Fiorentina 3-0 Juventus: Juve suffer heavy defeat at La Viola as pressure mounts on Thiago Motta
Juventus endured another humbling defeat on Sunday, falling 3-0 to Fiorentina in Serie A, further intensifying scrutiny on under-pressure manager Thiago Motta. The loss follows last weekend’s 4-0 thrashing by Atalanta, extending Juve’s struggles in a season where they have been absent from the title race and suffered early exits from the Champions League and Coppa Italia.
The result leaves Juventus in fifth place with 52 points, trailing fourth-placed Bologna by one point after their emphatic 5-0 win over Lazio earlier in the day. Fiorentina, meanwhile, leapfrogged AC Milan into eighth place with 48 points.
Juve found themselves two goals down inside the opening 20 minutes against a Fiorentina side that had lost four of their previous five league matches. Robin Gosens opened the scoring in the 15th minute when his initial header from a corner was blocked by Renato Veiga, but the rebound fell kindly for him, and his powerful strike deflected off Khephren Thuram into the net. Just three minutes later, Nicolo Fagioli—on loan at Fiorentina from Juventus—set up Rolando Mandragora, who drilled a first-time shot from outside the box into the far corner.
Despite controlling possession, Juventus failed to register a shot on target in the first half, while Fiorentina made the most of their limited chances. After the break, Juve pushed forward but struggled to break through, with Veiga’s tame header easily saved by David de Gea. The visitors’ misery deepened in the 53rd minute when Albert Gudmundsson latched onto another Fagioli pass, drove forward unchallenged, and rifled a low shot into the bottom corner.
Moise Kean briefly thought he had pulled one back for Juventus, only to see his goal ruled out for offside as Fiorentina continued to dominate. The home crowd revelled in their team’s performance, mocking Juventus with chants of "Where is Dusan?" as former Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic remained on the Juve bench.
Reflecting on his side’s struggles, Motta admitted: "Today we didn't create any danger despite having the ball and the opponents scored at the slightest chance. We struggled to react, they are two bad defeats. We had played well against Atalanta for 45 minutes. Today after the first goal we continued to play but without creating difficulties for the opponent."
For Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino, the win was a special moment. "Tonight we put Juventus in difficulty. It was a magical night. We're happy to have given joy to our fans," he told Sky Sport.
With their Italian Super Cup campaign already over, Juventus now face a crucial battle to secure Champions League qualification—one of the few objectives left in what has been a disappointing debut season under Motta.
SportsLigue