Fiorentina take slender lead against Atalanta in Coppa Italia semi-final first-leg

In the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, Fiorentina secured a 1-0 victory over Atalanta, extending their unbeaten record against them on home turf to four matches (W3, D1).

Fiorentina, having lost only one of their last seven fixtures in this competition (the previous season's Coppa Italia final), approached the game with confidence and determination to return to winning ways.

Under the guidance of Vincenzo Italiano, the hosts dominated possession from the start but initially struggled to create meaningful opportunities against Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi. Giacomo Bonaventura and Lucas Beltran saw their shots from inside the penalty area blocked by defenders.

However, Fiorentina remained undeterred, seeking redemption after a recent loss to AC Milan that ended their six-match unbeaten streak (W2, D4).

Their persistence paid off after more than 30 minutes of play, when Nicolás González played a pass to Rolando Mandragora. Mandragora unleashed a powerful long-range shot that struck the inside of the left post and found the top corner, giving Fiorentina a crucial lead.

The second half mirrored the first, with Atalanta struggling to maintain possession. Just before the hour mark, they came close to conceding another goal. González rose above Atalanta's defense to head an inviting cross towards the left side of the goal, but Carnesecchi produced an outstanding save to keep the deficit at one goal.

González continued to pose a threat to the Atalanta goal, coming close again only six minutes later. He cut inside and fired a shot towards the center of the goal, only to be denied by Carnesecchi once again.

In the last 10 minutes of the game, Atalanta came close to equalizing the score. Gianluca Scamacca received the ball in the penalty area and aimed for the bottom-right corner, but Pietro Terracciano made an excellent save to maintain his team's lead.