Captain Astori honoured as Fiorentina win
FIOrENTINA paid tribute to their captain Davide Astori when they played their first match since his sudden death at the age of 31. The Italy international was found dead from a suspected heart attack hours before his team were due to play Udinese a week ago. Following his funeral on Thursday, the club returned to action yesterday. The players warmed up in T-shirts with a picture of Astori on the front and his number, 13, on the back. A banner across the centre circle read: ‘Captain for ever.’
The game, against Benevento, was halted in the 13th minute as players joined fans in a deafening round of applause while the slogan ‘Davide 13’ was emblazoned around the top tier of the stadio Artemio Franchi. shortly after play restarted, Vitor Hugo — Astori’s replacement in the side — headed home the only goal of the game from a corner. The coaching staff unveiled a shirt with Astori’s face on and Hugo held it aloft.
In the Bundesliga, Chelsea reject Michy Batshuayi scored two for Dortmund, including a 94th-minute winner, in a 3-2 home win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The on-loan Belgian striker has scored seven goals in nine Dortmund games.
sevilla, who face Manchester United in the Champions League tomorrow, lost 2-0 at home to Valencia on saturday.