The Grigiorossi decisively prevailed over the Calabrians, and now they will face Venezia
The difference was great and both Stroppa and Vivarini knew it. The seven points less with which Catanzaro ended the regular season did not tell the truth about two squads built with different objectives during the summer of 2023 and which only thanks to the brilliant season of the Calabrians found themselves fighting for the same objective in the spring of 2024.
In the first leg, after the false start, the Giallorossi managed to bring the match and the qualifying round back into balance, even coming close to scoring a deserved 3-2. As deserved as the 4-1 triumph of the gray and reds in the return match. A match that practically had no history, given that already from the 12th minute the Lombards had taken the lead with a Eurogoal from Franco Vazquez, someone who boasted a level of class and technique well above average on the pitch.
Catanzaro tried to react, but seven minutes later Buonaiuto’s second goal arrived, who caught the ball brilliantly with a long ball and hit the opposing goalkeeper with a volley with a right foot. Vandeputte had tried to make it 2-0, but his shot hit the post. Then came Coda’s swing, well served two steps away from the empty goal. A blow that knocked out the Calabrians, who in the second half were penalized by the expulsion in the 63rd minute of Brignola, who had come on 18 minutes earlier.
In the 69th minute the fourth goal of the locals arrived with Sernicola, certifying the absolute domination of a Cremonese team who played on velvet. Ten minutes from the end, here was the goal of honor by the Giallorossi, with Antonini finding the sharp edge with a nice first-time left-footed shot. A minimal prize for the almost 4,000 Calabrian fans who arrived in Cremona with so much confidence. Ultimately, they didn’t lose. Cremonese, however, deservedly earned the final against Venezia.
