Gomez ends misery with brace in Fiorentina cup win

Germany forward Mario Gomez, scorer of only one Serie A goal this season, struck twice in the first half hour to help Fiorentina beat Atalanta 3-1 in the Italian Cup on Wednesday.

Gomez, beset by injuries and a loss of form since joining Fiorentina in 2013, finally enjoyed some luck when his shot from the edge of the area deflected off a defender to wrongfoot Vlada Avramov in the sixth minute.

Fiorentina doubled their lead through a Juan Cuadrado penalty in the 12th minute after the referee ruled that Guglielmo Stendardo had fouled Gomez as he was about to shoot, although the Atalanta player appeared to play the ball.

Atalanta protested furiously as Italian football was hit by a second refereeing storm in two days after AS Roma beat Empoli with a hugely controversial penalty in extra-time in another tie on Tuesday. Gomez, his confidence returning, then broke clear of the Atalanta defence to fire past Avramov before the half hour to seal the win and a quarter-final tie against AS Roma.

Rolando Bianchi scored Atalanta's consolation five minutes before halftime.

Image: Mario Gomez of ACF Fiorentina celebrates after scoring against Atalanta BC during their TIM Cup match at Artemio Franchi in Florence, Italy, on Wednesday

Photograph: Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images