SPEZIA—VENICE 2-1
18’pt Idzes, 12’st P.Esposito, 16’st Reca
SPICE (3-5-2): Zoet; Mateju, Hristov, Bertola (34’st Wisniewski); Elia, Nagy, S.Esposito, Bandinelli (31’st Cassata), Reca (31’st Vignali); P.Esposito (20’st Falcinelli), Di Serio. (Zovko, Tanco, Cipot, Moro, Candelari, Kouda, Jagiello, Verde).
Coach Luca D’Angelo.
VENICE (3-5-2): Joronen; Idzes (39’st Ellertsson), Svoboda (31’st Altare), Sverko; Candela (31’st Olivieri), Andersen (1’st Bjarkason), Tessmann, Busio, Zampano (17’st Pierini); Pohjanpalo, Gytkjaer. (Oliveira, Grandi, Modolo, Altare, Jajalo, Tcherychev, Lella, Dembelé).
Coach Paolo Vanoli.
Referee: Federico La Penna (Roma 1).
Assistants: Filippo Bercigli (Florence), Paolo Laudato (Taranto).
Fourth official: Simone Galipò (Florence).
Var and Avar: Massimiliano Irrati (Pistoia), Marco Piccinini (Forlì).
Corners: 11-2
Recovery time: 2′ and 6′
Booked: Di Serio, Falcinelli, Ellertsson, Vignali
Expelled: Altare at 46’st.
Comment.
It was an evening of great emotions at the Picco, the likes of which we hadn’t experienced in a long time. Spezia achieved salvation on the last day, beating one of the battleships of the championship, Venezia, in a comeback on an evening in which everything seemed to be going wrong once again. Down by a goal in the first half, with Como also losing at home which motivated the Venetians to push the accelerator, the eagles overturned the result in three minutes driven by exceptional support. Pio Esposito, the smallest on the pitch, responded first to Idzes’ goal, and then Reca, who returned a few weeks ago after a long ordeal with injuries.
In the end the white people enter the field to celebrate, resolving months and months of tensions, disagreements, excesses, hopes finally fulfilled in an embrace with the team. It is a “minor” victory given the club’s ambitions at the beginning of the season, but it is a real liberation that consecrates a group that has grown, especially after January, and which represents a basis for dreaming again next year.
News.
All in 90 minutes. Spezia reaches the final day with a minimal margin on the play out zone. A point to be defended tooth and nail from the return of Ternana, who will play on the pitch of a Feralpisalò team that presents itself leaving twelve players out of the squad. The eagles therefore need a victory to make sure they don’t have to go through the play-offs. The fact is that they are facing Venezia, the third force in the championship and in turn theoretically in the running for direct promotion. They should beat Como, who are ahead of them by two points, who are also playing at home against an already safe Cosenza.
Perhaps this is also why D’Angelo decides to field a fairly conservative lineup, with playmakers Verde and Kouda on the bench and within a thicker midfield. A tactic that he seems to mean: let’s keep it open as much as possible, waiting until perhaps a large victory for Como causes the opponents’ motivation to decline.
There is very little play in the first four minutes. Spezia earns a free kick twenty meters away near the visitors’ sector, from which smoke bombs and glasses rain down. It takes time to beat, then Salvatore comes close to the top corner. The climate is vibrant, the tension palpable. There is rhythm on the pitch, with the home team playing the game. Ten minutes with a nice cut from the usual Salvatore for Elia, who has some difficulty controlling the goal.
First opportunity at the feet of Di Serio, who can finish a low cross from Elia but shoots too centrally and allows Joronen to clear (16′). Bertola’s descent on the left was nice to start the action with an unloading right on Di Serio. Up to this point is the game that Spezia has to play, except that a minute later Venezia has a corner kick available. Andersen takes the ball while the eagles distribute themselves zone by area, essentially leaving all the visiting players free. Only Idzes misses and puts it behind Zoet (17′).
A cold shower, the situation to be avoided at all costs. Now Spezia must try to get back into the game and in truth they would have had the opportunity right away. Elia returns a corner to the right, but Hristov sensationally misses the deflection on goal a few meters from the net (21′). When it’s 9pm, Spezia is the only one at the bottom that loses: Ascoli ahead of Pisa, Bari over Brescia and Ternana over Feralpisalò. At the moment the eagles are in the play outs with Bari.
