Fiorentina and Juventus draw after twice trading the lead

Fiorentina took the lead twice against Juventus, but the visitors fought back on both occasions to claim a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Gleison Bremer’s second-half equaliser settled the score, leaving Paolo Vanoli frustrated that his team had not turned its performance into a win.

Mateo Pellegrino headed Fiorentina in front after four minutes. Nick Woltemade levelled before the break, and Alieu Njie restored the home side’s advantage after the restart. Bremer brought the teams level again in the 66th minute.

The draw comes with the clubs separated in the Serie A table: Juventus are seventh on 18 points after 11 matches, while Fiorentina sit 15th with nine. The gap is nine points. Juventus have five wins, three draws and three defeats, scoring 15 goals and conceding 12. Fiorentina have two wins, three draws and six losses, with 17 goals scored and 25 conceded. Over their last five Serie A matches, Juventus have won twice, drawn once and lost twice; Fiorentina have one win, two draws and two defeats.

Vanoli acknowledged his disappointment while praising his players’ attitude. “I have been hard on the players: they must learn to turn a great performance into results. This team showed what the supporters wanted to see and wanted to win. Sometimes that desire to win can also make you lose, but I prefer a team like this,” he said. He also defended his team selection, saying he wanted room to develop the players he sees in training.

The coach also urged Fiorentina not to become fearful after conceding goals. He pointed to the work still needed on individual qualities and possession, as well as the need to manage certain situations better. “Two goals conceded per match is a lot,” he admitted, adding that he was angry because his side should have taken the points.

Luciano Spalletti was also dissatisfied, despite believing Juventus had chances to win. He criticised his team’s inconsistency, saying they had good spells but then gave the ball away cheaply and lost their balance. He nevertheless said Juventus could also have won and recognised the desire shown by Fiorentina. Vanoli, meanwhile, defended De Gea, describing him as his captain: “He will never be a problem.”