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Serie A Week 34 - 19/4/08 (19.30 UK)

Fiorentina 1 - 0 Palermo
Donadel 29 (F)
Stadio Franchi

A Marco Donadel screamer gave Fiorentina a hard-fought 1-0 win over Palermo, taking them closer to a Champions League spot.

Pre-season these teams were expected to battle for a UEFA Cup spot, but instead the Viola found themselves in fourth place and the Rosanero only just achieving mid-table security after back-to-back wins over Juventus and Catania. All eyes were on Fabrizio Miccoli and Federico Balzaretti, who returned to face their former club after bitter departures. Andrea Barzagli sat out a ban in the visiting defence and Alberto Fontana was injured.

Curiously, this fixture had only ended in a draw once in 19 editions - back in 1949 - and Palermo caused upsets by winning here twice in the past three visits.

Giampaolo Pazzini and Amauri had efforts in the opening three minutes, but on nine a set-piece fell to Kuzmanovic, whose left-foot strike was brilliantly saved by Federico Agliardi's trailing foot.

The referee waved play on after Mario Alberto Santana's penalty appeals for a Federico Balzaretti challenge, but on 18 minutes a splendid Adrian Mutu header from Santana's cross thumped the near post with Agliardi beaten.

Amauri was booked for leading with his elbow and will be suspended for Palermo's next game.

The deadlock was broken by an absolute screamer. The ball fell to Marco Donadel from 20 metres for a searing right-foot strike that whizzed past Agliardi at the base of the near post.

Tomas Ujfalusi limped off with a muscular problem and there was a moment of fair play when Balzaretti confessed he had touched the ball, so his team did not get a corner.

Agliardi fingertipped a Mutu free kick over the bar, but Palermo nearly equalised with Bosko Jankovic's searing run and angled drive deflected off Alessandro Gamberini to skim a coat of paint off the far post.

Palermo also lost a player to injury, as Giulio Migliaccio sustained a thigh problem, then after the break Giuseppe Biava was stretchered off.

Mutu's spectacular solo run saw him blaze past Leandro Rinaudo, but the cutback found his teammates all too slow to make the most of it.

An acrobatic Amauri overhead kick turned Jankovic's cross over, while ex-Viola man Miccoli came off the bench. Within minutes Miccoli had sparked a dangerous attacking move that Sebastien Frey parried from Jankovic's angled drive.

Palermo were reduced to 10 men on 72 minutes, as Pazzini was clear on goal for the counter when Leandro Rinaudo shoved him in the back, leading to an inevitable second bookable offence.

Agliardi beat away the resulting Mutu free kick and incredibly substitute Christian Vieri blasted the loose ball off target from four yards with his first touch of the game!

Yet 10-man Palermo had their best chance of the game so far. Frey was at full stretch to palm away a Miccoli strike from the edge of the box and then turned the point-blank Mark Bresciano follow-up on to the base of the post.

During that move Amauri clashed heads with Dainelli and the Fiorentina defender came off worse, bleeding heavily from the back of his skull, but he was able to continue after treatment. The Rosanero refused to give in and kept the game open until the final whistle.

Fiorentina: Frey; Jorgensen, Ujfalusi (Dainelli 31), Gamberini, Pasqual; Kuzmanovic, Liverani (Montolivo 59), Donadel; Santana, Pazzini (Vieri 73), Mutu

Palermo: Agliardi; Zaccardo, Rinaudo, Biava (Cassani 54), Balzaretti; Guana, Migliaccio (Tedesco 40); Jankovic, Bresciano, Caserta (Miccoli 59); Amauri

Ref: Damato

Sent off: Rinaudo 72 (P)

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