On a Sunday full of emotions and suspense, the Vitulano Drugstore Manfredonia reached the pinnacle of joy by defeating Pordenone in the Serie A2 Elite playoff final, in front of the Sky Sport cameras, and thus obtaining passage to the next Serie A season. The match featured an epic battle, ending with a score of 2-2 in regulation time, 3-3 in extra time, and then culminating in a final 7-5 on penalties. Luck has blessed coach Ceppi’s team, destined to return to the top category starting next October.
Epic ending
The final saw Ziberi and Djelveh pitted against each other, with both sides determined to give their all. The culminating moment came in the 12th minute, when Giampaolo provided a masterful assist for Barbieri, who with a precise shot gave Manfredonia a 1-0 lead. Pordenone tried to respond, but Glielmi deflected Chtioui’s attempt for Della Bianca into a corner. The spectacular nature of the match was also evident with the astonishing reflex of Vascello who denied Manfredonia the second goal, blocking Taliercio’s volley.
However, Pordenone found the equalizer through Chtioui, only to see the result immediately reversed with an unfortunate own goal by Finato following Ronaldo’s cross: 2-1. Despite the attempts of Grigolon and Minatel, who found Glielmi and the crossbar to deny them a goal, Manfredonia remained ahead until the end of the first half.
In the second half, Pordenone equalized thanks to a left-footed volley from Ziberi. Despite attacks from both teams, the score remained locked at 2-2, sending the game to extra time.
Extra time and thrilling penalties
The first extra half saw a key moment in the 3rd minute, when Giampaolo won a free kick from the edge: Taliercio exploited the opportunity with a powerful right-footed shot, giving Manfredonia a 3-2 lead. Despite Murgo and Zullo’s attempts to close out the match, Pordenone equalized through Grigolon with just 7 seconds left in the half.
The decisive moment came in the penalty shootout, with Minatel making a mistake for Pordenone and Giampaolo scoring the winning penalty for Vitulano Drugstore Manfredonia. With four shots out of four scored, Manfredonia achieved promotion to Serie A, sending Pordenone defeated to the applause of the crowd.
Match scoreboard
Vitulano Drugstore Manfredonia – Pordenone 7-5 dtr (2-1 sts, 2-2 sts, 3-2 sts, 3-3 sts)
Vitulano Drugstore Manfredonia: Glielmi, Ronaldo, Taliercio, Murgo, Barbieri, Manzella, Zullo, Djelveh, Nenna, Giampaolo, Maiolo, Vallarelli. All. Strains
PORDENONE: Vascello, Ziberi, Stendler, Grigolon, Langella, Della Bianca, Grzelj, Bortolin, Chtioui, Finato, Minatel, Paties. All. Hrvatin
MARKERS: 11’23” pt Barbieri (M), 12’54” Chtioui (P), 13’45” aut. Finato (M), 5’20” sts Ziberi (P), 3’37” pts Taliercio (M), 4’51” sts Grigolon (P)
PENALTY SEQUENCE: Stendler (P) saved, Ronaldo (M) goal, Langella (P) goal, Taliercio (M) goal, Della Bianca (P) goal, Barbieri (M) goal, Minatel (P) saved, Giampaolo (M) goal
WARNINGS: Ronaldo (M), Minatel (P), Grzelj (P)
REFEREES: Andrea Barillà (Cinisello Balsamo), Carlotta Filippi (Bergamo), Francesco Cocco (Parma). CHRONO: Marco Lupo (Palermo)
With this epic victory, Vitulano Drugstore Manfredonia has written an indelible page in its history, ready to challenge the best teams in the next Serie A season.
source: divisioncalcioa5
