Franco Mastantuono's Hat-Trick Leads Fiorentina to Victory in Venice

Franco Mastantuono ripped up the script in Venice and rewrote a slice of history.

The 19-year-old Argentine produced a stunning hat-trick to haul Fiorentina to a 4-2 win at Venezia in the fourth round of Serie A, turning a tricky away night into a personal milestone that now sits ahead of Lionel Messi in the record books.

Venezia struck first. Akor Adams punished the visitors in the 22nd minute, putting the hosts in front and briefly threatening an upset. Fiorentina looked rattled, the home crowd sensed blood.

Then Mastantuono took over.

He levelled the match in the 29th minute, then struck again almost immediately in the 30th, flipping the game on its head with a rapid-fire brace that stunned Venezia and ignited the Viola. Every attack seemed to run through him, every dangerous moment carried his imprint.

Fiorentina tightened their grip after the break. Matteo Pellegrino added a third in the 66th minute, stretching the lead and giving Vincenzo Italiano’s side breathing space as Venezia chased shadows and the game slipped away from them.

The pressure didn’t ease. Mastantuono returned to the spotlight late on, completing his hat-trick in the 84th minute to cap a remarkable individual display and push Fiorentina out of sight at 4-1.

Antony Haino’s late strike for Venezia offered only consolation, a flicker of resistance on a night dominated by the teenager in purple.

As reported by ESPN, Mastantuono – on loan from Real Madrid – is now the youngest Argentine ever to score a hat-trick in one of Europe’s five major leagues, overtaking Messi. At 19 years and 28 days, he was 231 days younger than Messi was when the Barcelona great hit his first career hat-trick against Real Madrid on 10 March 2007.

These were Mastantuono’s first goals for Fiorentina since his summer arrival on a one-season loan from the Bernabéu. The treble already matches his entire haul from last season, when he scored three times across 35 appearances for Real Madrid.

One night in Venice, and a loan spell that started quietly suddenly looks a lot louder.