Bisceglie Calcio’s season ends with a mocking defeat in extra time, falling 2-1 to Costa d’Amalfi and postponing their promotion to Serie D. The Nerazzurri nullify the advantage achieved by Lucero and they were overtaken by the Campania team who thus celebrated a historic promotion to the fourth series.
At the “San Martino” in Maiori we start again from the 1-1 draw in the first leg. The home team reunites with captain Proto after his disqualification and takes to the field with a 3-5-2 which is missing top scorer Cappiello, who came out of the “Ventura” match due to injury but was nevertheless recovered at the last minute and present on the bench. Mister Di Meo chooses the usual formation but renounces Bonicelli and immediately proposes Kouame upon his return after the four-match suspension. In the 4-3-1-2 designed by the coach from Bisceglie there is space between Suma between the posts, a four-man defense with Farucci, Lucero, Sanchez and Morisco, midfield with Kone, Kouame and Stefanini and an offensive tandem made up of the experts Di Rito and Pignataro.
Despite the importance of what is at stake, the match is lively from the start. The first big opportunity arrives after just eight minutes and comes from Campania with Apicella blocked by an amazing intervention from Suma. Bisceglie’s response materializes six turns later with a beautiful left-footed shot by Mangialardi deflected for a corner by Manzi. The two teams do not hold back, and after a potential chance wasted by Aiana on an assist from Proto, in the 22nd minute the match broke the deadlock in favor of Bisceglie thanks to Lucero’s peremptory header on a free kick struck from the right by Farucci. The goring of the Argentine defender shifts the final to the guests’ side, exploding with joy throughout Mr. Di Meo’s team. The Amalfi Coast remained undaunted and immediately attempted a reaction, forcing Lucero to unravel a potential opportunity for the home team with a perfect finish on Infante in the 25th minute. Sixty seconds later, however, Suma is attentive to Aiana’s shot from a tight angle. In the last segment of the half it was Bisceglie who took the lead and returned to Manzi’s side first with a long-range shot from Mangialardi, to which the home number one responded, while in the 36th minute the Nerazzurri timidly protested for a touch hand in the bell area. In the final, the guests contained the coastal players’ initiatives and after four minutes of added time the score went to half-time with the score 0-1.
The pace was decidedly more measured at the start of the second half and so the home coach, forced to at least find an equalizer to extend the match to extra time, changed the situation by opting for a double substitution with the arrivals of Matrone and Celia. The changes revitalize the Amalfi Coast and in the 65th minute it is the new substitute Celia who shoots with a left footed shot controlled by Suma. Sixty seconds later the Campania team re-established the balance with Caputo’s strike, who did well to take advantage of Apicella’s excellent work on the left wing. Di Meo immediately runs for cover and makes a triple substitution to reawaken his team after a slow start to the recovery by inserting Fucci, Avavantaggiato and, above all, Bonicelli for Pignataro. On the opposite front, striker Cappiello enters the field despite his less than perfect physical condition. Bisceglie psychologically suffered the equalizing goal and only in the 74th minute did they see themselves forward again with a shot from Kouame, blocked by Manzi’s feet. Two minutes later, however, it was Costa d’Amalfi who had the great opportunity to overtake. Extraordinary solo from Apicella, clearly his best, who spreads panic on the right and delivers a cross to Caputo, whose header hits the crossbar with Suma beaten. Once the fear has passed, Bisceglie pushes again and in the 77th minute Di Rito is stopped at the best moment by Matrone, on the following corner Bonicelli’s acrobatics go out at the back. In the final the two teams remain cautious but in the second of the five minutes of injury time, Bisceglie came very close to scoring with a header from Sanchez which Manzi overcameauthor of an excellent save that extended the final to extra time.
The two teams approach the extra time with determination but are victims of tiredness, emblematic is what happens in the 96th minute with the Nerazzurri who first waste a potential opportunity in numerical superiority and a few moments later waste a sensational chance with Di Rito who from a few steps hits Manzi with the head. The start of the second extra half follows the script of the first, even if Costa d’Amalfi appears slightly more brilliant on a physical level. In the 107th minute a small shiver runs down the backs of the Bisceglie fans when Suma avoids the worst on the unfortunate deflection of the young Cassatella. The episode that definitively breaks the balance, however, it arrives eight minutes from the one hundred and twentieth when Pepe draws a splendid parable from a free kick from the edge, piercing the visiting goalkeeper and making the entire “San Martino” crowd explode. Bisceglie felt the pinch and only an unrealistic shot from Bonicelli in the 114th minute forced Manzi into an easy save. In the remaining minutes, in fact, the Nerazzurri are incapable of creating dangers and at the final whistle the home team can celebrate their first historic promotion to Serie D. On the other side, the disconsolate faces of Mr. Di Meo’s boys, authors of a ‘excellent season but stopped at the best. An atrocious mockery for the association of President Racanati who postpones the appointment with the return to the national stage and will be forced to compete in the Eccellenza championship for the third consecutive year.
