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Serie B Women, 10. matchday | San Marino Academy-Palermo 2-1

THE TABLE
SAN MARINO ACADEMY [4-2-3-1]: Montanari; Montalti, Venturini, Kiamou, Micciarelli; Jansen (from 83 ‘Massa), Fusar Poli; Baldini (from 72 ‘Menin), Bertolotti (from 61’ Cecchini), Alborghetti (from 61 ‘Papaleo); Barbers. Available: Marrone, Groff, M. Piazza. Coach: Alain Conte.

PALERMO [4-4-2]: pipitone; Viscuso (from 79 ‘impellitteri), Collovà, Zito, Licari (from 84’ Tarantino); Dragotto, Cusmà Piccione, Lazzara, Coco; Minciullo (from 65 ‘Fricano), Piro (from 84’ Intravaia). Available: Sorce, Intravaia, Tarantino. Coach: Antonella Licciardi.

Referee: Enrico Hermitage of Ancona.
Assistants: Fabio Gentile from Teramo and Domenico Lombardi from Chieti.

Markers: 6 ‘Dragotto, 16’ Jansen, 32 ‘Barbieri.

warned: Montalti, Cecchini, Cusmà Piccione.

Note: at 42 ‘Montanari saved a penalty from Zito.

CHRONICLE AND COMMENT
Deep rotations in the Academy’s tactical chessboard, with three-quarters of the defensive line renewed compared to the recent trip to Corte Franca. Other news also in midfield, where Bertolotti and Baldini find the starting shirt, like Alborghetti – on his debut in the league from the first minute. Start-up and immediate dominance for the Titanas, which however hurt themselves at 5 ‘when you develop a long throw for Dragotto, a communication defect between Micciarelli and Montanari paves the way for the rosanero attacker, good at believing it and unable in not converting the pinball machine that opened the empty door wide into a goal.
Immediate reaction of the Titans, who break through on the left with the initiative of Alborghetti, good at returning to the left to hit the near post. Pipitone cut out, literally saved by the base of the upright. The rebound is still for the Lombard wing, who finds the legs of an opponent. A little later Bertolotti also tries, freed to the limit from the work of Barbieri: immediate left, which Pipitone must lift for a corner.
The Academy raises the engine revs and on the development of another lap at the flag in the quarter of an hour, Barbieri receives the ball on the short side of the penalty area. The third line of Palermo does not react, so that the blue-white striker no longer turns and kicks, stripping Pipitone’s outside pole. The two woods hit are followed by the equalizer – this generator also gives a lightness. Lazzara discovers the ball on the pressure of Barbieri, who only has to send Jansen into the goal: the Dutchman is icy who in front of Pipitone makes no mistake, scoring his third goal of the season, second in a row and first at home. Curiously, it has always been that of the 1-1 draw, after Bari and Cortefranca. Conte’s girls immediately build the opportunity to overturn the score, practically when the game resumes. Venturini anticipates and relaunches, finding Alborghetti’s lane wide open by Viscuso’s failure to intervene. The home wing changes pace and enters the area, resulting in inaccurate with the right – sent on the outside of the net. After a decision of minutes without particular emotions, the Academy finds the winning acceleration. At 29 ‘Pipitone is attentive and decisive on the rebound that had opened the doors of Baldini’s area, countered by the foot of the former Roma goalkeeper a step out of sixteen meters. Three minutes later, the very high defensive line of Palermo – close to the median line with the defensive block – pays duty on Fusar Poli’s first play, which frees Jansen’s stride without opponents. The midfielder proves altruistic, choosing the assist for Barbieri – good at accompanying the action. Touch in the small area and empty net, for the simplest of the eight goals of the season, seventh in Serie B. An exultation shared with Montanari, reached after a 70-meter run by the blue-white top scorer.
