Fiorentina suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against Preston North End during their friendly match in England. The only goal for the Serie A side came from Rolando Mandragora in the first half. Fiorentina’s troubles were compounded when Christ Kouame missed a penalty in the second half.
The match began with Preston taking the lead in the 23rd minute. A corner kick resulted in a scramble, and Lindsay’s header created an opportunity that led to the opening goal for the Championship side. However, Fiorentina leveled the match a few minutes later when Mandragora scored a beautiful free kick in the 31st minute.
Just before halftime, in the 44th minute, Preston regained the lead with a goal from Keane. Earlier, Fabiano Parisi had a great opportunity to score for Fiorentina but could not convert. The second half saw Kouame earn a penalty for Fiorentina, but he unfortunately hit the post with his shot from the spot, wasting a crucial chance for the Italian team to get back into the game.
Towards the end of the match, Fiorentina came close to equalizing again with two near misses from Moise Kean, who had just entered the pitch earlier in the second half. Despite his efforts, the striker could not find the back of the net, hitting both the woodwork and the post.
In terms of tactics, there were notable decisions made by head coach Raffaele Palladino. Kouame started as the center-forward despite being on the transfer market, with Sottil and Munteanu supporting him in midfield. Munteanu played only the first half before being replaced by Ikoné. It was also the debut for new signing Pongracic, who started in the back three alongside Kayode and Baroncelli. The team set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Mandragora taking on a central midfield role and wearing the captain’s armband.
Goalkeeper Christensen was chosen instead of Terracciano as a rotation strategy, with Dodo and Parisi playing as wing-backs. Following a recent 1-1 draw against Bolton and this loss to Preston, Palladino will now set his sights on the upcoming match against Hull City on July 30, aiming to finish the English tour on a high note.
