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Juventus were forced to settle for a draw in Florence after a pair of spectacular long-range goals and a series of ugly incidents in the stands overshadowed the football. Filip Kostic opened the scoring with a superb strike just before the interval, only for Rolando Mandragora to respond with an equally impressive effort soon after half-time. Luciano Spalletti’s side, however, were left frustrated as a string of missed chances denied them a second goal.
The opening 45 minutes was marred by the behaviour of sections of the Fiorentina crowd, who directed discriminatory chants at Juventus' Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic, the former Viola striker. Early in the match, the referee instructed stadium officials to issue a warning: “calling for a stop to the chants or the game would be interrupted.”
The animosity intensified during the 14th-minute penalty incident, when the referee again had to intervene. Vlahovic appeared to win a penalty moments later and the hostility intensified. The referee initially awarded the spot-kick after Pablo Mari was deemed to have pulled the Serbian forward down, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review, with officials determining that Vlahovic had committed the foul. As the chants resumed, play was halted and Fiorentina captain Luca Ranieri stepped in, “appealing for common sense from the fans behind the goal.”
The referee prepared to restart the match but instead instructed Fiorentina captain Gianluca Mancini to speak directly to the supporters and urge them to stop. This marks the third successive season in which Vlahovic has been subjected to racist chanting at his former club, having departed Fiorentina in a contentious move in January 2022.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels / AXP Photography, Pixababy / jorono
