Parma continued their impressive form by securing a valuable point in a goalless draw away to an in-form Fiorentina side, even managing to trouble David De Gea with some testing efforts.
The hosts had been enjoying a strong run, winning four of their previous five matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 win at NK Celje in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League quarter-final.
With the return leg looming, Fiorentina opted for some squad rotation. They were already missing Robin Gosens and Andrea Colpani due to injury, while coach Raffaele Palladino was suspended from the touchline.
Parma, on their end, had a lengthy absentee list: Pontus Almqvist (suspended), along with injured players Valentin Mihaila, Matteo Cancellieri, Gabriel Charpentier, Yordan Osorio, Mateusz Kowalski, and Adrian Benedyczak.
Parma started brightly and nearly struck early, with David De Gea pulling off a stunning reflex save to deny Adrian Bernabe’s close-range diving header following a cross from the left.
A wayward pass by Alessandro Vogliacco handed Moise Kean a golden opportunity in Parma’s half, but Leoni intervened with a tactical foul that earned him a yellow card.
Kean later broke free from the offside trap thanks to a smart through ball from Rolando Mandragora but fired wide of the near post as Zion Suzuki quickly closed down the angle.
Nicolò Fagioli attempted a clever free kick, catching Suzuki off his line, but the Parma keeper recovered in time to tip it over the bar.
De Gea once again showed his class with a brilliant reaction stop to deny Ange-Yoan Bonny from five yards out, although the striker had strayed offside.
Fiorentina kept probing, and Dodo stung the palms of Suzuki with a low angled effort after a surging run. Amir Richardson thought he had broken the deadlock in the 74th minute when he beat Suzuki at the near post, but the goal was chalked off for offside after a pass from Albert Gudmundsson.
Late in the match, Dodo latched onto a long pass and tumbled under a challenge from Emanuele Valeri, though Fiorentina’s appeals for a penalty were half-hearted at best.
Despite the goalless scoreline, it was a spirited and tactical battle with both sides producing moments of real quality.
