UNDER 18 AEB SERIES – CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
GENOA – ROME 2-0
GENOA Consiglio, Sancinito, Ahanor, Deseri, Arata, Barry, Dodde (30’st Grossi), Fazio, Ekhator, Romano (42’st Corengia), Venturino (30’st Nuredini) BENCH Boschi, Georgievski, Ghinassi, Colonnese, Mavraj, Pagliari TRAINER I roll it
ROME Kehayov, Obleac (29’st Mlakar), Reale, Pedro Lopes (8’st Ivkovic), Golic, Mirra, Feola, Tumminelli (1’st Litti), Nardozi, Levak, Solbes (14’st Della Rocca) BENCH De Franceschi, Cioffredi, Cardozo, Bauco, Colasurdo TRAINER Tanrivermis
MARKERS Venturino 46’st, Romano 36’st pen.
REFEREE Barbetti of Arezzo, 5.5
ASSISTANTS Veli of Pisa and Perlamagna of Carrara
FOURTH OFFICER Hermitage of Ancona
NOTE Expelled at 37’st Litti (R) for violent conduct Warned Mirra, Levak, Della Rocca Angles 6-3
No, the Rome of records does not completely complete the work. The third consecutive Scudetto would have meant a place in the history of youth football for a result that no one had ever achieved before. And instead Genoa sews the tricolor on their chest, a real curse for Roma in this category.
Ready to go and the first rossoblù danger: Golic sinks on Fazio, but together with the ball he also takes his legs: free kick from the edge and Romano kicks out trying to surprise Kehayov at the near post. Nardozi responds with a left-footed shot that is not too convinced that Consiglio easily intercepts. Feola narrowly misses a cross from the left, completely forgotten by Ahanor.
Then Nardozi tries to head a cross from Obleac, Consiglio is there. The most significant chance takes shape in the 20th minute with Ekhator who, from a good position, gives only the illusion by shooting towards the outside of the net. From then on almost only Genoa, as expected, considering the Roma set-up, strongly based on attention to the defensive phase. Deseri first looks for glory from afar with a nice right that is deflected, but not enough to mock Kehayov. Kehayov who immediately afterwards, in the second duel with the Genoa number 4, shows off a great reflex by going down on Deseri’s gore in an instant. To lighten the pressure, Mirra’s right-foot shot from long range, Consiglio lifts for a corner. It seems designed to bring home parity at the end of the first half and instead Roma pay the price for this exaggeratedly low center of gravity.
Genoa celebrates after the goal (Photo ©Mirna De Cesaris)
Ball to Venturino, the best against Inter decides to light up again: he throws the right foot from his home, Kehayov misses the intervention (probably also due to the pitch) and Genoa take the lead.
LUCKILY IT CHANGES AT INTERVAL…
Tanrivermis immediately takes action: Tumminelli out – not at his best even physically already in the first half – Litti in. The Turkish coach redesigns his squad: finally 4-3-3 with the former Lecce player high on the right together with Solbes and Nardozi. Obleac midfielder with Pedro Lopes and Levak. Litti himself came close to equalizing immediately, Consiglio deflected it over the crossbar (not according to the referee who awarded the goal kick). The match takes off, the patterns fall apart and continuous reversals inflame the final. The biggest chance in the 20th minute with Roma trying a long back and forth in the area. The last shot comes from Solbes with the goal almost empty, but the Apache shoots high. Then number 9 takes on the role of assistman, opening the best opening for Ivkovic, the Croatian fails to frame the target in a sensational way.
ROME TIRED, HEAD AND LEGS
It was Genoa who played extra time 48 hours ago (and what extra time!), but only Roma are out of breath and ideas on the pitch in Ancona. The substitutions brought something positive, but not enough to affect a Genoa team that is going straight on its way. It is also a haunted goal for Roma who first with Nardozi (on Golic’s side) and then with Levak, on whom Consiglio is superb, see the Italian dream fade away more and more. It seems like a curse and it becomes one on the half hour mark: Della Rocca kicks, perhaps there is a handball but the referee lets it go. A few turns of the hand later Della Rocca slightly buffers Grossi, but the yardstick is not the same as before. Romano shoots perfectly from the spot, Kehayov understands but it’s not enough. Genoa rejoices, someone prefers to provoke, Litti loses his head and hits Ahanor. Rome in ten men. Rossoblù ecstasy. Genoa is Italian Champion. Ruotolo wins another in the category after the one in 2020/2021 against Roma.
