Fiorentina honour Bove by sweeping aside Inter Milan

Raffaele Palladino's team are now fourth in Serie A on goal difference ahead of Lazio thanks to a deserved win over champions Inter earned thanks to a brilliant finish from Luca Ranieri and a Moise Kean double, all of which came in the second half.

Bove, who is still waiting to see if he will be granted permission to continue his fledgling playing career in Italy, watched from the bench as his teammates delighted fans who two months ago watched in horror as he collapsed early in the game and was then rushed to hospital. The two teams reconvened on Thursday to play the rest of the match, with Inter having a chance to move level on points with league leaders Napoli.

But Fiorentina did Napoli a big favour with a superb performance which came even without five new winter transfer window signings who were not allowed to play. "We pulled out a stratospheric performance tonight... we can celebrate because everyone was great," said Ranieri to Sky. "We should be ambitious, but let's not get carried away, we need to keep playing like this and something good will come along, I'm sure."

On Monday night Inter will have chance for revenge for a first league defeat since losing the Milan derby in September as they host Fiorentina at the San Siro. "We just weren't good enough, we were missing everything - effort, aggressivity and determination," said Inter coach Simone Inzaghi. "We deserved to lose and you can only compliment Fiorentina who gave everything that we didn't."

Bove has been relegated to the sidelines as he is still sweating on the results of exams which may yet bar him from playing football in Italy, just as happened with Christian Eriksen in 2021 after his brush with death at that year's European Championships.

Bove left hospital in December with a defibrillator which could be removed if deemed safe to do so, but if the test results show he has to have one permanently installed he will have to try his hand abroad due to the stringent health regulations which govern sport in Italy.

Bove in limbo

He would not be given the medical certificate required by law for athletes as the defibrillator could be damaged, for instance, in a tackle or while challenging for a header. Bove's situation is further complicated by the fact that he is on loan from his boyhood club Roma until the end of June, with Fiorentina having an option to make his transfer permanent but unable to do so before finding out whether he can continue playing in Italy.

He has been given special permission to watch games from the substitutes' bench, where he saw his teammates put in a superb display against Inter. Carlos Augusto had a goal ruled out for offside on the half-hour mark but soon afterwards Kean wasted a great chance to open the scoring when he headed Fabiano Parisi's perfect cross straight at Yann Sommer.

Kean was involved again in 39th minute when he sent Dodo clean through on goal only for the full-back to duff his shot into the ground while one-on-one with Sommer. But Fiorentina were more clinical after the break, with Ranieri volleying home Rolando Mandragora's corner in the 59th minute and Kean thumping home a more accurate header nine minutes later.

And Kean took his league tally this season to 15 when he pounced on a dreadful Federico Dimarco pass and rolled past the onrushing Sommer, sealing a perfect result on a bittersweet night for Fiorentina.

 

February 6, 2025