Genoa hold off Fiorentina to secure first league victory

Milutin Osmajić opened the scoring in the seventh minute, finishing beneath the crossbar, before Junior Messias doubled Genoa’s advantage eight minutes later. Fiorentina struggled to recover from their poor start, although Johan Vásquez’s own goal in the 73rd minute gave them renewed hope.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Cher Ndour missed one opportunity and later struck the post. Genoa held on to claim three valuable points and give coach Daniele De Rossi a much-needed result.

De Rossi was delighted with his players’ first-half performance and credited the club for remaining patient during a difficult opening to the campaign.

“We worked in the same way from the beginning of pre-season. Today we had an exceptional first half,” he said. “If things had gone a little differently, we might have drawn, because Fiorentina did not deserve to equalise.”

The Genoa coach said the victory meant a great deal to the players and staff after a period of pressure. He thanked the club’s leadership for their patience and praised the defensive work that had restricted Fiorentina for much of the contest.

De Rossi also highlighted the contribution of his younger players, including the energy provided by Osmajić. He was pleased that Genoa remained united when Fiorentina increased the pressure after the interval, rather than allowing the visitors to create a succession of clear chances.

Fiorentina coach Paolo Vanoli, by contrast, blamed his side’s approach for putting them at an immediate disadvantage. He accepted responsibility for failing to prepare the team adequately for the demands of the match.

“We got the approach completely wrong,” Vanoli said. “We need to become more of a team, and that also means understanding the situation and the place where you are playing. Individual errors left us two goals behind.”

Vanoli praised his players’ reaction after half-time but felt they needed greater composure once they had pulled a goal back. The coach said his young squad was still learning how to manage difficult situations and avoid becoming frustrated when a match turned against them.

He also rejected fatigue from training as an excuse, insisting that the opening performance had been the main problem. The team needed to learn from the defeat, show greater resilience and concede fewer goals.

Genoa’s early attacking intensity ultimately proved decisive. Despite Fiorentina’s improved second-half display, the hosts protected their lead through the closing stages to celebrate their first league win of the season.

For De Rossi, the result offered relief after mounting pressure. Vanoli, meanwhile, was left to address the defensive mistakes and lack of composure that had made Fiorentina’s task so difficult from the outset.