UNDER 15 AEB SERIES – CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
ROME-GENOA 2-1
ROME Bouaskar, Bonifazi, Saviano (23’st Di Mascio), Cioffi, Di Marino (42’st Proietti), Paul, Tombion, Giammattei, Dal Bon, Guaglianone (42’st Milocco), Russo (16’st Zejak) BENCH Sala, Liturri, Patteri, Susin, Galieti TRAINER Stairs
GENOA Costoli, Mandirola, Savona, Fazio (28’st Ndreu), Saladino, Scaccianoce, Lombards, Brizzolari, Cozzolino (28’st Lleshi), Botto (5’st Consoli), Aresini BENCH Romeo, Pagano, Callierotti, Aracri, Patti, Bozzo TRAINER Hurry up
MARKERS Consoli 9’st (G), Dal Bon 27’st (R), Zekaj 41’st (R)
REFEREE Radovanovic from Maniago
ASSISTANTS Mansueti and Cristin Basso Friuli
FOURTH OFFICER Maccorin of Pordenone
NOTES Warned Paul Angles 3-3 Offside 5-0
Yes, those ideas won in the end. Because they had the strength to win over everything and everyone, with all the necessary time that a 2009 team rightly needs. That change of gear from February onwards left no escape for anyone, with Mattia Scala’s team who first closed the group stage as the best first and who tonight crowned the journey in the best possible way. Roma are Italian champions.
The opening of the match in Ascoli is alive with flames. The Giallorossi scare with a quick 4vs3 restart which, however, Dal Bon does not manage in the best way. The Ligurian reply doesn’t take long to arrive with Cozzolino’s poisonous left-footed shot, Bouaskar doesn’t let himself be surprised by the rebound. In the 20th minute another potentially very dangerous counterattack was not exploited properly by Di Marino who did not see the opening for Giammattei, the former Durini Pescara player would have found himself on an open field with only Costoli between him and the goal.
Baldo Di Marino: despite the untapped opportunity he is one of the best of the first half (Photo ©Mirna De Cesaris)
There is always a rossoblù response to Roma’s call: so Captain Brizzolari takes care of calling Bouaskar into action. Roma definitely takes flight and when they attack they are painful: Tombion graces Sbravati by kicking from a tight angle instead of serving Dal Bon, for the 9th it would have been a moving penalty. Then Bonifazi hits the outside of the net giving only the illusion of a goal. At the end of the first half it was Genoa who came close to taking the lead: Mandirola sank down the right, kept (perhaps) the ball on the pitch and passed it for Cozzolino, Bouaskar surpasses himself and deflects for a corner with a great reflex. Before returning to the changing rooms, however, there is also time for the last two Giallorossi jolts: Russo receives, swerves and shoots without worrying Costoli too much, then Giammattei is blocked by the defense from an inviting position.
RED ALARM(BLÚ)
The second half opens with Genoa all forward in search of the lead, which Captain Brizzolino comes close to. The midfielder’s left-footed shot is at the limits of perfection, hits the inside post, slips centimeters from Bouaskar’s back and returns to the field. A couple of turns of the clock, just enough time for Consoli to enter, and the number 19 devours a goal scored a few meters from the line. Roma slips very hard and there is still a woodwork to save them, this time fully captured by the goalscoring full-back Mandirola (6 goals in 27 appearances for him).
Genoa rejoices after Consoli’s opener (Photo ©Mirna De Cesaris)
At the fourth attempt in a few minutes Genoa made no mistake and found the advantage through Consoli. On the other hand, the attacker once again found himself with a moving penalty at his disposal, one he had missed, on the second he did not forgive. Roma’s approach in the second half certainly leaves us perplexed, as they returned to the pitch soft and not at all focused after a first half in which they wasted a lot, too much. Genoa is galvanized and now commands on the pitch in Ascoli, but Mr. Scala finds the right countermeasures and the Giallorossi slowly get back on their feet.
YELLOW-RED DELIRIUM
In the 27th minute Giammattei penetrates the area, Mandirola doesn’t hold him and the midfielder serves Dal Bon with an unwrapped chocolate, it’s 1-1!
Giammattei at the moment of the assist then exploited to the fullest by Lorenzo Dal Bon (Photo ©Mirna De Cesaris)
41′, everything suggests that we will go to extra time and instead… Another lightning-fast restart, Genoa sensationally unbalanced forward. Giammattei gets on his scooter, travels fifty meters with the ball at his feet and then passes the ball to Zekaj which wins the Scudetto. In injury time Giammattei and Tombion also came close to scoring a hat trick. Three like the whistles that put an end to the dispute. Three times like Rome Rome Rome. The Giallorossi climb to the top of Italy and bring the Scudetto to the capital.
