FLORENCE – Inter struggled and let in four goals without being able to react against Fiorentina, who dominated at home. Jovetic and Ljajic had a brace a piece.
The Viola came out swinging at the opening whistle and after 13 minutes were already ahead when Pasqual crossed from the left: Jovetic failed to get a clean touch on the ball but Ljajic made no such mistake and headed past Handanovic. Fiorentina kept pushing but the big Nerazzurri keeper was keeping his team in the game with some important saves. But then twenty minutes later yet another attack from the home side ended as a goal, this time with Jovetic’s right-footed curler beating Handanovic at the far post.
Ten minutes after the restart it was 3-0: after a poor clearance by the defence Jovetic placed Aquilani’s lovely back-heeled assist in the back of the net. Moments before the goal however, Pizarro had challenged Guarin and used his arm to control the ball, although this went unpunished by the referee. On 65 minutes Ljajic notched his second with a bending right-footer from the edge of the box. Then in the 87th minute a pile driver from Cassano put the Nerazzurri on the score sheet. Thus Fiorentina v Inter ended 4-1, and the Nerazzurri remain with 43 points in the standings, with the Viola now just one point behind them.
Fiorentina 4-1 Inter (HT: 2-0)
Scorers: Ljajic 13, 65, Jovetic 33, 55, Cassano 87.
Fiorentina: 1 Viviano; 40 Tomovic, 2 Gonzalo, 15 Savic; 11 Cuadrado (Llama 83), 10 Aquilani, 7 Pizarro (Sissoko 69), 20 Borja Valero, 23 Pasqual; 22 Ljajic, 8 Jovetic (El Hamdaoui 73).
Unused subs: 89 Neto, 4 Roncaglia, 5 Compper, 12 Lupatelli, 18 Larrondo, 21 Migliaccio, 27 Wolski, 30 Toni, 92 Romulo.
Coach: Vincenzo Montella.
Inter: 1 Handanovic; 4 Zanetti, 23 Ranocchia, 40 Juan Jesus, 55 Nagatomo; 19 Cambiasso, 17 Kuzmanovic, 10 Kovacic (Alvarez 46); 14 Guarin (Pereira 58); 99 Cassano, 8 Palacio (Schelotto 76).
Unused subs: 27 Belec, 30 Carrizo, 6 Silvestre, 18 Rocchi, 21 Gargano, 24 Benassi, 42 Jonathan, 47 Colombi.
Coach: Andrea Stramaccioni.
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Bologna).
Booked: Pasqual 27, Pizarro 37, Ranocchia 47, Guarin 56, Juan Jesus 59, Pereira 67, Savic 71.
Added time: 0 + 2 minutes.
