Fiorentina 1-0 Atalanta: Visitors´ Scudetto hopes fade further as Kean strikes

Moise Kean scored an excellent solo goal as Fiorentina earned a 1-0 home win over Atalanta on Sunday, dealing another blow to La Dea’s slim Serie A title hopes.

The Italy striker put Fiorentina ahead just before the break after a brilliant run, firing a low shot past visiting goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and into the bottom corner.

A desperate Luca Ranieri block had earlier prevented Ademola Lookman from tapping home, as Atalanta produced another flat performance following their 2-0 loss to Inter prior to the international break.

Charles De Ketelaere sent an angled drive wide in the second half, while Carnesecchi got down to tip Nicolo Fagioli’s curler away at the other end.

In truth, Fiorentina looked the more likely scorers even at 1-0 up after the break, when they had 10 shots to Atalanta’s five.

Kean fired over after being fed by Dodo on the counter, while Ranieri prodded straight at Carnesecchi when presented with a golden chance in the 73rd minute.

But eighth-placed Fiorentina ultimately did not need a second goal as they moved onto 51 points, one behind Roma in sixth and five adrift of Bologna in fourth.

Atalanta, meanwhile, remain six points off leaders Inter and three behind second-placed Napoli, who both play later on Sunday.

Data debrief: Dea’s hopes fading

Atalanta’s slim hopes of a first top-flight title are fading, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s men losing back-to-back matches either side of the international break.

It is the first time they have lost two league games in a row since going down to Torino and Inter in August.

A lack of attacking thrust cost them here, as they failed to register a single shot on target for the first time in Serie A since February 2023 (versus Milan).

They had as many as nine shots without hitting the target with any of them for the first time since April 2019, when they did likewise against Inter (nine).

The goals have dried up at the worst possible time for Atalanta, who have failed to score in four of their last six league games, as many times as in their previous 48.