Fiorentina rallies but comes up short in 2-2 draw with Atalanta at the Franchi

It took Fiorentina just twenty minutes to flip a match that looked like it was headed for yet another disappointing finish. On a shot that felt like the season's recurring script, Atalanta went ahead at the Artemio Franchi, but Paolo Vanoli's side answered with two goals in eight minutes before weathering a late push from Maurizio Sarri's team. The final score was 2-2, and while it didn't bring three points, it did showcase one of Fiorentina's best offensive performances of the Serie A season so far.

The deadlock broke in the 40th minute, when Charles De Ketelaere finished with his left foot from the center of the box off a Nicola Zalewski assist to make it 0-1 for Atalanta. Before that, Fiorentina had created the better chances, with shots from Pellegrino, Jimenez, Joao Mario and Mastantuono all failing to find the net, but it was Atalanta that struck first and went into the break with the lead.

The home side's response

Fiorentina came out with a different energy in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Alieu Njie headed home from point-blank range, just inside the left post, off a cross from Alex Jimenez, leveling it at 1-1. Eight minutes later, in the 60th minute, Joao Mario made it 2-1 with a right-footed strike from outside the box that found the top left corner, assisted by Njie himself. The Franchi, which had been crying out for a response, got one in the space of eight minutes.

But Atalanta refused to fold. In the 73rd minute, Nicola Zalewski equalized with a left-footed shot from the center of the area, assisted by De Ketelaere, setting the final score at 2-2. From there, chances came at both ends, Gnonto, Rowe, Krstovic, Bernasconi and De Ketelaere all had looks, but neither Carnesecchi's goal nor Fiorentina's moved again.

What the numbers say

The stats confirm that Fiorentina's equalizer wasn't just a matter of grit: the home side was far superior in terms of attacking volume, though it lacked the finishing touch to take all three points.

Twenty six shots to ten is a massive gap, though Atalanta was sharper in front of goal: with less than half the attempts, it produced nearly as many shots on target. In our own xG estimate calculated from the match's shots, Fiorentina finished with 1.951 against Atalanta's 1.253, a gap that backs up the sense that the home side deserved more than a draw.

The preview we published had given Atalanta a 41% chance of winning, with 31% for Fiorentina and 28% for a draw, with expected goals of 1.29 for the home side and 1.51 for the visitors. The result ended up closer to a toss up than to either favorite, and the four total goals topped the 2.81 we had projected before kickoff.

What the result leaves behind

In the Serie A standings, this draw doesn't change much: Fiorentina remains near the bottom, with a record of one win, two draws and six losses so far this season, while Atalanta sits several spots higher, with three wins, two draws and four losses. The gap between the two sides in the table is six points. For Fiorentina, the match offers a more encouraging takeaway than the result itself: the team created chances, pressed high and found the net twice against a direct rival. For Atalanta, the credit goes to not breaking after falling behind and grinding out a point with less than half of its opponent's shot total.