Fabio Grosso talked Mastantuono into joining Fiorentina, and was gone before his hat-trick

Fabio Grosso spent part of his summer on the phone to Franco Mastantuono, explaining where a 19-year-old on loan from Real Madrid would fit into his Fiorentina side. It worked. Mastantuono chose Florence over the alternatives, and Grosso was sacked three league matches later, before the player had scored for him.

On Friday night at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Mastantuono scored three times in a 4-2 win at Venezia. It was Fiorentina’s first league win of the season and the first match of Paolo Vanoli’s second spell in charge.

Two goals in two minutes, then one off the goalkeeper

Venezia led. Akor Adams put them ahead in the 22nd minute from a Gianluca Busio pass, and for seven minutes it looked like Fiorentina were going to lose a fourth straight league game.

Then Mastantuono scored in the 29th minute, set up by Jimenez, and again in the 30th, set up by Beto. Two goals in the space of a minute changed the match and the half-time score, which read 1-2.

Mateo Pellegrino made it 3-1 in the 66th, which gave him both of Fiorentina’s league goals this season, his own from the Torino defeat included. Mastantuono completed the hat-trick in the 84th with a finish that went in off the goalkeeper, and Antoine Hainaut got a second for Venezia two minutes later from a Ridgeciano Haps cross.

Grosso lasted three games and one goal

Fiorentina beat Benevento in the Coppa Italia and then lost every league match they played under Grosso. Roma beat them 4-0 away on the opening day. Frosinone won 3-0 in Florence. Torino won 2-1, also in Florence. Three defeats, one goal scored, nine conceded, and a club bottom of Serie A having spent more than 150 million euros on new signings over the summer.

Fabio Paratici, Fiorentina’s sporting director, was blunt about why it came so early. “The decision came about after a discussion with the coach where he did not show any confidence in the team or in the project,” he said. “We decided that we should not persist with this coach and decided to go in a different direction.”

Vanoli is back three months after they decided against him

Vanoli took the Fiorentina job in November 2025 as the replacement for Stefano Pioli, with the club in trouble, and kept them in Serie A. The reward was a decision not to extend his contract. Grosso came in. Three months later Vanoli was being asked to come back, and did.

He made five changes for his first match, including a full debut for Beto, the striker signed from Everton, who set up the second goal. Fiorentina have three points from four and sit 15th. That is not a recovery yet. It is one night in Venice with a teenager in the middle of it.

Venezia have not won anything either

Four matches, no points, bottom of the table, and four conceded at home on Friday. Adams and Hainaut did their part. Whoever was supposed to stop Mastantuono did not.

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