Franco Mastantuono's Hat-Trick Shines on Fiorentina Debut

Franco Mastantuono needed less than half an hour in Serie A to turn a quiet debut into a statement night.

On loan from Real Madrid and still finding his feet in Fiorentina’s colours, the forward exploded into life in Venice, striking a stunning hat-trick as Vincenzo Italiano’s side led 4-2 away to Venezia on matchday four.

For a while, it looked like a solid, industrious performance from the youngster. Sharp movement, tidy touches, good link-up play. Then came the 29th minute – and with it, the moment the game, and perhaps his Italian adventure, truly shifted.

Venezia had drawn first blood, but Mastantuono ripped the contest away from them in a blur of left-footed brilliance. In the 29th and 30th minutes, over the course of just one minute and 36 seconds, he collected two balls on the right side of Fiorentina’s attack and delivered near-identical finishes that stunned the home crowd.

Each time, the pattern was the same. Space opens on the right. Mastantuono steps onto the ball, shapes his body, and lets fly from outside the box with that left foot. Twice he beat the Venezia goalkeeper from distance. Twice the net bulged. Twice the stadium fell silent.

From a goal down, Fiorentina suddenly led. From promising loanee, Mastantuono had become the story of the night.

The second half brought control, composure, and then the flourish. With the score at 3-1 and Venezia chasing, the Argentine forward saved his most delicate work for the closing stages. In the 84th minute, he produced a fine solo move inside the six-yard box, gliding past the goalkeeper and finishing with the calm of a veteran to make it 4-1 to Fiorentina at that moment and complete his hat-trick.

It was his third goal of the evening, his signature stamped all over a chaotic away fixture. Four minutes later, in the 88th minute, he left the pitch to be substituted, his work emphatically done.