Empoli v Reggina: Football in a Swamp
By: Martha | January 12th, 2008
Granted, I’ve only seen three or four matches a week this season, so I could well have missed some awful pitches, but the conditions at Empoli today were by far the worst of any match I’ve seen. Thanks to a steady rain, there was standing water all over the pitch, no one could change direction, and by the 30 minutes mark, heavily used areas had just turned into mud. That said, though, the first half was absolutely thrilling, despite — or more likely because of — the conditions.
Reggina were on the board in the second minute, when Empoli keeper Daniele Balli made a terrible decision, leaving his box to stop a flying Simone Missiroli, even though his defender was almost there. The result was that as the ball all but stopped in the mud and as the Reggina players look at one another, Missiroli laid it across to a wide open Fabio Ceravolo who put Reggina ahead. Just minutes later, though, Empoli were level thanks to Reggina’s spectacularly clumsy new defender, Bruno Cirillo, who marked his return from a term with Levante by taking down Antonio Busce’ in the box. Luca Saudati converted the penalty in the fifth minute, and the match was off to a wild start. Cirillo kept it up by giving away another penalty in the 15th minute — this one an impressive, totally illogical flying tackle — but Andrea Campagnolo rescued him by saving Saudati’s PK.
Even without Cirillo’s help, Empoli were dominating, frequently getting the ball into the Reggina box in threatening areas, particularly when it came from the feet of Sebastian Giovinco out on the left. Because the pitch was so bad, though, there was an insane unpredictability to the proceedings, and strikers often couldn’t get their feet on passes they normally would, because they couldn’t stop and change direction even slightly. And with puddles hidden all over the pitch, any pass on the ground was a crapshoot, so the defense often ended up calmly controlling passes as they died in the mud, despite only seconds before looking like cutting through balls. Reggina were able to create a few chances toward the close of the half, generally thanks to the weird conditions, but Empoli always looked the better team.
In the second half, Reggina — who were without Nicola Amoruso, because of a falling out with high-strung (he’s been with Reggina for two months and was sent off for the third time today) Coach Renzo Ulivieri — were happy to put 10 men behind the ball and soak up Empoli’s pressure. As a result the home side had the bulk of possession, but because the ball was generally on the right (which was in awful shape) and sometimes the middle of the pitch, Giovinco wasn’t really involved, and without his creativity Reggina rarely looked too bothered by Empoli’s pressure. Campagnolo was in good form, and he and his defense dealt with the horrific conditions well: They frustrated the Empoli attack and, in the end, deserved their precious point.
Category: 
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments are closed
Home 
