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Fiorentina fought back against Atalanta for a 3-1 victory with Giampaolo Pazzini's late brace.
Going into this game, newly promoted Atalanta were sitting in that fourth place berth that had been the Viola's last term, while the Calciopoli scandal left the home side fighting back from a 15-point penalty.
Luca Toni was once again ruled out by a recurring metatarsal problem and Fiorentina lost Per Kroldrup to injury after just 13 minutes when he over-stretched in a good scoring opportunity. There were two ex-Atalanta youth products in the side, Riccardo Montolivo and Giampaolo Pazzini.
Atalanta took the lead in controversial circumstances. A set-piece seemed to strike Manuel Pasqual on the arm and the Fiorentina defence stopped, assuming it was an opponent who blocked the ball, but play continued and Giulio Migliaccio tapped in from six yards past an immobile Sebastien Frey. It was the Orobici midfielder's first ever Serie A goal.
Less than 60 seconds later the home side equalised. Alex Calderoni performed a stunning point-blank reaction save on Giampaolo Pazzini's header from a Tomas Ujfalusi cross, but the goalkeeper could do nothing on Mutu's follow-up.
It was now a very open game and Martin Jorgensen's strike on the bounce was charged down by Rivalto with goalkeeper Calderoni stranded. At the other end, Cristiano Doni drilled wide from distance.
Fiorentina are certainly unlucky at the moment, as Jorgensen also went off injured before the break to make way for Reginaldo. Mutu's penalty appeals for a shove from Doni were waved away in stoppages.
The last kick of the first half was a spectacular Mutu solo effort that curled inches past the top corner.
After the break Pazzini's shot was smothered by Calderoni and Simone Loria flicked a Doni free kick over the bar.
There was a wonderful Viola move with Mutu threading through for Pazzini, whose angled drive on the slide took a coat of paint off the far post.
Former Atalanta man Pazzini went even closer soon after, Calderoni parrying his first attempt from point-blank range and he turned the follow-up chip on to the side-netting.
Pazzini was certainly unlucky, as two minutes later his glancing header from a corner kick shaved the far post with the goalkeeper already beaten.
Mutu hit the back of the net with a header on Fabio Liverani's free kick, but it had been taken too quickly and so did ot count. Ujfalusi broke into the area from the right on Liverani's cross-field pass, only to fire a weak effort straight at the 'keeper.
Reginaldo wasted a good opportunity by going for goal when Mutu and Pazzini were waiting for the cross in the centre.
Fiorentina continued to pour forward in a desperate bid to turn this game around and they finally snatched victory in the last minute. There was controversy, as the home side kept playing while Soncin was still on the ground injured in midfield, but the ball threaded through for Pazzini, who managed to squeeze an angled drive past the goalkeeper. It was his first goal since returning from a two-month injury lay-off.
In the last seconds of stoppages, Atalanta's free kick was cleared and Pazzini ran forward on the counter-attack, keeping his cool to stroke the ball past Calderoni for his second of the game. The Under-21 international celebrated with a swan-dive on to the pitch.
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