Goals: Juventus—Llorente 24'; Fiorentina—Salah 11', 56'
Recap: Ninety minutes of inspired football saw Fiorentina defeat Juventus 2-1 in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals.
A blistering start for the visitors allowed the newly acquired Mohamed Salah open the affair with a clinical break in the 11th minute. The hosts would respond just 13 minutes later. A towering header from Fernando Llorente slipped past the post, equalizing the affair. But Fiorentina, and to a larger extent Salah, would not be denied.
A costly moment allowed the Egyptian international to seal the 2-1 victory in the second half.
Key Moment: Fiorentina were fortunate to finish the match with 11 men. A reckless challenge from Jasmin Kurtic forced to the official to turn to his pocket, but a conservative caution was shown, not the justifiable sending off the moment required.
Man of the Match: Two goals, but perhaps more importantly, two away goals were scored by Salah on Thursday.
Lesson Learned: Juventus reign supreme in Serie A, but that doesn't translate to cup competition. Though the club boasts a tournament-best nine titles, it is yet to capture the illustrious 10th and has failed to do so since 1995. Thursday's result all but ensured the trend will continue past 2015.
Up Next: Both clubs return to action on March 9, with Fiorentina hosting AC Milan and Juventus battling Sassuolo at Juventus Stadium.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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