|
Fiorentina grabbed a crucial away victory with former Tardini hero Adrian Mutu netting both goals.
Cesare Prandelli, Sebastien Frey and Mutu returned to the Tardini, where their careers really took off, but traditionally this has been a tough trip for the Viola with one win from their last five Serie A visits. Parma had won their last two home games on the trot and earned a 2-0 victory in this fixture last season. Reginaldo also came face to face with his former club for the first time.
Within three minutes Christian Vieri had scuffed a left-footed volley held up by Mutu, but Parma had an extraordinary series of shots during the same move with five different efforts charged down by defenders and Frey, the most dangerous from Stefano Morrone. Parma were forced into an early substitution after Giulio Falcone's clash with Vieri left the defender with the worst of it. Replays suggest Vieri left his elbow out and could perhaps have been carded. It was a very entertaining start to the match, as Reginaldo dispossessed a defender to blast over the bar. Andrea Pisanu went closer than anyone after 16 minutes, shaking off a defender to smack his low shot against the base of the near post. Parma kept pushing, as Bernardo Corradi's acrobatic volley was over and Pisanu skimmed the woodwork. A Riccardo Montolivo rocket bounced off Luca Bucci's chest to fly up and out for a corner. From the resulting set-piece Mutu's header into the ground took a deflection off Morrone to leave the goalkeeper stranded. Marco Donadel's low strike skimmed the base of the upright after the restart, then Bucci dealt with a Mutu snapshot as best he could. Mutu sparked a counter and rolled out for another Donadel effort that flashed across the face of goal. Mutu's free kick hit the wall and the Romanian tested Bucci again from distance and Mario Alberto Santana's attempt was tipped out for a corner. However, Parma equalised on 69 minutes. Ferdinand Coly was left unmarked for a free header into the far top corner from Luca Cigarini's free kick. Just six minutes from time Vieri turned Morrone and tripped, earning a penalty, although the veteran Fiorentina striker seemed to make the most of the contact. Mutu converted the spot-kick despite Bucci guessing the right corner. | 
