Franco Mastantuono's Hat-Trick: A Stunning Fiorentina Debut

Franco Mastantuono needed one night in Venice to announce himself to Serie A.

On his Fiorentina debut, the 18-year-old forward on loan from Real Madrid delivered a stunning hat-trick as Vincenzo Italiano’s side surged to a 4-2 lead over Venezia on matchday four. Three goals, all his. One performance that will be replayed for a long time in Florence.

The game had started badly for the visitors, with Venezia striking first and forcing Fiorentina onto the back foot. The away side pushed, probed, tried to settle. Mastantuono was lively, linking play and drifting into pockets on the right, but the real explosion came just before the half-hour mark.

First Half

Then everything changed.

In the 29th minute, Mastantuono collected the ball wide on the right of Fiorentina’s attack. He shifted it onto his left and, from outside the box, whipped a precise strike beyond the Venezia goalkeeper. It was a clean, confident hit – the kind that tells you a player trusts his technique.

Before Venezia could even reset, he did it again.

Barely a minute and a half later – one minute and 36 seconds, to be exact – the ball found him in almost the same area. Same flank. Same left foot. Same idea. Another powerful shot from outside the area, another finish that left the keeper with no chance. Two near-identical goals, two ruthless blows, and Fiorentina had flipped the match on its head.

From trailing to leading, carried by a teenager on his first outing in purple.

Second Half

The second half brought control from Fiorentina and growing frustration from Venezia, who struggled to contain Mastantuono’s movement between the lines. As the minutes ticked away, the forward still had one more decisive moment in him.

In the 84th minute, he capped his night with a goal that showcased his composure. A sharp individual move in the six-yard box saw him glide past the Venezia goalkeeper and steer the ball home for 1-4 at that stage. Not a hopeful swing, but a calm, calculated finish from a player who looked like he had been doing this in Serie A for years.

That completed his hat-trick and underlined a dream debut: three goals, each one different in execution but identical in impact. Four minutes later, in the 88th minute, he left the pitch to make way for a substitution, his work emphatically done.

Fiorentina came to Venice needing points. They may have left with something more valuable: a new protagonist, and a Real Madrid loanee who has just thrown down a serious marker for the rest of the season.