Palermo replies immediately, with Kiamou’s cross from the left extended backwards. Ball that passes on the far post, where Dragotto hits the outside of the net when the ball was already pulled out for a corner a short distance from the upright. On the same, Dragotto coordinates for a powerful, but imprecise turn. The game lights up again in the final part of the fraction, where Francesca Montanari takes the chair. The goalkeeper from Romagna stretches to the corner to deny the draw to an incredulous Coco, who shortly before had called her into question with a right from distance. Montanari is even superlative in the 42nd minute, when Coco always wins a penalty after a nice Veronica to evade Montalti’s mark. From the spot Zito: right crossed high, on which Montanari arrives with the recall hand – rejecting for a corner. Just celebrations for the far end of the house, celebrated by all the companions. But Palermo proved to be fully in the game, despite the partial at the end of the two minutes of recovery granted by Eremitaggio awards the San Marino Academy. Conte and Licciardi do not put their hand to the bench during the interval and the first important initiative is Sicilian. Beautiful vertical prize that passes through the Dragotto exhaust and from the verticalization for Coco, who can aim for Montalti at the top of the area. Footwork and left-handed tack, for a chewed attempt that ends at the bottom. The rosanero are lively, breaking through on the right on the Minciullo-Dragotto axis: the latter comes to cross from the intersection between the small area and the baseline, but the San Marino defense builds density and closes in a corner. On the developments of which Coco tries from a distance, without finding the poles.
San Marino replica in restart: the Titanas relax with Alborghetti, who runs away on the left to put a large cross for Baldini, good at recycling the ball for Jansen. Dry and powerful conclusion from the distance, which comes out of a palm to the right of Pipitone. After an inaccurate diagonal by Barbieri in the 58th minute, the San Marino Academy goes one step away from the third goal with the attacker who uses a good job by Micciarelli to get around Cusmà Piccione with a fake body. Left-handed from a negligible distance on which Pipitone has a phenomenal reflex and keeps Palermo afloat, which risks even in the 62nd minute on Papaleo’s right, who took over from a few seconds like Cecchini. The San Marino player keeps a ball going to the bottom to unload it to Jansen, who finds Papaleo at the far post: control in the area and imprecise right foot. The Neapolitan tries even two late, kicking without from twenty meters finding more hesitations and corners minutes.
Palermo returns to urge Montanari in the 68th minute on the Dragotto-Lazzara axis, but the latter’s conclusion – rejected with his feet by the home goalkeeper – arrives in an offside position, as noted by Lombardi. In the opposite half Papaleo recovers the ball in an advanced position to pass it on to Cecchini, who guesses the central corridor for the insertion of Jansen. Control to the limit and loaded left-handed, who does not find the impact on the ball due to Lazzara’s decisive retreat. On the second of two consecutive corners, Kiamou tries his head without giving enough strength to the ball to worry Pipitone. More greedy is the situation that leads to the Cecchini shot in the 80th minute: Menin’s pitch from the right is pushed away with his fists by Pipitone, right on the right of the San Marino midfielder who coordinates himself for the flying serve from sixteen meters, finding a lot of power and little precision. The Academy does not close it and Palermo believes in the possibility of equalizing it. After an initiative by Massa, neutralized with a shiver and in two stages by Pipitone, the rosanero try with Zito from a placed: right-footed shot that ends a breath above the cross. The Titans play with the clock in the final, trying to keep the ball as far as possible from their own penalty area. In the final minutes, including the three extra minutes, the tension is palpable, but Palermo is never dangerous. Indeed, it is the Academy that goes close to 3-1 with Papaleo, triggered by a verticalization of Massa. The right-footed player from a tight angle does not find Pipitone unprepared, who takes refuge in the corner. The counterpart Montanari closes a completely inactive second half and together with her teammates can celebrate the return to victory. Last housewife of 2021 in the league, before the away match in Cesena next week. However, the calendar year will end only after the Coppa Italia match with Inter, on Sunday 19 December at the Acquaviva Stadium.

San Marino Academy Press Office