Golazzo: Gabriel Batistuta, Fiorentina vs. Inter Milan, 1996

Players often have a particular thirst for scoring against a specific club: Diego Maradona produced a catalogue of wonder goals against AC Milan in the second half of the 1980s; Francesco Totti had a penchant for Parma, while Alessandro Del Piero’s favourite opponent was Lazio. 

For Gabriel Batistuta during his time with Fiorentina and Roma, it was Inter Milan.

The Argentine had a fondness for vanquishing the Nerazzurri. In a career defined by goals, Batistuta scored 16 times against Inter during his 12-year stint in Italy. Some of them were, in typical fashion, rockets.

The one he scored in February 1996, however, was not, and it showed Batigol could be as deft as he could devastating.

La Viola were squaring off against Inter in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi final at the Stadio Artemio Franchi and Claudio Ranieri’s side meant business.

Trying to build on an impressive return to the Italian top flight in the 1994-95 season, Fiorentina went into the semi-final with all the momentum. With the first leg taking place in mid-February, Ranieri’s men were in the middle of what would become an 18-game unbeaten streak and hadn’t lost a game since late November.

Inter were in the midst of a first season under Roy Hodgson, and things weren’t exactly going to plan. A shock Uefa Cup first round exit to Swiss side Lugano hardly endeared the Englishman to the Inter faithful.

Batistuta had scored 16 goals in all competitions leading into the first leg in Florence, and Il Re Leone was at the peak of his formidable powers. He’d formed a brilliant understanding with future Derby County cult hero Francesco ‘Ciccio’ Baiano, and the pair led the line for Ranieri.

Fiorentina took the lead early on, when Baiano was hauled down by Inter defender Massimo Paganin inside the box. A penalty was given and duly dispatched with typical menace by Batistuta, who rifled it low and hard under Gianluca Pagliuca. Inter responded well, however, and equalised just after the half-hour mark. 

A young Benito Carbone, later to earn fame in England with Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford, passed the ball infield to Salvatore Fresi. The right-back lumped a long ball into the Fiorentina box and despite plenty of defenders inside the area, goalkeeper Francesco Toldo decided to run off his line.

The ball, headed wide by a Fiorentina defender, reached Roberto Carlos who, in typical fashion, smashed it across the penalty box with the outside of his laces to the feet of Maurizio Ganz, who levelled the scores.

Both teams had a chance at either end just before half-time, with Batistuta remarkably missing a one-vs-one with Pagliuca. 

Two minutes into the second half, Batistuta would make amends.

Fiorentina went on the offensive immediately from the kick off, and Baiano should’ve really scored following a poor clearance from Roberto Carlos, who kicked the ball directly to Manuel Rui Costa, who in turn teed up his teammate, but his shot was saved by Pagliuca.

With the visitors unable to get out of their own half, Baiano gained possession of the ball in Inter’s third and wriggled his way past Fresi. Now faced with the presence of Paul Ince, the Fiorentina forward smartly turned and slipped the ball inside to the majestic Rui Costa.

The Portugal midfielder, socks rolled down as always, was on the right-hand side of the Inter penalty box and looked for Batistuta, who was beginning to peel away from Gianluca Festa.

Rui Costa floated a gorgeous high ball in his direction, and what Batistuta did next surprised most.

The ball came at an angle, therefore Batistuta could only attempt an implausible overhead kick or control it with one touch and hope to fire off a shot with his second.

He opted for the latter.

Killing the pace of the cross with his chest in one fluid motion, Batistuta pushes the ball towards goal while also setting up his next move. With Pagliuca no more than seven yards in front of him and at an angle, the Argentine lifts the ball with the outside of his foot and guides it into the opposite corner of the Inter goal. All in two touches.

“That is a class goal,” bellowed the iconic Gary Bloom on commentary. Indeed.

It was Batistuta’s 100th goal in purple, and there would be many more to come.

Four minutes before the end, he would make it 101, securing his hat-trick. 

Inter went on the break in search of an equaliser, but Ince was dispossessed before a long ball was hoisted forward towards the centre of the pitch. Baiano and Paganin both jumped for the ball but neither got a clear head on it.

The ball was picked up by the onrushing Rui Costa, who swept a gorgeous first-time ball into the feet of Batistuta, who rampaged towards goal and stroked home a sumptuous effort with the top of his foot into the bottom corner that kissed the inside of the post. 

Fiorentina were 3-1 up and as good as in the final. 

Renowned as one of the game’s fiercest strikers of a football, Batistuta demonstrated that he could, when need be, kill opposing goalkeepers softly. It was a reminder that Batigol was the perfect striker, one of the greatest in the history of the game, a player capable of scoring every kind of goal.

He would put Inter to the sword again in the second leg at San Siro, scoring an equally majestic chip that put the seal in an emphatic 4-1 aggregate win for La Viola. They would go on to beat Atalanta in the two-legged final, earning qualification to the Cup Winners’ Cup.

It was the only piece of silverware Batistuta would win in his nine years in Florence. His loyalty deserved more, but he left a mountain of goals for fans to marvel over, and be talked about in articles like this.