FLORENCE, Italy (Interstat) — Fiorentina delivered a stunning and emphatic statement to open its Serie A campaign, dismantling Udinese 5-1 on Sunday at Stadio Artemio Franchi in a match that was effectively decided within the opening seven minutes.

The contest’s trajectory was irrevocably altered when Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was shown a straight red card in the 7th minute for a last-man foul just outside the penalty area, forcing the visitors to play the remaining 83 minutes with 10 men. Fiorentina, already a favorite playing at home, seized the numerical advantage with ruthless efficiency.

Despite the early setback, Udinese’s depleted side held firm for a spell, but the pressure eventually told. Fiorentina broke through in the 21st minute when midfielder Rolando Mandragora found the net to give the hosts a deserved lead. The floodgates then opened just before halftime. Forward Albert Guðmundsson doubled the advantage in the 42nd minute, and in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, midfielder Cher Ndour struck to send Fiorentina into the break with a commanding 3-0 lead.

Any thought of a Udinese respite was extinguished early in the second half. Fiorentina forward Moise Kean, who would torment the Udinese defense all afternoon, scored his first of the day in the 56th minute, making it 4-0. Substitute defender Oumar Solet added a fifth just ten minutes later, heading home in the 66th minute to compound Udinese’s misery.

Kean completed his brace and rounded out the scoring for Fiorentina just two minutes after Solet’s goal, finishing clinically in the 68th minute to make it 5-0. Udinese managed a lone consolation goal in the 77th minute through forward Lorenzo Lucca, denying Fiorentina a clean sheet but doing little to impact the dominant narrative of the match.

The lopsided result defied pre-match projections. Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a 1-1 draw, while its ELO system gave Fiorentina a 56.90 percent probability to win. The actual outcome was a far more decisive display of firepower from the Viola.

Beyond the goalscorers, Fiorentina’s attack was fueled by creative contributions across the pitch. Substitute Alessandro Zanoli, defender Fabiano Parisi and defender Luca Ranieri each registered an assist, as did forward Hans Nicolussi Caviglia. The match was also a physical affair, with four yellow cards issued—two to Fiorentina (Parisi and Ranieri) and one each to Udinese’s Zanoli and Fiorentina’s Nicolussi Caviglia.

The victory immediately puts Fiorentina atop the early Serie A table with a perfect record of one win and no losses, while Udinese begins its season with one loss and no wins. The teams’ records across all competitions mirror their league standing after this opening fixture. Fiorentina will look to carry this explosive form into its next match, while Udinese faces a quick turnaround to address its defensive frailties exposed under difficult circumstances in Florence.