Meanwhile, Spezia takes another risk on a counterattack that Venezia develops on the right with Andersen, who crosses for Gytkjaer’s header which Zoet has to save in full (27′). From there, however, Elia is still the one to cross, for Pio’s header which however ends up in the arms of Joronen (28′). The Finn will have to work harder on Svoboda’s header during the next phase of forcing by the Whites (37′). Shortly afterwards, number 30 anticipated Pio by a whisker, ready to smash me into the net (39′). He is not as ready in the 46th minute when Di Serio puts the ball at his feet to kick towards goal from the penalty spot, but the 18-year-old wastes time and gets blocked in the corner. Time ends like this.
We start again with a situation that currently sees Spezia in the play outs against Bari and Venezia in Serie A in ninetieth. Como is in fact sensationally losing at home against Cosenza. If possible the competitive energy is even greater now. Di Serio earns a yellow card for a push on Sverko which ends up against the LEDs (50′). Now the smoke bombs are coming from the Curva Ferrovia. Bandinelli must go and clean up the area from the pyrotechnic object. The paradox is that the third smoke bomb in a row interrupts a promising move by Spezia. Paradoxical situation, reminiscent of the play-off in Verona to avoid Serie B.
The news, however, is that the eagles have launched themselves forward and are not giving up despite everything going wrong at the moment, at the Picco and on the other fields. At yet another attempt Pio Esposito hits the goal. Long throw with the hands from the left by Reca, short clearance by the defense and the center forward manages to turn and shoot hard towards the goal: 1-1 (58′). Now the Picco is bedlam, Spezia must find another goal to once again hope for direct salvation. There is no shortage of time.
There’s no shortage of time, but Spezia isn’t waiting for it. Yet another cut cross from Elia from the right after a great pass from Di Serio under the legs of the direct scorer, ball aimed at the center on which Reca also anticipates Pio: 2-1!!! It’s just past game time. Vanoli changes immediately, sending in Pierini for Zampano in an attempt to get back into the game, which completely got out of hand in this second half.
D’Angelo also changes at this point, Falcinelli for Pio Esposito. Now we need to be able to keep some balls high, take free kicks to break the rhythm that Venezia will presumably want to try to impose. Di Serio’s shot on Joronen’s chest after an interesting restart (70′). Venezia is seen again only in the 73rd minute with a header from Gytkjaer, all alone, which ends up well away from the goal. Bandinelli has been walking for 5 minutes now, but D’Angelo hasn’t called the substitution yet.
Here are the changes: Vignali for Reca and Cassata for Bandinelli. In Venice Altare for Svoboda and Olivieri for Candela. Role after role for D’Angelo, offensive traction for Vanoli. Meanwhile, Como draws at home with Cosenza, even with a draw the Venetians would not be able to grab Serie A this evening. But in the meantime they push and force Spezia into their own backcourt. Bertola, after an excellent performance, can’t take it anymore and Wisniewski comes in, having been out since last July due to a broken knee.
Salvatore forces Joronen to intervene under the crossbar to put a poisonous free kick into the corner (81′). Ellertsson is also inside for Vanoli, who really tries everything. Falcinelli and Salvatore collide, sweeping the three-quarters, the paramedics enter for the number 10 with four minutes left until the ninetieth minute. On the Pico there was a surreal atmosphere when a cloud of pollen from the poplars of nearby Viale Fieschi began to hover over the playing field, illuminated in filigree by the lights of the facility.
Very bad foul by Altare on Falcinelli in the eagle area. The attacker remains on the ground while La Penna waves the yellow under the defender’s nose. But then he is called back to the VAR and changes his decision: he is red! Venice with ten men when 6 minutes of added time begin. Spezia tries to keep the ball at the flag while their opponents now only throw long shots towards the Pohjanpalo and Gytkjaer towers.
It’s over!
It’s over!
A very long season full of bitterness is over!
Spezia is safe and will play in Serie B again next year!
