Fiorentina 1 - 0 Santana: Santana fires Fiorentina

Posted Wednesday, February 02, 2011 by PA

Mario Alberto Santana scored the only goal of the game as Fiorentina leapfrogged Genoa in the Serie A table.

Santana stabbed home from a tight angle five minutes before half-time as the hosts ended the day one point above their opponents and in 11th.

New signing Valon Behrami started well for Fiorentina, crossing well from the right and finding Alberto Gilardino, whose volley flew just over.

Genoa hit back through Rodrigo Palacio but Artur Boruc did well to deny him in the seventh minute.

It was not until the 28th minute that Fiorentina threatened again, Marco Marchionni squaring the ball in the box towards Santana only for Giandomenico Mesto to clear away from an open goal.

Santana and Gilardino almost linked up again six minutes later but again the finishing touch was absent.

Antonio Floro Flores forced Boruc into another good save at the other end but it was La Viola who broke the deadlock.

Manuel Pasqual crossed from the left and when goalkeeper Eduardo's punched clearance made it only as far as Santana, the Argentinian prodded over the line.

With a minute remaining in the first half Abdoulay Konko picked out Domenico Criscito, who was denied by a superb reaction save from Boruc.

One early Riccardo Montolivo strike aside, the second half saw Fiorentina content to hold possession rather than press forward.

That pattern yielded twice in quick succession as the last 15 minutes approached, Alessio Cerci and Santana both failing with decent efforts on goal.

Genoa fashioned one good chance of their own before the whistle, Alberto Paloschi skimming the outside of the post with a header.

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