Fiorentina and Juventus trade set-piece blows in 2-2 draw at the Franchi

Fiorentina and Juventus split the points at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, drawing 2-2 in a match where three of the four goals arrived from set-piece situations. Mateo Pellegrino headed the hosts in front after four minutes, Nick Woltemade levelled on a Juventus fast break just after the half-hour, Alieu Njie restored the lead from a set piece nine minutes into the second half, and Gleison Bremer answered from a corner on 66 minutes.

Paolo Vanoli set Fiorentina up in a 4-2-3-1; Luciano Spalletti organised Juventus in a 4-4-2. The visitors controlled the ball for long stretches — 59 percent possession across the 90, 64 percent in the first half — but the hosts finished with more shots, 22 to 18, and a comparable expected-goals output, 2.11 to 2.42.

Fiorentina's threat came overwhelmingly from dead balls. Their set-play xG finished at 1.27 against 0.85 from open play; Juventus were almost identical in the split, 1.30 from set plays and 1.13 in open play. That symmetry explains the scoreline: neither side created a decisive advantage in structured possession, and both punished the other from restarts.

Pellegrino's fourth-minute header, assisted by Pote, set the tone. It was a low-value chance by the model — 0.18 xG — but it arrived from a corner and it forced Juventus to chase the game. Woltemade's equaliser on 32 minutes was the exception: a fast break finished with his right foot, assisted by Randal Kolo Muani, worth 0.32 xG. It was the only open-play goal of the first hour.

Juventus had the better of the first half by volume — 13 shots to nine, eight corners to one, 23 box touches to 10 — but went in level because Fiorentina's set-piece defending held and because the hosts took their one big chance. The half-time xG read 0.85 to 1.32 in Juventus's favour, yet the scoreboard read 1-1.

The second half flipped the territorial picture. Juventus edged possession 52-48 and out-shot Juventus 13 to five, with four shots on target to two. Njie's 54th-minute goal, a right-footed finish from a set piece worth 0.55 xG, was the highest-quality chance of the match and put the hosts back in front.

Juventus responded through Bremer on 66 minutes, a header from a corner assisted by Douglas Luiz and rated 0.58 xG — the second-best chance of the game. It was the fourth goal in 66 minutes of play, and the third from a dead ball.

From there the game opened up without producing a winner. Fiorentina finished with 25 touches in the Juventus box to the visitors' 38, and big chances ran 3-4 in Juventus's favour. Each goalkeeper faced six shots on target. The foul count was almost even — 16 to 18 — but Juventus collected three yellow cards to Fiorentina's one.

Franco Mastantuono was a persistent presence for Juventus without converting, finishing with 0.26 xG and no goal. Pellegrino, Woltemade, Njie and Bremer all scored from chances rated between 0.18 and 0.60 xG, a reminder that in a match this tight the difference between a point and three was the quality of delivery from restarts.

Fiorentina will note that they out-shot Juventus 22-18 and matched them on shots on target, 6-6, while conceding 59 percent of the ball. Vanoli's 4-2-3-1 absorbed pressure and struck from set pieces; Spalletti's 4-4-2 generated more box entries and more corners, 12 to five, but could not turn that into a second-half lead.

The result leaves both sides with a point from a match that produced four goals in 66 minutes and three from dead balls. Neither manager will need reminding which phase decided it.

This article was updated on Nov. 8, 2026. The fourth goal came on 66 minutes, not 62; each goalkeeper faced six shots on target rather than being beaten six times; and Juventus, not Fiorentina, had the larger share of possession (52% to 48%).