mastantuono.

Como were feeling the strain with one point from two Serie A rounds and their first Champions League defeat to Feyenoord, where Assane Diao joined Moise Kean on the treatment table, the Italy international missing a clash with his former club. Mattia Liberali got his first start, but Yan Couto pulled out in the warm-up, replaced by Ivan Smolcic.

It was a reunion on the touchline, as Paolo Vanoli was Antonio Conte’s assistant manager at Chelsea when Cesc Fabregas was a player.

Pedro Goncalves had his first start and immediately sent Alieu Njie clear on goal only to be cut off by Marc-Oliver Kempf, then moments later his flick inspired Niccolò Fagioli only for a desperate block to deflect the finish wide.

Como were forced into an early change, as Trevoh Chalobah sustained a muscular injury, making way for Jacobo Ramon.

Lucas Da Cunha’s curler was palmed round the far post with difficulty by David De Gea, who also parried the Tasos Douvikas header on the resulting corner, Liberali firing the rebound wide.

De Gea flew to fingertip the Nico Paz header out from under the bar, and Cher Ndour charged down a powerful Douvikas volley with his face.

It was wide open in Florence, Mastantuono rolling across from the right for Pellegrino’s tap-in, denied by a Jacobo Ramon deflection to help Jean Butez.

Como took the lead amid controversy, as Kempf appeared to foul Pedro Goncalves to start the counter-attack, but there was no denying the fantastic left-foot curling finish from Liberali into the far bottom corner from inside the area. It was his debut Serie A goal on the 19-year-old’s first start for Como, and also the first Serie A goal scored by an Italian for Como since Patrick Cutrone in May 2025.

Moments later, they doubled their advantage with Alex Valle whipping in the cross from the left for a towering Nico Paz header, steered back across De Gea into the top corner.

Fiorentina got back into it with a corner, as Jacobo Ramon cleared the Viery header almost off the line, but only as far as Marin Pongracic to fire in the rebound from seven yards, his first ever Serie A goal.

Moments later it was nearly 2-2, Mastantuono’s angled drive flashing across the face of goal, and the Viola did get the ball in the net in first half stoppages when Pongracic met the Mastantuono free kick at the back post with a cushioned volley. However, it was disallowed after a four-minute VAR check for offside, as the Semi-Automatic Offside Technology (SAOT) was not working.

Straight after the restart, Alieu Njie ran onto an inspired Fagioli ball over the top and flicked it beyond the on-rushing Butez, but only onto the side-netting of an open goal.

Fiorentina were pouring forward, but after Cher Ndour’s shot straight at Butez and a Mastantuono attempt charged down, they were caught on the counter.

Pedro Goncalves gave it away, so Nico Paz sent Douvikas down the right with a slide-rule pass, his finish squirming under De Gea’s legs.

Nico Paz spotted De Gea off his line and attempted a lob from midfield, while the goalkeeper got a glove to the Maxence Caqueret strike and Pongracic charged down the Bruno Kaiki tap-in from six yards.

It really should’ve been 3-2 on 76 minutes when Marco Brescianini put the cross in for Njie’s free header from a couple of yards, but he incredibly nodded it onto the upright.

Fagioli also tested Butez with two curlers from the edge of the area.

Fiorentina 1-3 Como

Liberali 32 (C), Nico Paz 36 (C), Pongracic 42 (F), Douvikas 56 (C)

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Starting lineups

Substitutes