The long-awaited breakthrough has arrived. After three consecutive defeats and the dismissal of Fabio Grosso, Fiorentina claimed their first three points of the season by beating Venezia 4-2 at the Pier Luigi Penzo. And they did it precisely on the night of Paolo Vanoli‘s return to the bench, just three matchdays after his summer departure.

A victory that was anything but a given, especially after the start. In fact, in the 22nd minute, Venezia went ahead with Akor Adams, set up by Busio. Fiorentina, however, this time reacted. And they did so, driven by the brightest talent of the evening.

Mastantuono turns everything around in two minutes

Franco Mastantuono took the Viola by the hand. In the 29th minute, the Argentine equalized with his left foot, and just a minute later he struck again to complete a lightning-fast comeback: from a possible nightmare to 2-1 before the break.

These are the first goals in Serie A for the class of 2007, who, in the first three matchdays, had ten attempts without managing to score. In Venice, however, two minutes were enough to completely change his night and that of Fiorentina.

In the second half, Vanoli’s team left more possession to their opponents but managed to be more clinical. In the 66th minute, substitute Matteo Pellegrino made the most of Fagioli’s assist to make it 3-1.

Hat-trick and 9.9: a night to remember

Mastantuono, though, wasn’t done yet. In the 84th minute he scored his third personal goal: Stankovic parried the first attempt, the ball remained at the Argentine’s feet and, with a bit of luck, he completed his first hat-trick in Italy. Shortly after, Hainaut sealed the final 4-2.

Sofascore’s stats capture a dominant performance: 3 goals, 8 shots, 4 key passes and 3 successful dribbles out of 4, for an overall rating of 9.9.

But there’s also a record to enter the club’s archives: at 19 years old, Mastantuono becomes the youngest Fiorentina player to score a hat-trick in Serie A and the ninth youngest to do so in the league’s history. No player that young had scored a Serie A hat-trick in a single match since 2011.

Vanoli immediately finds the three points again

For Fiorentina, above all, it’s a breath of fresh air. After defeats against Roma, Frosinone, and Torino, the Viola erase the zero from their tally and give Vanoli a win in his first match of his second spell.

Much more will be needed to declare the crisis over, especially considering the two goals conceded and some still evident defensive weaknesses. But after some difficult weeks, Florence finally finds something to build on again.

And the face of the rebirth, at least for one night, is that of Franco Mastantuono: 19 years old, three goals, and a 9.9-rated performance.