MESSINA-SAVOIA 0-1
Scorer: 14′ st Forte
Messina (3-5-2): Sorrentino 5; De Caro 5.5, Trasciani 6, Bosia 5.5 (23′ st Clemente 6); Maisano 6 (44′ st Yekalej sv), Aprile 5.5, Garufi 6, Saverino 5.5 (26′ st Azzara 6), Orlando 5.5 (38′ st Elia sv); Toure 5.5, Roseti 5.5. Available Paduano, Tesija, Fravola, Bombaci. All. Romano 6.
Savoy (3-4-3): Sciammarella 6.5; Frasson 6, Forte 7, Cadili 6.5 (31′ st Favetta 5.5); Schiavi 6.5, Sellaf 6, Ledesma 7, Carlini 6; Umbaca 6.5 (37′ st Reis sv), Munoz 5.5 (31′ st Pisacane 6), Guida 6 (18′ st Meola 6). Available De Lorenzo, Bitonto, Rioda, Fiasco, Esposito. All. Catalano 6.5.
Referee: Marco Melloni from Modena 6. Assistants: Riccardo Liotta from San Donà di Piave and Enrico Antonini from Bassano del Grappa
Notes: Booked: Bosia (M), Schiavi (S), Ledesma (S), De Caro (M), Guida (S), Munoz (S), Trasciani (M). Corner: 4-3 – Added time: 1′ and 5′
Home defeat for Messina who, in a match conditioned by rain and a heavy pitch, narrowly lost to the highly rated Savoia who, especially in the first half, played better and came close to taking the lead several times. The match opens in the 6th minute with a low shot from Aprile, slow and controlled by Sciammarella and it is the Giallorossi’s only chance. Then a Campania-style match, with the conclusions of Guida and twice of Munoz, dangerous but almost missing the target. In the 31st minute, however, Sorrentino made an excellent save on Guida’s header and, on the following corner, Forte sent it wide.
In the second half it seemed like another Messina, more determined and proactive, but in the 14th minute it was the guests who hit a corner from Ledesma and a winning deflection from Forte, who beat an uncertain Sorrentino. Messina tries to react with a shot from Toure, saved, while Savoia takes advantage of the spaces left by the Giallorossi unbalanced forward to strike on the counterattack: in the 21st minute the crossbar blocks Carlini’s shot and, shortly after, Sorrentino saves on Schiavi. The locals are unlucky on two occasions: in the 22nd minute De Caro, with his head, finds the save on the line by Cadili, while in the 32nd minute Maisano’s cross is deflected onto the crossbar by Frasson. Not even the attempts of the newly introduced Azzara were enough to straighten out the match: Savoia moved on to the “Franco Scoglio”, while Messina stopped after two rounds and, at home, after ten days.