Spezia-Verona 1-3: goals from Faraoni, Ampadu and brace from Ngonge

From our correspondent Matteo Dalla Vite

June 11th
– Reggio Emilia

After three years, Spezia must say goodbye to Serie A: Faraoni and Ngonge make Ampadu’s goal useless, Montipò saves a penalty from Nzola (as well as building four other prodigious saves) and in short, at the end of an exhausting game, Hellas is saved and the Ligurians to fall in Serie B. It ends 1-3 and Verona jumps with its over 4000 fans who arrived at the Mapei Stadium while Leo Semplici – without seven men in the highlight of the season – has to fold in a play-off in which Hellas gave more signs of ruthlessness and concrete reactivity compared to La Spezia, however stemmed by an amazing Montipò. And so, the Veronese manage to give real life to a feat that only seemed impossible in January: a “flying match” of 26 points in 23 games allowed the Veronese to arrive up to this night which for Spezia (only one victory in last 13 games) was the one of nightmares and the return to Serie B.

Pharaohs, Orsato, Ampadu

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In the grandstand is the mayor of Verona Damiano Tommasi, with him – a few seats further on – also Davide Nicola and Giampaolo Pazzini. Also present was the designator of CAN A and B Gianluca Rocchi, Orsato directs and naturally the frame is represented by 4000 fans on each side who – in the pre-race – were made to flow towards Mapei in separate order and without anything happening. Having said that the play-off returned after the one in 2005 in which Bologna was relegated to Serie B by Parma, it should be remembered that in 2007 Spezia and Verona found themselves in the Serie B playouts: that time the Ligurians were saved after the two-way match (total result 2-1). This season, Spezia himself had won at the Bentegodi while at the “Picco” it finished 0-0; at Mapei, in this inside or outside reintroduced by Lega Serie A, Hellas prevailed in the end, responding on a par with Ampadu and running away with Ngonge with five goals this season. Semplici had to do without Holm, Gyasi and Amian as well as Caldara and placed Shomurodov and Nzola in the offensive system; the Zaffaroni-Bocchetti duo didn’t have Lasagna and decided to attack with the giant Djuric supported by Ngonge and Lazovic. In the fifth half of the first half there is already the… gap: Lazovic goes down to the left practically unopposed and his cross that cuts across the area reaches Faraoni who – despite a last-ditch attempt by Ampadu – breaks the match padlock and takes the Verona took the lead with a safe shot with a decisive result. In the 9th minute there is a situation in the area that Orsato decides to declassify but in truth Wisniewski hooks Lazovic’s foot in full area, a contact that leaves doubts. In the 15th minute, Spezia reacts: from a free-kick by Esposito the ball reaches the edge of the area in Ampadu, a dry shot which – touched by Magnani and Dawidowicz, folds Montipò for the 1-1 and the La Spezia delirium.

Double beating

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Is it over like this? Not at all: because Verona is still going ahead. There is a contrast on the trocar between Zurkowski and Sulemana that Orsato (and then the Var) considers genuine, ball to Djuric who serves Ngonge, Nikolau does not cover and even Reca: 1-2 with Dragowski still beaten and Hellas still ahead. After 27′ there are already three yellow cards, a record considering that Orsato usually doesn’t exaggerate with cards: Dawidowicz gets the yellow card after those shown to Hien and Depaoli. Spezia arrives from Montipò with three crosses cut from the trocar but then a wrong ball from Nikolau favors Ngonge’s escape: the Belgian scores his fifth personal goal and 1-3 with Ampadu’s deflection. A double beating that risks flattening the strength of a Spezia who, in the second half, starts looking in every way for a miraculous turnaround: Zurkowski sees a good shot deflected in the 4th minute from Montipò.

Nzola what are you doing?

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Simple puts Green in, Zaffaroni replies with Cabal and Verdi. In the 18th minute a smoke bomb was thrown from the corner occupied by the La Spezia side, Orsato called in the proper officials and didn’t block the game. Semplici also slips in Kovalenko, while a seemingly harmless throw by Ferrer leads to an involuntary kick by Hien who puts Shomurodov in front of Montipò: the touch would be a goal if Faraoni didn’t arrive who touches with his hand causing the penalty and expulsion for himself. Montipò, in the 25th minute, saves Nzola’s penalty (slow and readable shot), the score remains 1-3 and Verona with 10 men. Zaffaroni slips Terracciano for Ngonge and Gaich for Djuric, Spezia incessantly tries to raise their hopes despite the bad blow from the missed penalty by Nzola. Then, Montipò neutralizes Shomurodov, Bourabia and Ampadu, effectively saving the result and Serie A. It matters little that the so-called parachute provides for 25 million euros because today’s Spezia tears are worth more.