Växjö - HV716 - 3
Cesena - Udinse 1 - 0
PETER PAN STRIKES AGAIN
After last week's deserved defeat at Milan AC Cesena was in desperate need of three points vs Udinese today.
Seahorsescoach ' Di Carlo relies on the well-oiled forward trio Brienza - Defrel - Djuric. In midfield, for the first time from the first minute the Colombian Carbonero (so far a real flop) and Mudingayi (the only player Cesena could afford to buy in the winter market). Capelli and Krajnc replace the banned Volta and Lucchini in defense. On the left flank the Icelandic Magnusson (a Juventus player loaned to Cesena for the season) replaces an injured Renzetti. Captain De Feudis, Perico and goalkeeper Leali complete the team, today playing with the 4 - 3 - 1 - 2 scheme.
Udinese plays with the 3 - 5 - 1 - 1 scheme and relies on their strong men Therau, Danilo, Di Pasquale and of course the "folletto magico" (magick elf) Di Natale, one of the Italian most prolific forwards and an old thorn in the side of the Romagna team. Needless to say, we're talking about a team that's much more competitive than Cesena, who had a brilliant start in the beginning of the season (4 wins in the first 5 matces) but with very disappointing results and play in the second half of the tourrnament.
As far as the statistics go, the last time Cesena beat Udinese home in a Serie A match dates as back as 1982.
All today's SERIE A matches began 15' later as a sign of protest versus the shameful and despicable way in which the Italian Lega calcio is facing the problem represented by the horrendous management of the Parma team which is severely affecting the regular progress of the championship. The last nail on the coffin of the respectability of Italian CALCIO, polluted by a number of disgusting money-grabbers and squalid business men often linked to violent right-wing fringes and mafia.
The first half is quite boring with very few clear goal chances and the home team who play more aggressively. Really nothing worth deserving a mention, apart from four yellow cards and a few ill-fated shots. Defrel and Brienza are the lighthouses of the seahorses' play, while Magnusson, Carbonero and Mudingayi offer an impressive display of poor skills and ideas.
The second half promises to be a little more entertaining, on the 57' Djuric has a good chance but shoots as high as the sky, soon after a tired Defrel (a player who is being requested by basically all Serie A teams and even abroad and who will be sold by Cesena for quite a few million euros) is replaced by Rodríguez, our beloved Spanish Peter Pan with a sweet tooth for goal or goofey dives in the 16-metre area. It was precisely one of his dives that gave Cesena the equalizing goal on the away match at Udine in the beginning of the season. The referee fell for it and gave Cesena a 94th minute penalty shot which Cascione did not fail.
Once again, it is he, Alejandro Rodríguez, who always celebrates his goals with a Peter Pan pose, who changes the course of the match on the 76', with a not-so-easy-as-it-may-seem header courtesy of a brilliant assist by Cesena's undisputed best pair of feet, those of Francesco Brienza. Udinese tries to react and has two pretty good chances, with Badu and Danilo, but tehy didin't manage to score, and the result stuck.
It was a pretty bad match, Cesena had to win and somehow they did, taking advantage of an unusually depressed, predictable and uninspired Udinese, a team who really should do better considering their roster. All the best for us. Luckily for us Cagliari and Atalanta were beaten so Cesena is now just one point below Cagliari and four points below the fourth-last team Atalanta.
It really saddens me to think of all the points squandered in the first part of the tournaments, especially against Chievo, Atalanta and Torino. Avoiding relegation to the Serie B keeps looking like a mirage, but at least we Cesena fans now know and can be sure that even with our obvious limitations, our team will fight to the death and sell their skin very hard to the end. The three wins and one draw in the last four home matches give us a last chance and lease on life. Next Sunday Cesena will play again home, vs Palermo. Nothing short of a victory can be considered as a good result. We have no other choice but risk it all and try to be as offensive as we can. A draw would not help, it's win of lose!
Fino alla fine FORZA CESENA
