Viola's Awakened Fury

The Coppa Italia, often a stage for upsets or grinding stalemates, offered a bit of both... before settling squarely on a spectacular thrashing. Fiorentina welcomed Benevento to the Artemio Franchi, and for 45 minutes, it looked like the visitors might actually make a game of it. A dreary, goalless first half saw both sides feeling each other out, perhaps saving their energy or simply forgetting where the goal was.

But whatever Vincenzo Italiano whispered into his players' ears at half-time, it clearly involved a potent cocktail of espresso and pure, unadulterated rage. Because the Viola that emerged for the second period was a beast entirely different from the one that shuffled off at the break. What followed was a stunning display of attacking football that left Benevento's defence looking less like a barrier and more like a suggestion.

Goals flowed like fine Tuscan wine, a flurry of clinical finishes ripping through the visitors. It wasn't just the quantity, but the quality that impressed. Fiorentina, typically a side that can blow hot and cold, were absolutely RED-HOT. Every attack seemed to carry genuine menace, every pass found its target, and suddenly,