Paolo Vanoli Wins Fiorentina Debut as Franco Mastantuono Scores Hat-Trick Before Napoli Test

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Paolo Vanoli won his first match in charge of Fiorentina, beating Venezia 4-2 to end a run of three straight defeats and zero points at the start of the season. Real Madrid loanee Franco Mastantuono scored a hat-trick in the win, according to Calcionapoli24, giving Vanoli an immediate lift after replacing the sacked Fabio Grosso.

Fiorentina followed that result with a 3-0 Coppa Italia win over Pisa on 15 September, courtesy of goals from Pellegrino, Gnonto and Pedro Goncalves, sending them through to a Round of 16 tie against Napoli in December.

Fiorentina now host Napoli on Sunday in the sides' first league meeting of the season, with Florence-based reporting describing Napoli as "full of injuries" heading into the fixture after their three straight defeats to Como, Inter and Arsenal in the Champions League.

Inter beat Udinese 5-3, with forward Donyell Malen now the club's leading scorer on five goals this season. Head coach Cristian Chivu has continued to describe his side as "the team to beat" as they defend the Scudetto won by an 11-point margin over Napoli last season.

Roma beat Torino 2-0 and Como beat Parma 2-1 in other recent results across the division.

Transfer and squad notes

Juventus have recovered Andrea Cambiaso and Weston McKennie from injury for upcoming matches, easing what had been described as a minor crisis of injuries and results in the early weeks of the season.

What it means for the league

Vanoli's immediate impact, capped by Mastantuono's hat-trick, gives Fiorentina a platform to build on after their disastrous start, though Sunday's game against a wounded but still dangerous Napoli side will be an early test of whether the turnaround is sustainable. Napoli's injury situation compounds the pressure already building on Antonio Conte's successor after three consecutive defeats, while Inter's continued strong form under Chivu keeps them positioned as the team the rest of Serie A is chasing early in the title defence.