Catanzaro-Avellino 3-0
Scorers: 41′ pt Pontisso; 38′ st Cassandro; 48′ st Iemmello (pen.)
Catanzaro (3-4-2-1): Pigliacelli 7; Cassandro 7, Antonini 7, Brighenti 6.5; Favasuli 7, Pontisso 7.5 (34′ st Pompetti sv), Petriccione 6.5 (49′ st Nuamah sv), Di Francesco 6.5 (24′ st Rispoli 6); Liberali 6 (35′ st Frosinini sv), Alesi 6.5 (35′ st Iemmello 6.5); Pittarello 6. All. Aquilani 7
Avellino (4-3-1-2): Iannarilli 7; Cancellotti 6 (35′ st Le Borgne 5.5), Izzo 6, Enrici 5.5, Missori 6; Sounas 6 (15′ st Insigne 5.5), Palmiero 6 (35′ st D’Andrea 5.5), Besaggio 6 (9′ st Pandolfi 4.5); Palumbo 6; Patierno 5.5 (9′ st Biasci 5.5), Russo 6.5. All. Ballardini 6.5
Referee: Marinelli from Tivoli 6
Notes: 11,013 paying, collection of 235,346 euros. Cancellotti is warned. Corners 6-5. Recovery: 2′; 5′
One, two and three. The hat-trick at Avellino and the third consecutive semi-final for Serie A. Catanzaro beat Palermo: game 1 at the “Ceravolo” on Sunday. The dream continues and on this the signatures were of Pontisso, Cassandro and, on penalty, of Iemmello. Difficult match, Campania was a problem, but Aquilani’s team demonstrated maturity and quality.
The first half
Avellino’s pressure was the problem of the first half with Petriccione stamped by Palumbo, the midfielders high on the arms, a tip to disturb Pigliacelli, very good on the right foot in the area by Sounas (in the 10th minute on the Cancellotti-Palumbo axis) and then on Besaggio (38′ after a ball passed by Sounas to Liberali in the attacking midfield).
Iannarilli opened his eyes around the half hour mark (Favasuli, Pittarello and Cassandro insidious), but no saves until he was pierced by Pontisso, who received from Petriccione, slipped between Palmiero and Enrici and scored with a low right-footed shot from the edge (41′).
The recovery
Liberali challenged Iannarilli at the start of the second half (2′), then he was the author of the left-footed shot deflected into a header by Di Francesco: the VAR certified the offside. In the second half the music was different, Catanzaro came out well, Pontisso almost scored from a corner (well done by Iannarilli), then he fished Petriccione’s right-footed shot from the flag, centimeters wide.
Ballardini launched the former Biasci and Pandolfi, then switched from 4-3-1-2 to 4-2-3-1 with four strikers, but the Giallorossi were more incisive between the lines and vertically.
Pontisso hit the crossbar directly from the flag (21′). Pandolfi missed two chances (after all he was also zero in Calabria), but Iannarilli saved on Pittarello and performed a semi-miracle on Favasuli, who after Favasuli drank D’Andrea and gave the tow to Cassandro: 2-0. In injury time, the penalty was awarded (foul by Le Borgne) and converted by substitute Iemmello.
Photo Monteverde