Nigerian forward David Okereke scored his first goal of the season, but it proved little more than a consolation as Cremonese were thrashed 4-1 by Fiorentina in their Serie A encounter at Stadio Giovanni Zini on Monday.
The 28-year-old, making just his fifth appearance of the season, and his second in close to six months, came off the bench to pull one back for the hosts after Fiorentina had already raced into a commanding three-goal lead.
However, his effort was not enough to spark a comeback as Cremonese slumped to their fourth consecutive league defeat, extending their winless run to 15 matches.
Fiorentina took control of proceedings early on, with Fabiano Parisi opening the scoring in the 25th minute before Roberto Piccoli doubled the advantage seven minutes later. The visitors carried their momentum into the second half, as Dodô added a third just four minutes after the restart to all but secure the points.
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Cremonese found a brief moment of hope in the 57th minute when Okereke produced a composed, first-time left-footed finish into the bottom corner following a well-worked move to make it 3-1.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished, however, as Albert Gudmundsson restored Fiorentina’s three-goal cushion in the 70th minute, sealing a comprehensive victory for the visitors.
The result lifts Fiorentina to 16th place on the Serie A table with 28 points, four clear of 18th-placed Cremonese, whose struggles continue following a disappointing run that has seen them fail to win a league match since their 2-0 victory over Lecce in December.
Cremonese will look to halt their poor form when they face Parma Calcio 1913 in their next league fixture on Saturday, March 21. Fiorentina, meanwhile, will turn their attention to European competition as they prepare for the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 tie against Raków Częstochowa, having secured a 2-1 advantage in the first leg.
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