The quicksand is there, just a few steps to the Cosenza and very few for the Bari. A match, that of San Vito-Marulla, with decidedly pulsating motivations.
The home team got off to a great start and took to the pitch with such energy that they stunned Bari, who were hit in the 5th minute by Mazzocchicapable of putting a shot from D’Orazio into the net, and twelve minutes as usual Onesienow with the full-blown status of Saint Gennaro. A job, that of the attacker, with the right attitude and movements that are constantly functional to the needs of the maneuver, by virtue of the ability of the class of ’96 to empty spaces and, at the same time, battle in traffic. An attacker who, it must be said, is playing a championship as a superior category element.
Very good Calò, who in the first part of the half distributes chocolates only to be unwrapped, as well as Antonucci’s version as a midfielder and the active participation of Marras. Bari, therefore, was swallowed up by this approach by the Wolves, but Giampaolo’s team – who in the 21st minute risked making it 3-0 with an action practically identical to that of the second goal, but this time Pissardo rejected the shot by Tutino – as the minutes passed he found the certainties to enter the game, with the orchestral direction of Benali and the initiatives of Kallon and Sibilli. The growth of the Galletti is certified by Micai’s great save on Pucino in the 40th minute and by Camporese’s almost own goal after three turns of the clock, dynamics that anticipate the 2-1 goal of Nastiformer player, with whom the guests go to the break strong with newfound hope.
Bari began the second half as he finished the first, managing the inertia of the match and hitting the post with Nasti. The duels and nervousness increase, with both teams demonstrating great awareness of the importance of the match.
In the 58th minute, a new opportunity for the Apulians, who develop very well in transition and engage Micai, who is able to repel a carom born from a shared slip between Nasti and the Calabrian rearguard. Sibilli tries immediately afterwards, with an insidious left-footed finish. Cosenza is called upon to perform a compact collective defense effort: they have to wait until the 68th minute for an advance, but Ricci is very good at closing on Cimino before the latter’s sure-fire conclusion, on an incomprehensible pass from Camporese, who from an excellent position (on Calò’s usual, masterful free kick, and the reference is not accidental, as will be revealed shortly) puts the ball back in the center of the area instead of directing the header towards the goal.
Viali’s boys, as the minutes passed, managed to strengthen their walls and, little by little, ward off their opponents’ invasion attempts, before giving new sparks to the match with the magic of a free kick from Calò at minute 79: a brushstroke in the shape of a rainbow by the midfielder, which makes his people and all those who constantly rediscover their love for the Game rejoice in a technical gesture. So much disappointment, and just as much frustration, in the Bari house, with Bellomo who in the 83rd minute (eight minutes after coming on for Kallon) was sent off for putting his hands around Calò’s neck after the latter had approached the red and white number ten to ask for explanations about the contact between the playmaker and Micai happened just moments before. Nefarious takeover for the class of ’91, who seemed incomprehensibly nervous.
In the 88th minute the curtain finally falls on the match: Cosenza’s counterattack in the open field, D’Orazio’s ball for Forte, who scores the 4-1 and probably marks the return to the levels befitting a footballer of his history. The Shark, a few moments before the final whistle, came close to scoring a personal double and making it a four-way draw for his team, but things were definitely going well for Cosenza: the team rejoiced, seeing salvation just a stone’s throw away. Deep red at Bari, now third from last.
