Picerno wins, thanks to the captain’s goals Esposito and D’Agostino at his last breath. Beaten the Crotone in the first match of the play-offs, in front of a special crowd. Mister Longo is forced to leave top scorer Murano on the bench due to a physical problem. VAR was also on the pitch for the occasion.
In the 23rd minute Captain Esposito recovers the ball in midfield, going down the left and finding an extraordinary trajectory to inflate the net of the goal defended by D’Alteri. Crotone’s response with Giron in the 33rd minute gives Summa shivers: his left-footed shot grazes the post. Esposito tries again in the 40th minute, but his right-footed shot is inaccurate. Summa is good at the end of the first half coming out on two high balls. Tumminiello tries with a lob, but Sunma recovers again. He goes to the locker room at 1-0 in front of the eyes of owner Donato Curcio who came from the States.
In the second half in the 10th minute Picerno loses the ball: great shot from the edge by Di Stefano and excellent response from Summa in the corner. Esposito was forced to leave the field in the 20th minute of the second half after suffering a blow, with D’Agostino replacing him. He controls Picerno well who moves forward several times, risking a double, and managing to contain Crotone without problems. At the half hour mark there was concern about a firecracker thrown onto the pitch by Crotone fans. Under the guest sector intervention by Digos and professionals. A whirlwind of changes until the 90th minute. In the 93rd minute, Santarcangelo’s goal was disallowed, offside confirmed by VAR. But then Longo’s team recovers the ball in defence, Santarcangelo for Ceccarelli and then for D’Agostino who swells the net. Picerno can celebrate the passage to the next round in front of the President and their fans: next match in Taranto.
The Picerno dream continues.
Claudio Buono
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