Fiorentina took maximum points from the Tuscan derby at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, winning 2-1 against Empoli. The final score was dictated by two well-timed first-half goals that established a lead Empoli, despite a surge after the interval, could not fully overhaul. The Lemeister model gave Fiorentina a 42 per cent chance of victory before kick-off, making this a narrow but expected home win, with a draw rated at 30 per cent and an Empoli win at 28 per cent.
The scoring began in the seventh minute. Yacine Adli found the net for Fiorentina with Albert Guðmundsson providing the assist in a normal goal that gave the hosts an early platform. That lead was doubled in the 25th minute when Rolando Mandragora scored, with Adli turning provider. At that stage, Fiorentina had a two-goal cushion that survived until the break, despite a yellow card for Lucas Beltrán in the 15th minute and Empoli’s Faustino Anjorin being cautioned five minutes later. The cards reflected an increasingly combative contest, with both sides committed to physical engagement in the midfield battleground.
Empoli halved the deficit in the 57th minute. Jacopo Fazzini scored a normal goal, assisted by Saba Goglichidze, to bring the visitors back into the contest. The goal followed a period of sustained pressure from Empoli, who had already been buoyed by a flurry of set pieces. The match became increasingly physical; Liam Henderson of Empoli was booked in the 53rd minute, before Luca Ranieri and then Rolando Mandragora received yellow cards for Fiorentina in the 55th and 78th minutes respectively. Total fouls were high, with Empoli committing 18 to Fiorentina’s 16, underlining the scrappy nature of much of the play.
The statistics reveal a game of fine margins rather than total dominance. Fiorentina held 53 per cent possession and completed 315 of 405 passes at a 78 per cent accuracy rate, while Empoli managed 336 passes at 73 per cent accuracy. However, the shot count favoured Empoli, who had eight total attempts to Fiorentina’s six, and put five on target compared to three from the home side. Empoli also dominated corner kicks, taking six to Fiorentina’s one, reflecting their territorial advantage in the second half. Yet expected goals told a different story: Fiorentina’s 0.79 against Empoli’s 0.38 suggested the hosts created the higher-quality chances despite being out-shot. This was partly due to shot location; Fiorentina had four shots inside the box to Empoli’s two, while the visitors attempted six shots from outside the box, which typically yield a lower conversion rate.
Individual performances were led by Empoli’s Jacopo Fazzini, who earned the highest match rating of 7.9 for his goal and all-round contribution. Fiorentina’s Yacine Adli and Albert Guðmundsson both received 7.6, with Adli’s goal-and-assist display particularly influential. Rolando Mandragora scored and was rated 7.3, while Saba Goglichidze’s assist earned him a 7.2 rating. David De Gea made four saves and was rated 7.0, with the goals_prevented figure of minus 0.29 indicating that he saved slightly fewer goals than expected based on the quality of shots faced. The home goalkeeper’s saves were crucial in denying Empoli an equaliser, especially given that Empoli had five shots on target to Fiorentina’s three.
The result moves Fiorentina on to 54 points from 34 matches, keeping them in contention for European qualification with four games remaining and likely targeting a top-six finish in a competitive upper half of Serie A. Empoli remain on 32 points, still in the lower half of the table but with a narrow gap to the relegation zone that keeps their survival fight alive. The three points were hard-earned, and while Empoli created more shots and corners, Fiorentina’s early efficiency in front of goal, underpinned by superior chance quality as measured by expected goals, ultimately decided the derby in favour of the home side.
