Another bitter night came for David De Gea as Fiorentina collapsed against Como with a heartbreaking last-minute goal in the 90+4’. Despite pulling off several impressive saves and showing flashes of his old brilliance, the veteran goalkeeper was left helpless as “La Viola” sank deeper into crisis in Serie A.
In football, there are moments when everything seems safe, when a team appears to be walking away with at least something in hand—until a single lapse turns hope into tragedy. On the night of September 22, David De Gea and Fiorentina experienced that nightmare firsthand. A thunderous late strike from Como shattered their hopes, sealing a 90+4’ defeat that dragged Fiorentina even further into despair.
Fiorentina’s fragile state before kickoff
Heading into Matchday 4 of Serie A, Fiorentina were already showing cracks. Once a side that commanded respect with their stubborn style, they had opened the campaign poorly. A 1-3 home loss to Napoli was preceded by two uninspiring draws against Cagliari and Torino. With just two points from three games, Fiorentina desperately needed a spark to turn things around.
De Gea’s arrival in Florence was supposed to provide exactly that. The Spanish goalkeeper, once the immovable wall at Manchester United, was signed to bring stability and leadership to a side whose defensive record had long been shaky. His reputation as a big-game player and his vast experience were seen as the foundation for a possible revival. For 89 minutes, he looked like he might deliver. But football often writes cruel endings.
A promising start turns sour
The night actually began on a high note. Within six minutes, Rolando Mandragora found the net, igniting joy among the home crowd at the Artemio Franchi. Fans roared with belief that their beloved Viola were finally on the road to redemption. A quick early goal often sets the tone for dominance, but this time it was merely a mirage.
Como, a newly promoted side under the guidance of manager Cesc Fàbregas, refused to fold. Instead, they grew stronger as the game wore on. By the start of the second half, it was the underdogs dictating the tempo. With sharper passing and confident pressing, Como forced Fiorentina deeper and deeper. De Gea suddenly found himself under siege.
At the 55th minute, he produced one of the saves of the night—flying full stretch to parry a thunderous long-range strike. It was a vintage De Gea moment, one that reminded everyone of his peak Premier League years when he single-handedly saved United countless times. Yet the relentless waves of Como pressure resembled a rising tide. No matter how many times he resisted, the fragile Fiorentina defense looked ready to break.
The equalizer and unraveling control
The breakthrough for Como arrived at the 65th minute. Marc Oliver Kempf rose highest to meet a corner, flicking a backward header that carried just enough precision to sail beyond De Gea. The goalkeeper was caught flat-footed, powerless to react.
At 1-1, the momentum shifted irreversibly. Fiorentina, instead of showing resilience, wilted. Their defensive organization collapsed under pressure, while their midfielders failed to maintain control. De Gea barked instructions, urging defenders to step up and tighten their lines, but words alone could not plug holes in a leaking ship. The body language of his teammates spoke of fear, not determination.
The dagger at 90+4’
By the 90th minute, many fans in Florence had resigned themselves to a draw. One point, given the team’s crisis, might have been tolerable. But football is merciless.
Deep into stoppage time, Como struck. Nico Paz, brimming with youthful audacity, launched a raking long pass from midfield. Jayden Addai controlled it on the right flank, dazzling with a sequence of skill moves that shredded Fiorentina’s backline. With defenders scrambling helplessly, Addai unleashed a vicious shot from a tight angle.
The ball rocketed past De Gea at his near post. For all his reflexes, positioning, and experience, he could not keep this one out. At 90+4’, Como had their miracle. Artemio Franchi fell silent, while the traveling Como supporters exploded in jubilation.
On the pitch, De Gea sank into disbelief. His face told the story of a man who had given everything, only to watch it undone in an instant. He had been Fiorentina’s best player, yet fate cast him as the tragic figure in another bitter ending.
The fallout: contrasting fortunes
The implications of that goal were enormous. Fiorentina’s tally remained at just two points after four matches, plunging them to 17th place—perilously close to the relegation zone. Como, meanwhile, celebrated an unexpected rise to the top eight with seven points. The contrast was stark: one team spiraling downward, the other writing a feel-good story.
For De Gea, the heartbreak carried a cruel familiarity. At Manchester United, he had often been the lone standout performer in teams that stumbled collectively. Time and again, he was left to watch opponents strike late blows, his heroics overshadowed by the team’s fragility. Leaving Old Trafford for Florence was supposed to offer a new chapter. Instead, the same haunting script followed him.
Deeper issues beyond De Gea
The bitter truth is that Fiorentina’s problems run deeper than one unlucky night. Their defense lacks discipline, their midfield struggles for control, and the squad as a whole seems disconnected. De Gea’s brilliance can paper over cracks, but not rebuild the wall. A goalkeeper, no matter how world-class, cannot be the foundation of a winning team alone.
Managerial pressure is mounting as well. With each defeat, questions grow louder about the coach’s tactics and his ability to rally the squad. Fans, once patient, are losing faith quickly. Serie A is unforgiving, and for a club with Fiorentina’s history, languishing near the bottom is unacceptable.
A bitter déjà vu for De Gea
For De Gea personally, the sting of the 90+4’ goal is more than just another statistic. It is a continuation of the narrative that has followed him for years—the brilliant individual stranded in collective collapse. The late Addai strike felt symbolic: no matter how much he stretches, no matter how many saves he makes, De Gea cannot escape being undone by others’ failings.
At 34, his career is closer to its twilight than its dawn. And yet, the hunger remains. He didn’t join Fiorentina for a quiet retirement; he came to compete, to prove he could still shape big matches. Nights like this one cut deeper because they rob him of that chance.
The road ahead
What comes next for Fiorentina and De Gea? The questions loom large. Can Fiorentina rally from their slump, or are they destined for a season spent battling relegation? Will De Gea have the patience and resilience to stand firm amid the storm, or will frustration chip away at his determination?
Supporters cling to hope that the team can regroup, that the veteran keeper’s leadership can still inspire a turnaround. But the scars of Como’s stoppage-time strike will linger. The image of De Gea staring into the night sky, hands on his knees, is one that will not fade quickly.
Football, in its cruelest form, delivers lessons in pain. For De Gea and Fiorentina, the lesson of September 22 was clear: even when you think you have weathered the storm, one final wave can sink the ship. And so the veteran goalkeeper, once again, finds himself a symbol of effort undone—a man carrying bitterness that the game seems determined to revisit upon him.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRjHf1q46AA