Chelsea loanee Mohamed Salah was the hero again for Fiorentina as they became the first Italian team to beat Juventus in their own backyard in over two years. After this first leg victory in first leg of Copa Italia, Fiorentina are now the clear favorites to reach the finals. Juventus boss Max Allegri admitted it after the game that the Viola were a better team and deserved to win it.
Ever since his loan move from Chelsea to Fiorentina, Mohamed Salah has hit the ground running for Viola and he was again on target against the most powerful team of Italy as he scored one goal in each half.
For Juventus, Fernando Llorente did score a goal in the 24th minute but it proved too little as Fiorentina dominated the proceedings from start to end.
And Juventus boss Max Allegri admitted it after the game that his team deserved to lose.
a We knew Fiorentina were in fine form and Ia d say it was a good first half from both teams,a Allegri told reporters after the game.
a After the break we lost organisation for about 10 minutes, allowing them two or three chances and conceded on the third.
a We had opportunities to equalise, but Fiorentina played better than we did and deserved to win tonight.
a There is the second leg, wea ll try to turn things around, aware it wona t be easy because Fiorentina are in great form and play very good football.
a Up until we had Coman on the field, we had more density in midfield. With Tevez we changed shape a little and were struggling during those 10 minutes.a
Fiorentina boss Vicenzo Montella was pleased with this victory over Juventus and he also praised the impact of Mohamed Salah.
a The whole team is growing, not just Salah, though he is scoring a lot of goals. Salah is in a state of grace and we hope he can continue, but the team has been consistent since November-December,a Montella said.
a Salah settled in very well. We knew he was strong, but in all honesty his immediate impact has gone beyond expectations.
a We have a squad with many alternatives and the January transfer window gave me some other options to choose from. I havena t forgotten we brought in Alberto Gilardino too and he will have more space.
a The team is confident, aware of what it can do and also remains humble.a