Florence had spent four days celebrating Fiorentina's 100th anniversary, but the festivities gave way to alarm on Saturday as the club suffered a 3-0 home defeat to newly-promoted Frosinone, extending its worst start to a Serie A season in club history.
The centenary buildup had been elaborate. Supporters marched through the city center on Wednesday evening, and the celebrations culminated in a fireworks display along the Arno at midnight on the 25th, the date fans traditionally mark as the club's founding despite an official registration of August 29, 1926. President Giuseppe Commisso addressed the crowd, and former player Borja Valero was spotted among the well-wishers. Purple lighting adorned historic landmarks across Florence, and a limited-edition reissue of the club's original red-and-white kit, priced at 180 euros, sold out within two hours.
Ahead of kickoff against Frosinone, club legends including Gabriel Batistuta, Rui Costa, Adrian Mutu and Cesare Prandelli attended a lunch at Viola Park before heading to the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Renovation delays meant the Curva Fiesole remained shut, but ultras in the opposite stand staged an elaborate purple-and-flag display recreating the club's original crest.
On the pitch, though, things unraveled quickly. Fiorentina had invested more than 120 million euros over the summer to reshape their squad, bringing in the likes of Christ Inao Oulaï, Víctor Valdepeñas, Arthur Atta and Mateo Pellegrino, while also welcoming loanees such as Franco Mastantuono, Radu Dragusin and Álex Jiménez. New coach Fabio Grosso was tasked with integrating this influx of talent, starting with what looked like a favorable home fixture against a promoted side.
Fiorentina began brightly, with Mastantuono and Albert Gudmundsson causing problems out wide and Jiménez pushing forward from full-back. But a scare in the 25th minute proved a turning point: after Fiorentina failed to convert a promising counter-attacking situation through Seydou Fini, Frosinone struck back a minute later. Giorgi Kvernadze set up Antonio Raimondo, who finished at the near post to put the visitors ahead.
Fiorentina pushed for an equalizer, with Atta forcing a save and both Mastantuono and Valdepeñas striking the post. Mastantuono in particular impressed with a stretch of individual brilliance, including a deft touch to escape a defender and a shot that clipped the far post after nutmegging an opponent. Yet the hosts could not find a breakthrough, and Gabriele Bracaglia doubled Frosinone's lead with a header from a corner in the 38th minute. Raimondo completed his brace—and the scoring—in the 68th minute with a stylish chest-and-volley finish to make it 3-0.
The result left Fiorentina bottom of the Serie A table after two rounds, having lost both matches by a combined seven goals—the first time in the club's history it has opened a top-flight season with consecutive shutout defeats, following last weekend's 4-0 loss to Roma.
For Frosinone and manager Massimiliano Alvini, the win continued an improbable rise. The club narrowly avoided relegation to Serie C last season before an unexpected promotion run, with Alvini reportedly using a preseason prediction of struggle from La Gazzetta dello Sport as motivation for his squad.
Despite the on-field disappointment, Commisso addressed fans and reaffirmed the club's ambitions during a post-match ceremony honoring Fiorentina's history. "Our family's total financial commitment to Fiorentina is 1.1 billion euros," he said, adding that this summer marked "the largest single transfer window investment in new players in the history of the club." He went on to declare, "Today, on Fiorentina's 100th anniversary, I am not declaring that we have arrived, I am declaring that we have begun again. From this fresh start, Fiorentina's Renaissance will commence."
Fans applauded the club's storied past, including Batistuta and Rui Costa, but reserved whistles for the current squad as the reality of another difficult start set in.
Based on reporting from The Guardian (Nicky Bandini).