Catania wins on penalties. Crotone beaten at the Massimino by the Catania team thanks to spot kicks at the end of an endless match, intense like few others and very entertaining, conditioned by many defensive errors, on both sides, and a great desire to outdo themselves. The home team shows they have character, they don’t give up on anything and react by recovering the result three times, then they hold on and face the specters of tiredness with courage. The 3-3 with which regular time and extra time ended says a lot about the progress of the match. Once the round of 16 has passed, Catania will face Pescara in the quarterfinals.
Lucarelli’s team, padded in the circumstance of “second lines” does not demerit as mentioned for courage and determination, especially between midfield and attack. The red and blue players want to demonstrate to their coach that they can have more space among the starters. The defense, up to a certain point in the disastrous match, recovered at the end also thanks to the substitutions.
However, Crotone took the lead. In the 6th minute Tribuzzi takes care of chilling Livieri and his teammates, as also happened in the championship on the first day. The goal stuns Catania who try to regroup by taking advantage in particular of the plays of the attacking wingers De Luca and Bocic. In the 23rd minute there were protests from the home team due to an alleged penalty foul on a corner kick which was not recognized by the referee. For the Etna players to equalise, they have to wait until the 53rd minute: De Luca scores from the heart of the small area following an assist from the right. First goal of the season, first goal at Massimino for La Zanzara. The joy of the Catania public, however, was shattered four minutes later, when Tumminello swallowed the opposing defense and unloaded the shot which Livieri was unable to block effectively. True and infinite match, in fact Dubickas re-established parity in the 59th minute. Ten minutes later Crotone strikes again: Bruzzaniti, one of the best on the pitch, decides to strike out on his own and sinks again, putting the ball behind Catania’s second goalkeeper. The 3-3 with which regulation time ends bears the signature of Di Carmine. The red and blue first striker scores on a penalty kick awarded for Marsura’s knockdown in the area. Shortly before that, there were protests for Lucarelli’s team who complained about a handball and consequently the failure to award the penalty. In extra time, the teams were long and tired, some chances for Catania but they didn’t worry D’Alterio, at the end of the 120th minute Crotone were very dangerous, Livieri said no. In the end it was the penalties that gave the Etna team the passage to the next round: the errors of Bruzzaniti, Giron and Petriccione were decisive for the guests.
CATANIA-CROTONE 6-5 (dcr)
CATANIA (4-2-3-1): Livieri; Rapisarda (60′ Bouah), Silvestri, Curado, Mazzotta (90′ Castellini); Zanellato, Quaini (60′ Zammarini); De Luca, Deli (72′ Marsura), Bocic (60′ Chiricò); Dubickas (72′ By Carmine). Available: Albertoni, Bethers, Castellini, Lorenzini, Maffei, Rocca, Sarao, Popovic. All. Lucarelli.
CROTONE (3-5-2): D’Alterio; Spaltro (90′ Giron), Loiacono (46′ Papini), Crialese, Bruzzaniti, Schirò (46′ Di Stefano), Pannitteri (82′ Rojas), Jurcec (88′ Petriccione), Tribuzzi; Tumminello, Cantisani (72′ D’Ursi). Available: Lucano, Gomez, Branduani, Aprile, Coscia, Pirozzi, Solmonte, Tarantino. All. Zauli.
REFEREE: Grasso di Ariano Irpino (Minafra-Cadirola).
4th OFFICIAL: Colaninno from Nola.
SCOREERS: 6′ Tribuzzi, 53′ De Luca, 56′ Tumminello, 58′ Dubickas, 70′ Bruzzaniti, 87′ pen. By Carmine
NOTES: Booked: Tribuzzi, Lucarelli (from the bench), Zanellato, De Luca
Penalty sequence: Bruzzaniti (Cr) out, Chiricò (Ct) scores, Tumminello (Cr) scores, Zammarini (Ct) saved, D’Ursi (Cr) scores, Zanellato (Ct) scores, Giron (Cr) post, Castellini (Ct) ) scores, Petriccione (Cr) out
