Juve bounce back as Fiorentina fall again

Fabio Grosso scored the winner as Juventus boosted their Champions League qualification hopes with a 2-1 victory at Fiorentina on Saturday.

But for Fiorentina it was the worst possible preparation for their Champions League second leg clash at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, a tie win which they trail 2-1 from the first game in Germany.

La Viola have now only won one of their last nine league games, losing six, and sit down in 10th, and nine points behind fourth-placed Juventus.

For Juve it was the perfect reply following last week’s 2-0 home defeat to Palermo.

Juve were off to a flying start, ahead through Diego after just two minutes in contentious circumstances.

Antonio Candreva played a clever ball in behind the Fiorentina defence with Diego looking offside.

But he sold goalkeeper Sebastien Frey two clever faints, leaving the Frenchman sprawled on the floor allowing the Brazilian to round him and roll the ball into an empty net.

The hosts had an almost identical chance on nine minutes when a flick from Stevan Jovetic played in Alberto Gilardino, but Juve goalkeeper Alex Manninger saved the former AC Milan forward’s hurried shot.

Fiorentina had wrested the ascendancy from their visitors and Juan Vargas lashed a shot from a free-kick inches wide.

They got their reward on 32 minutes, but it was due to woeful Juve defending.

Massimo Gobbi sent a 40-yard cross-field ball from left to right.

Juve full-back Paolo De Ceglie dithered and Manninger left it too late to come for the ball allowing Marco Marchionni, the smallest player on the pitch, to nip between the pair and head home from eight yards against his former club.

The second half threatened to peter out into a draw until substitute Grosso overlapped down the left, took a pass from Mali midfielder Mohamed Sissoko in the box and curled a shot from an angle high and beyond Frey’s reach.

In injury time Claudio Marchisio could have put the game to bed but Frey made a fine reaction save.

In the day’s late game third-placed AS Roma host second-placed AC Milan in the battle to keep on the heels of leaders Inter Milan.