Mohamed Salah Takes Star Turn as Fiorentina Upend Juventus in Coppa Italia

After almost two years, Juventus were finally beaten at home on Thursday evening, losing the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final clash with Fiorentina. The defeat was the first since Bayern Munich overcame the Turin giants in April 2013; since then, Juventus Stadium had proved impossible to conquer.

With the club having also enjoyed an unbeaten debut 2011-12 campaign, their new home is undoubtedly among the most difficult places in Europe for opponents to visit. This season they have also been hugely impressive on their travels, losing just four times in all competitions this term.

There were of course a number of reasons for the flat performance of Massimiliano Allegri’s men in their latest outing, with fatigue and a difficult recent run of fixtures chief among them. Those points were discussed in detail here, but there was also another very simple factor that perhaps contributed more than any other to the Viola’s triumph: Mohamed Salah.

The winger turned in an incredible performance, proving to be a constant threat to the heavily rotated Bianconeri defence. The game was barely 10 minutes old when a Juventus corner was cleared, sparking a one-man counter-attack as the Egyptian set off from inside his own half.

Sprinting at full speed, nobody in black-and-white stripes—particularly full-back Simone Padoin— could keep up, and Salah fired a stinging effort past Marco Storari and into the top corner. It was a stunning effort, which Fiorentina director Daniele Prade called “an incredible goal” as he spoke with RAI Sport shortly after the match (h/t Football Italia).

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

It is impossible to argue with that assessment, and—after Fernando Llorente had equalised—Salah would add a second after the half-time interval to ensure his side emerged victorious. That pair of strikes was only part of his overall contribution however, as the 22-year-old turned in a superb all-round performance in the 74 minutes he was on the field.

According to statistics from WhoScored.com, Salah took four shots, completed the same number of dribbles and connected with 34 passes. He also made one tackle, two interceptions and one clearance to help the Viola defence control the Juventus attack, working tirelessly up and down the right flank.

It was also far from a one-off performance either, but rather the continuation of the excellent form he has shown since arriving on loan from Chelsea just before the January transfer window closed. His brace took his tally for Fiorentina to six goals in as many appearances, and he has also recorded an assist as his new side have yet to lose with him in the lineup.

The Viola have won on four of those occasions, the most notable of which was their elimination of Tottenham Hotspur in their Europa League clash, with Salah scoring in their second-leg victory last week. He took no time at all to settle into life on the peninsula, shining in his very first game as the Viola overcame Sassuolo in a comfortable 3-1 win that showcased his talent.

As the above graphic shows, Salah enjoyed himself against the Neroverdi as he scored one goal and created another for Khouma Babacar. Prade is under no illusion as to how well his latest signing is performing when speaking to RAI Sport (h/t Football Italia) about the deal to bring him to Florence as the club lost Juan Cuadrado:

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Up until January 27 Cuadrado had a buy-out clause. At that moment we had to find an alternative, Chelsea had this strong player, we did well to choose and sign him.

The move is our biggest economic move of January, but also our best one on a technical level. The squad has put itself at Salah’s disposal and he is working for the team, so they are getting the best out of each other.

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Those thoughts were echoed by Vincenzo Montella as he reflected on the player’s impact on Thursday night’s game. “Salah settled in very well,” the coach told RAI Sport (h/t Football Italia). “We knew he was strong, but in all honesty his immediate impact has gone beyond expectations.”

Juventus will of course have a chance to turn the tie around in the second leg, but with a player in such impressive form, that will not be easy. Mohamed Salah has given Fiorentina a decisive advantage, and fans of La Viola will hope that continues as they chase Coppa Italia and Europa League glory.