Giuseppe Rossi scored his first goal since recovering from successive knee ligament injuries to set ACF Fiorentina on their way to a 2-1 win over Catania in their opening Serie A game on Monday.
David Pizarro scored the winner for Fiorentina, while Mario Gomez hit the post on his debut for the Viola after his move from Bayern Munich, all in the first half.
Rossi, who joined Fiorentina in January, got the game off to an emotional start when he slotted the ball past Mariano Andujar in the 14th minute for his first goal since his injury nightmare.
The 26-year-old’s troubles began when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee while playing for Villarreal in a La Liga match against Real Madrid in October 2011.
The US-born Italy international forward reinjured the knee in training the following April, causing him to miss Euro 2012, and, after moving to Fiorentina, finally made his comeback against Delfino Pescara 1936 in May.
Pablo Barrientos, one of nine Argentines in the Catania starting lineup, equalized eight minutes later from close range, rewarding the Sicilians for a spell of pressure.
Chile international midfielder David Pizarro then rifled Fiorentina back in front from the edge of the area, before Gomez hit the post when he should have scored.
Neither goalkeeper had much to do in the second half as the pace of the game dropped.
Twice former champions Fiorentina finished fourth last season, just missing out on a UEFA Champions League playoff place, while Catania surpassed expectations by finishing eighth.
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