Nigerian striker Gift Orban scored a brace to guide Hellas Verona to a crucial 2-1 win over Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Soccernet.ng reports.
After missing Verona's unprecedented 3-1 win over Atalanta in midweek, Orban was named among the substitutes when the team traveled to Florence for their Serie A fixture against Fiorentina.
The home side were the slight favorites heading into the game, but with both teams wallowing in the relegation zone, the match outcome could have swung either way.
Today’s match between Fiorentina and Verona could be decisive for the relagation race. Fiorentina are having a terrible run in Serie A (6 points in 14 games) and are 8 points far from 17th place.
They relegation odds are now at 30% #FiorentinaVerona #SerieA pic.twitter.com/7MMoI7O7o7— Goallytics.com (@Goallytics) December 14, 2025
Orban, who started on the bench, got an early chance just 35 minutes in when teammate Giovane suffered an injury. Coach Paolo Zanetti subsequently replaced the injured player with the Nigerian striker.
Orban's introduction immediately added a jolt of sharpness to Hellas Verona's frontline amidst Fiorentina's dominance.
Just seven minutes after entering the game, Orban broke the deadlock. He controlled a pass from Al Musrati on the edge of the box and unleashed a precise strike that found the bottom-right corner of Fiorentina's goal. Verona held their narrow lead into halftime.
In the second half, Fiorentina pushed hard for the equalizer. However, their attempts, notably from players like Moise Kean, Nicolò Fagioli, and Simon Sohm, failed to convert their opportunities.
Fiorentina eventually got their breakthrough in the 69th minute when Verona defender Unai Nunez inadvertently put the ball into his own net to level the scores at 1-1.
It seemed the game was headed for a draw, but Orban came up big in stoppage time with the golden goal that sealed the win for the Gialloblu.
Gift Orban'ın Fiorentinanın umutlarınınyok ettiği an. pic.twitter.com/m6w5s9Tu1c
— Red Card (@RedCardTR) December 14, 2025
In the 93rd minute, he latched onto a pass from Antoine Bernede in the box and fired a low shot to the bottom-left corner of the goal, making it 2-1.
That decisive goal was the dagger Verona needed to claim the 2-1 victory away from home— their first at the Artemio Franchi since January 2018.
Watch Gift Orban Hit Brace In Fiorentina vs Hellas Verona
Super Eagles: How Gift Orban Was Snubbed For AFCON 2025
Gift Orban is yet to make a mark for Nigeria. He was not even considered for the Super Eagles squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
But truly, he has not deserved it. He has been struggling at club level for the last two years. It was due to his struggles at Hoffenheim that he moved to Hellas Verona in the summer.
This season, he has featured in 12 games, and has four goals and one assist to his name. But while his numbers look decent, he has been inconsistent.
Although he has been snubbed for the AFCON, he will be hoping to keep performing well so he can merit a place in Eric Chelle's team soon.
