Perugia 1-2 Pescara
Edoardo Goldaniga 52min (Per)
Matteo Politano 62min (Pes), Birkir Bjarnason 74min pen (Pes)
Perugia: Koprivec, Fazzi, Goldaniga, Verre, Falcinelli, Crescenzi, Rizzo (34′ 2nd Lanzafame), Fossati, Giacomazzi (32′ 2nd Fabinho), Mantovani, Ardemagni (20′ 2nd Parigini)
Pescara: Fiorillo, Pucino, Fornasier, Politano (34′ 2nd Abecasis), Bjarnason, Melchiorri, Zampano, Salamon (43′ 2nd Zuparic), Pasquato, Memushaj (14′ 2nd Brugman), Torreira
The Renato Curi on a wet Tuesday evening in May, is not the place you’d expect to find a World Cup winner. However that is exactly were Massimo Oddo found himself as he lead his Pescara troops to victory in the Promotion play-off quarter final against Perugia.
Oddo had only being appointed by the Abruzzo outfit for the final round of fixtures in the regular season. Yet despite this and the ferocious home support it was the Delfini who started the brighter and should have in fact taken the lead as early as the seventh minute.
Federico Melchiorri passing up a guilt edge chance by slamming the ball off the post and wide from eight yards with the goal gaping after Grifone Keeper Jan Koprivec was only able to palm away an initial effort into his path.
In a first half devoid of goal mouth chances but certainly not lacking for passion, with four players booked in the opening 45 minutes, it was Melchiorri and Pescara who came closest again as the clock ticked towards the break.
After beautifully spinning away from his man the Delfini number nine advanced into the area only to smash the ball high and over. Even with the angle tightening and defenders breathing down his back the 28 year old Melchiorri should have hit the target at the very least.
The second half started much better for the hosts and on 52 minutes they had taken an unlikely lead. A free kick near the right hand side line was whipped in towards the back post where it was met by the soaring head of Edoardo Goldangia who directed the ball back where it came from and into the far left corner of the goal past a despairing Vincenzo Fiorillo.
After a first half in which they had failed to get into gear it was now all Perugia as they came close again only a few minutes later with another headed effort going narrowly wide of the left hand post. Pescara though regrouped and on 62 minutes got themselves back on level terms.
Matteo Politano taking on his man drove into the box before drilling low and hard at the goal. While yes there was decent pace on the shot it did not have enough power in it to trouble a keeper of this level. However diving to his left Koprivec somehow managed to let the ball go under his body and settle in the back of his net. A criminal mistake by the 26 year old Slovenian which handed the initiative back to the visitors.
An initiative they took full advantage of as on 74 minutes they took the lead for the first time in the match, albeit from the penalty spot. Ezio Fossati the guilty party for Perugia as he inexplicably hacked down his man from behind giving the referee no other choice then to point to the spot.
Birkir Bjarnason proceed to step up and smash the ball into the roof of the net, sending the travelling support wild. Knowing that they had only 15 minutes to salvage there season Perugia push forward with all there might, but try as they like they were unable to find a way through the impenetrable wall that was Pescara.
When referee Michael Fabbri did finally blow the final whistle the Pescara faithful erupted with a mixture of joy and relief, the Delfini advance to face Vicenza, with Serie A still a real possibility, Perugia meanwhile will turn their minds to next and another year in Serie B.
Spezia 1 – 2 Avellino (After Extra Time)
Josip Brezovec 71min (Spe)
Antonio Zito 40min (Ave), Gianmario Comi 96min ET (Ave)
Spezia: Chichizola; Milos, Piccolo, Bianchetti, Migliore; Brezovec, Juande; Kvrzic, Catellani, Situm; Nenè
Avellino: Frattali; Almici, Ely, Pisacane, Visconti; Koné, Arini, Zito; Sbaffo; Trotta, Mokulu
120 minutes that’s what it took, 120 minutes of passion tension and one hell of an amount of grit, but Avellino got there in the end. The Lupi playing with only ten men for 79 minutes dug deep into their bank of reserves but it was enough to see off Spezia in the second of the promotion play-off quarter finals.
The win means that Avellino march on to play Bologna, while Spezia are left to contemplate what might have been.
The atmosphere before kick-off was nothing short of electric as both sets of supporters battled for supremacy of the stands. On the pitch it was the hosts who made most of the earlier running, but clear cut chances proved as rare as Hen’s teeth.
The best of which in the opening half falling to Spezia’s Niccolo Giannetti who had replaced the injured Nené on 29 minutes. Controlling a cross from the right on his chest he let the ball bounce in front of him before lashing it at goal, but Pierluigi Frattali was equal to it knocking it to safety with his legs. All that being said if the effort had been placed only just to the left or right it would have been a certain goal.
The ultimate breakthrough did come soon after but instead of Spezia it was Avellino who took the lead. A cross from the right managed to evade three men before finding its way through to Antonio Zito who gratefully headed home from only six yards out.
If the Lupi now expected to go on and exert their dominance on the fixture they were sorely mistaken as only one minute later they were down to ten men as Mariano Arini was given his marching orders for a second yellow.
Nevertheless the visitors managed to get into the break one up and looked to regroup for the second half. However it was Spezia who game out all guns blazing with Avellino seemingly determined to just kick them into submission.
16 minutes into the second period Spezia thought they had got themselves back on level terms after Josip Brezovec smashed home a wonder effort only for Referee Gavillucci to blow it back for a dubious foul in the build up
Four minutes later Spezia had the ball in the back of the net again only for this one to be blown up for offside. The equaliser did eventually come on 71 minutes Brezovec slamming home from just in front of the penalty spot after some ping pong in the area.
With the extra man Spezia now push for the winner but found Frattali in excellent form between the sticks. In the final minute of normal time Giannetti went agonisingly close when his header shaved the post, but wide it went and extra time was required.
If the scores remained the same at the end of 120 minutes Spezia would advance due to finishing higher in the league, but that was not in the God’s plans as six minutes into the first period of extra time a free from the left was duly dispatched by Gianmario Comi and from there to the end Avellino defended resolutely to secure there passage to the next round.
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