Gudmundsson brace from the spot earns Fiorentina impressive comeback win over Lazio
Still chasing their first win this season, Fiorentina welcomed Lazio to Stadio Franchi. La Viola have picked up just three points so far, while Lazio have started strongly, taking seven points from four games.
Unlike their season, the hosts started strongly and were almost rewarded for their early dominance when Moise Kean put Andrea Colpani through on goal, but Ivan Provedel produced a wonderful save to push his effort onto the post and deny him a certain goal.
Lazio grew into the game after the early scare and almost took the lead themselves when Mattia Zaccagni forced David de Gea into a good save midway through the first half.
However, De Gea couldn’t stop Lazio from scoring for the fifth consecutive game in Serie A shortly before half-time when a ferocious Nuno Tavares free-kick was headed in by Mario Gila, who opened his account for Lazio in the league after joining the club from Real Madrid in 2022.
All of Lazio’s good work in the first half was undone within minutes of the restart when Matteo Guendouzi’s rash challenge on half-time substitute Gudmundsson left Matteo Marcenaro with no choice but to point to the spot.
After winning the penalty, Gudmundsson swiftly stepped up and sent Provedel the wrong way to level the scoreline and net on his debut for La Viola.
Momentum swung towards the hosts after they drew level and they looked particularly threatening from set pieces, as Christian Kouame should have given his side the lead from a corner, but he could only send his effort narrowly over the bar.
With the opportunity to beat Lazio for only the third time in their last 15 meetings, the hosts pushed for the all-important winner, and their persistence paid off as they took a 90th-minute lead after more rash defending resulted in another penalty for Lazio.
This time, it was Tavares who was the guilty party, fouling Dodo in the area and allowing Gudmundsson to step up again and smash home the ball to give his side a precious 2-1 victory.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mario Gila (Lazio)
