Fiorentina honour deceased Commisso with crucial win at Bologna

Fiorentina honoured deceased owner Rocco Commisso with Sunday’s 2-1 win at off-form Bologna which boosted their Serie A survival bid.

Without a win until just before Christmas, Fiorentina claimed a deserved third success in six matches thanks to goals in the first half from Rolando Mandragora and Roberto Piccoli.

Paolo Vanoli’s side sit just inside the relegation zone but level on 17 points with Lecce, who are 17th and face AC Milan later on Sunday.

Fiorentina have a superior goal difference than Lecce and only sit below them by virtue of having played a game more.

That means a defeat for Lecce at the San Siro against title-chasing Milan would push Fiorentina, who less than a month ago looked destined for the drop, out of the bottom three.

Sunday’s win was a fine way to pay tribute to American media mogul Commisso, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 76 and was remembered with a minute’s silence ahead of kick-off.

During pre-match preparations, Fiorentina players wore T-shirts with a picture of Commisso and the message “Thanks Rocco”, in tribute to a man who just missed out on giving the Tuscan club a first major trophy since 2001.

Italian-born billionaire Commisso was the founder of Mediacom Communications, one of the largest cable TV providers in the United States, and was a passionate football fan who had also owned the New York Cosmos before acquiring Fiorentina in 2019.

He invested in a new 120-million-euro ($139-million) training centre and redevelopment of the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, works which are still ongoing ahead of Fiorentina’s centenary next season.

He hired current Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano, who took Fiorentina to three finals, two in the Conference League and one in the Italian Cup.

Italiano, who tasted cup success with Bologna last season, has had a tough time in recent weeks after a strong start to this campaign, with his eighth-placed team picking up just five points in nine matches since the start of December.