Italy: Fiorentina keeps Champions League hopes alive

Fiorentina players celebrate their 2-0 win over Atalanta.

Felice Calabro/AP

A late goal gave Siena a 3-2 win at fellow struggler Pescara in Serie A to spoil a second-half comeback from the home side on Saturday.

Siena, which started the season with a six-point penalty for match-fixing, moved provisionally out of the relegation zone, three points clear of Palermo and Genoa, who play on Sunday.

Pescara remains rooted to the bottom of the table, nine points below Siena.

Innocent Emeghara scored the winner four minutes from time to prevent Pescara from picking up just its second point in 13 matches after rallying from 2-0 down.

Both teams also hit the woodwork in a frantic finale.

Elsewhere, Fiorentina kept alive its slim hopes of snatching a Champions League spot with a 2-0 victory at Atalanta.

Angelo headed Siena in front in the 14th minute with his first Serie A goal, shortly after Pescara goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli had fingertipped Alessio Sestu's fierce long-range strike onto the bar.

The visitors doubled the lead in the 33rd when the unfortunate Damiano Zanon turned Sestu's corner into his own net.

Pescara pulled one back seven minutes after the interval. Siena goalkeeper Gianluca Pegolo saved from Giuseppe Sculli at point-blank range, but the rebound fell to substitute Mervan Celik, whose effort was deflected into the top right corner.

Eugenio Togni equalized with an unstoppable free kick into the top left corner, and then raced into the stands to celebrate with the fans.

But Siena decided the game following a swift counterattack after Salvador Agra collected the ball and slotted across for Emeghara, although replays suggested he was offside.

"We gifted the first half to Siena, the squad reacted well in the second half,'' Pescara President Daniele Sebastiani said. "But we lost because of a cruel goal that was at least a meter offside.

"Once again we lose a match because of a wrong decision. There have been many refereeing decisions against us in the last eight matches. If they had given us what we were due, we'd probably be on 30 points, too. Unfortunately words don't get you points. But apart from the offside that wasn't seen by the linesman today we could have got two penalties.''

There was a tribute before the match to Piermario Morosini, the Livorno midfielder who collapsed and died during a Serie B game at Pescara a year ago.

A plaque was unveiled naming the away end after Morosini, while players laid down flowers on the spot where he fell on April 14, 2012.

There was a minute's silence at Atalanta for Morosini, who was part of the club's youth team.

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella made a double substitution 11 minutes into the second half, sending on Adem Ljajic and Marcelo Larrondo, and they had an immediate impact.

Ljajic won a contentious penalty less than two minutes later after a Guglielmo Stendardo handball and David Pizarro fired it into the bottom right corner.

Larrondo doubled Fiorentina's advantage in the 72nd, running onto Juan Cuadrado's through ball and driving a powerful strike into the roof of the net.

Atalanta's misery was complete in the final minute when German Denis was shown a straight red card for a two-footed tackle on Pizarro.

Fiorentina moved three points behind third-placed AC Milan, which plays second-placed Napoli on Sunday.