Great emotions at Massimino, during a real football battle that ultimately rewarded Catania. The Etna team won 1-0 against Benevento, saved themselves and acquired the right to participate in the national playoff phase, thanks to the success achieved in the Italian Cup in recent weeks. Game not for the faint of heart at Massimino against the third strength of the championship. The match was decided by a goal scored at the end of the first half by Cianci. Then a lot of resistance, opportunities on both sides and at the final whistle the celebration of the public and the boys in the red and blue shirts.
Michele Zeoli chooses the 3-5-2 and deploys Furlan in goal, a defensive package made up of Castellini, Monaco and Celli; in the middle of the field Bouah, Zammarini, Quaini, Welbeck and Cicerelli; attacking tandem Di Carmine-Cianci. Gaetano Auteri responds with the 3-4-3. Between the posts there is Manfredini, assisted in defense by Berra, Terranova and Pastina; in the median Simonetti, Karic, Agazzi and Masciangelo; offensive trident Bolsius-Lanini-Starita.
The match begins at a good pace with the two teams dueling in the middle of the field and looking for accelerations from the offensive players. In the 9th minute Catania was very dangerous: a corner was won after a good offensive move, with a header by Castellini and the ball touching the crossbar after a deflection. The rossozzurri try to push, but Benevento is on the ball and always ready to start again. In the 17th minute Cicerelli receives a golden ball inside the penalty area but his shot is imprecise and ends up at the back, high over the crossbar. After a previous clash in play, the defender Pastina among the guests was forced to withdraw due to injury, in his place – in the 20th minute – was Viscardi. In the 28th minute, the Giallorossi were one step away from scoring with Bolsius, who made a waste of the situation: served perfectly in the center of the penalty area, the attacker did not calibrate his conclusion well, angling it too much. Furlan can breathe a sigh of relief. In the 35th minute, Furlan provided a powerful shot with a sure shot from Karic, a danger averted for a corner. Catania’s response two minutes later with Di Carmine stopped at the best moment by the opposing defence, a sensational action with the attacker two steps from the goal but unable to touch the ball and send it into the net. Etna attacked again in the 44th minute, this time with Bouah narrowly missing the target after a serve from the left attacking lane. The hosts generously advanced at the end of the first half, looking for the lead which arrived in the 46th minute: following a corner kick, a carom was fired masterfully by Cianci who sent the ball into the goal to make it 1-0 . The first half, after four minutes of extra time, ends with the rossozzurri ahead.
The second half begins with the change in the guest ranks decided by Auteri: a dull Starita is out, Carfora is on the pitch. In the 50th minute, Catania made a quick restart with a super opening by Cicerelli for Cianci who was unable to anchor the ball inside the area. In the 55th minute, Cianci was close to scoring again: Cicerelli’s cross into the middle, a shot on goal that screamed for a goal, but instead the ball ended up on the bottom. There is only Catania on the pitch at this stage and in the 58th minute Monaco comes close to making it 2-0 with a header, the ball deflected by a defender for a corner. Benevento changes again, sending Ciano and Perlingieri onto the pitch, Masciangelo and Bolsius out. Ciano shoots from afar in the 65th minute, a few seconds later on the reverse, a perfect assist for Bouah who slides and shoots out. Lively and enjoyable match, the result is very open, with the Benevento players looking for some glimmer of hope. Catania, however, still gives a shock to its fans: Bouah, however, wastes Monaco’s assist by releasing an unpretentious conclusion. More changes for both teams, to redraw new balances. Among these there is also the entry into the match of Chiricò, called to replace a bruised Cianci – who was hit hard – but was greeted by boos from the Etna fans after the story of the audio circulated on social media featuring the attacker and the coach Zeols. In the 84th minute, Chiricò with his free kick, from afar, worries Manfredini, forced to take the corner with his hand. A minute later Sturaro returns after a long period away from football due to physical problems. A few minutes into the 90th minute Ciano sent shivers into the Massimino stadium: a poisonous free kick and the ball hit the crossbar. Six minutes of injury time allowed.
CATANIA-BENEVENTO 1-0 45’+1 Cianci
CATANIA (3-5-2): Furlan 7; Castellini 6.5, Monaco 7, Celli 6; Bouah 6.5, Zammarini 6 (85′ Sturaro sv), Quaini 7, Welbeck 7, Cicerelli 6.5 (72′ Ndoj 6); Di Carmine 6, Cianci 7.5 (77′ Chiricò 6). Available: Albertoni, Donato, Curado, Kontek, Rapisarda, Chiarella, Tello, Sturaro, Haveri, Costantino. All.: Zeoli 7.
BENEVENTO (3-4-3): Manfredini 6.5; Berra 6, Terranova 6, Pastina 6 (20′ Viscardi 6); Simonetti 5.5, Karic 6, Agazzi 5.5, Masciangelo 5.5 (62′ Ciano 6); Bolsius 6 (62′ Perlingieri 5.5), Lanini 5 (72′ Kubica 6), Starita 5 (46′ Carfora 5.5). Available: Paleari, Meccariello, Capellini, Kubica, Pinato, Nardi, Talia, Benedetti, Rillo, Marotta, Ferrante. All.: Auteri 5.5.
REFEREE: Emanuele Frascaro (Florence)
Assistants: Catani (Fermo) and Porcheddu (Oristano)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Cerbasi (Arezzo)
WARNINGS: Masciangelo, Simonetti, Ndoj, Chiricò
NOTE
Corners: 7-1
Recovery time: 4′-6′
