Fiorentina 0 : 5 Juventus - Juve thump Fiorentina

Posted Saturday, March 17, 2012 by PA

Juventus returned to within four points of Serie A leaders AC Milan thanks to a comprehensive 5-0 win over 10-man Fiorentina.

Mirko Vucinic put the visitors in front in the 15th minute and Fiorentina's hopes of recovering suffered a blow when Alessio Cerci was sent off five minutes later.

Arturo Vidal gave Juve a two-goal lead at the break before further strikes from Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo and Simone Padoin finished off the home side as the Stadio Artemio Franchi emptied gradually as the second half progressed.

The signs were ominous when the Bianconeri hit the post in the sixth minute with Vucinic's shot rebounding out to Alessandro Matri, who sent the ball over the crossbar.

Vucinic was more accurate with his next shot in the 15th minute to put Juve in front from 20 yards out.

Cerci was then given his marching orders for kicking Martin Caceres off the ball, and it was easy from then on for Juve.

They doubled their lead seven minutes later as Vidal's first shot was saved by Artur Boruc, but he continued his run to slide the rebound into the bottom corner.

Vucinic flashed a shot across the face of goal in the 42nd minute with the Viola managing to go in at the break just two goals behind. But further punishment was on the way.

Marchisio headed in Juve's third in the 54th minute with Vucinic the provider for the second time.

Many fans were already leaving the stadium when Gianluigi Buffon turned Andrea Lazzari's shot against the post as Fiorentina came close to scoring.

But only five minutes passed before Pirlo added the fourth, lifting the ball over Boruc, angling his shot into the far corner.

Padoin added the fifth to compound the home side's misery in the 72nd minute, racing in to meet Pirlo's deflected shot and lift the ball into the roof of the net from close range.