Fiorentina vs Atalanta ends level after a frantic swing at the Franchi

Charles De Ketelaere and Nicola Zalewski each finished with a goal and an assist as Atalanta and Fiorentina drew 2-2 at the Franchi. João Mário marked his Fiorentina debut with a goal, but the point leaves the game feeling unfinished for both sides.

De Ketelaere and Zalewski set the pace

De Ketelaere opened the scoring in the 41st minute, with Zalewski providing the assist. After the break, Atalanta levelled through Zalewski in the 74th minute, this time with De Ketelaere setting it up. Between those two moments, João Mário put Fiorentina ahead in the 61st minute with a shot that took a huge deflection off Relja Obric.

The game moved quickly enough that neither side could settle into a long spell of control. Sky Sport Italia described it as an intense contest that flipped in eight minutes early in the second half, after De Ketelaere had struck before the interval. On the evidence of the key moments, that read was accurate.

De Ketelaere also completed four key passes, while Zalewski posted the highest rating on the pitch at 8.8. De Ketelaere was close behind at 7.83, with his goal, assist and four key passes giving him a huge share of Atalanta's best work.

What the draw means for Fiorentina

João Mário's debut goal gave Fiorentina a brief lead, but it does not change the harder part of their situation. They remain 19th in Serie A with 4 points from 8 matches, and A Bola reported that they are still in the relegation zone after the draw. The result also extends their winless league run to five games.

That is the part Fiorentina cannot gloss over, even with a debut goal to lean on. The point may have stopped the bleeding, but it did not turn the table in their favour.

For Atalanta, the draw followed a run in which they had won only one of their previous six Serie A matches. A 2-2 game with two lead changes gives them something to build from, but not enough to say the mood has shifted yet.