Pescara 1-0 Vicenza (1st Leg)
Ledian Memushaj 87min Pen (Pes)
Pescara: Fiorillo; Zampano, Salamon, Zuparic, Rossi; Torreira, Brugman; Politano, Bjarnason, Lazzari; Melchiorri: Subs Used: Caprari, Memushaj, Sansovini.
Vicenza: Vigorito; Sampirisi, Brighenti, Gentili, D’Elia; Vita, Moretti, Cinelli; Laverone, Petagna, Ragusa: Subs Used: Bremec, Camisa, Sbrissa.
It took 66 minutes for this match to kick into anything resembling life. Up to that point it had been a turgid affair between two sides too afraid to lose rather than looking for the win.
Pescara perhaps had the excuse of playing once already this week against Perugia in the Quarter final stage. Vicenza on the other hand had no such alibi, with all their focus since the end of the season being on this game.
In the end it was the Delfini who switched on the lights first, finally taking the game to their guests with the clock winding down. As the home side it was something they should probably have done much earlier, but better late than never.
In what proved to be a largely forgettable first 45 minutes of football it was the visitors, the Biancorossi, who had the better of the half chances created. The two most notable coming within moments of one another, the first an effort from outside the box from Salvatore D’Elia that ended up being deflected wide but still had Vincenzo Fiorillo in the net scrambling.
From the resulting corner Antonino Ragusa got in front of his marker at the near post only to drag his shot across the face of the goal and just past the left hand upright. The remaining 30 minutes of the half went by with next to nothing to report.
The second half started largely in the same vain with neither side looking as if they had the know how to break the other down. Then with 24 minutes left and the match trundling to its inevitable conclusion it finally sparked into life, with Pescara being the protagonists.
Matteo Politano’s long range drive forced Mauro Vigorito into a sharp save, with the Vicenza net minder getting down quickly to his right to turn the ball onto the post. Four minutes later and Pescara were cursing there look once more. A cross from the left found its way onto the head of Federico Melchiorri, but the big attacker could only head over what was a decent chance.
It was now all Pescara going forward with Vicenza being increasingly push back into their own half. Sansovini came close again only to be denied yet again by Vigorito. Things though would soon turn sour for the visiting keeper. With five minutes left an inch perfect through ball set Sansovini through on goal. With the keeper advancing Sansovini knocked it past him and ran on only to be taken down by the keepers trailing hand.
Referee Pairetto was given no option but to point to the spot and dish out the straight red to Vigorito. A couple of minutes then passed before Vicenza could sort matters out, but this had no effect on Delfini sub Ledian Memushaj, who strode up confidently to the ball and smashed it into the top right corner past replacement goalie Bremec.
Vicenza did come close to a leveller in stoppage time but a mixture of defenders and the woodwork kept the ball from going in. When the six minutes of added time did elapse the relief in the faces of Pescara players was plain to see. The Delfini take a one-nil lead to the Stadio Menti on Tuesday evening.
Avellino 0-1 Bologna (1st Leg)
Gianluca Sansone 24min (Bol)
Avellino: Frattali; Ely, Visconti, Almici, Regoli, Pisacane, Kone, Zito, Sbaffo, Mokulu, Comi: Subs Used: Bittante, Schiavon, Trotta.
Bologna: Da Costa; Oikonomou, Mbaye, Maietta, Masina; Matuzalem, Casarini, Laribi, Buchel; Mancosu, Sansone: Subs Used: Ferrari, Acquafresca, Krsticic.
The perhaps most stereotypical of Italian results, Bologna got there goal relatively early and then stifled there opposition until the end. That being said they did have to survive one or to hairy moments along the way.
Pity poor Avellino though despite giving there all they still came up short and now face the daunting trip to the Dall’Ara knowing the nothing less than a win will keep their dream of Serie A football alive.
Although it is not an impossibility, having picked up a point there earlier in the season and they were even leading one-nil at half time in that game. Tonight though they found themselves facing a very different Bologna side who looked resolute under the guidance of Coach Delio Rossi. A Rossoblu side who looked determined to make up for the failure of failing to secure automatic promotion.
Like the match earlier in the evening this game opened with very little in the way of goal scoring chances, but while the other game was just poor to watch this was far more intriguing with both side prodding and probing in the hope of finding some defensive weakness.
That defensive weakness was found on 24 minutes to the advantage of Bologna. Lurking on the shoulder of the last man, Gianluca Sansone raced onto a neatly played through ball. Although there may have been suspicions of offside neither referee or linesmen reacted and Sansone ran through onto the ball and first time from outside the box curled it just out of the reach of Pierluigi Frattali and into the bottom left corner.
Happy with taking the lead Bologna seemed content to sit back and soak up pressure and counter on the Lupi when given the chance. Despite now doing most of the pressing Avellino found it very difficult to carve out and decent openings, with their best effort of the half coming from Alberto Almici, who’s shot from distance scurried just around the post after taking a deflection.
One-nil Bologna at the break.
The side’s eagerness to get going again was showcased in the fact that half-time only lasted 14 minutes a full minute short of the minimum standard. Again though it proved a tight affair with neither side really being able to fully outfox the other.
Then on 59 minutes came what would prove to be probably Avellino’s best chance of the game. A cross from the right somehow found its way through a host of bodies to Antonio Zito at the back post. Zito’s first touch though was poor forcing him to rush his shot from an ever increasingly tighter angle. In the end Da Costa in the net was more than equal to what had been a glorious chance. From there till the end Bologna did what was necessary, keeping the host to a few headed chances that on another day may have gone in.
Bologna won’t care though they are well in truly in the driving seat as they head back to the Dall’Ara.
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