“Rachid Kouda is booked for a foul, an early flashpoint in a physical contest.”
“Francesco Ruocco scores after Alessio Castellini's header is blocked, giving Mantova a shock lead against the run of play.”
Pivotal“Cristian Shpendi levels for Cesena after sustained late pressure, capping a dominant Cesena display with a deserved equalizer.”
Pivotal
Cesena
Mantova
Outstanding performance
Cesena•DefenderCesena controlled almost every facet of this match, racking up 67% possession, 19 shots to Mantova's 8, and a staggering 62 dangerous attacks compared to just 17 for the visitors, yet found themselves behind for most of the afternoon. Mantova's clinical opener came against the run of play in the 31st minute, as Francesco Ruocco pounced after Alessio Castellini's header was blocked, punishing Cesena for a rare lapse. Cesena poured forward relentlessly after the break, making five substitutions in search of a breakthrough, and their pressure eventually told when Shpendi leveled in the 77th minute following a flurry of late chances. For Cesena, sitting mid-table and searching for form, the point offers little comfort given the dominance on display; for Mantova, holding firm despite being outshot and out-passed by a huge margin, it represents a gritty defensive effort that nearly delivered an unlikely win on the road.
How entertaining was this match?
Riccardo PaganoRiccardo Pagano takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Gianluca Frabotta takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Francesco Ruocco takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Davide Bragantini takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Matteo Guidi comes on for Antonio Fiori.
Massimiliano Mangraviti comes on for Mihajlo Ilic.
Cristian ShpendiShot - Cristian Shpendi Head Shot Goal
assist: Luca D'Andrea
Goal! Cristian Shpendi scores, making it 1-1.
Flavio Paoletti is on, and Alessio Castellini is off.
Tommaso Del Lungo comes on for Rachid Kouda.
Gianluca Frabotta takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Antonio Fiori's left-footed shot is saved.
Corner awarded.
Alessandro Debenedetti comes on for Marco Dalla Vecchia.
Jacopo Gelli takes a shot with his head but misses.
Corner awarded.
Offside.
Corner awarded.
Antonio Fiori's right-footed shot is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Antonio Fiori takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Davide Bragantini is substituted off for Rares Ilie.
David Wieser is on, and Lorenzo Ignacchiti is off.
Jacopo Gelli takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Ettore Gliozzi's right-footed shot is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Riccardo PaganoRiccardo Pagano's right-footed shot is blocked.
Offside.
Ettore Gliozzi takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Gianluca Frabotta attempts a left-footed shot but misses.
On Gianluca Frabotta, off A. David Wieser.
Ettore Gliozzi replaces Vanja Vlahovic.
Riccardo PaganoRiccardo Pagano takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Offside.
The first half ends with a score of 0-1.
Corner awarded.
Rares Ilie's right-footed shot is saved.
Rares Ilie's right-footed shot is saved.
Corner awarded.
assist: Alessio Castellini
Goal! Francesco Ruocco scores, making it 1-0.
Alessio Castellini's header is blocked.
Lorenzo Ignacchiti takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Offside.
Jacopo Gelli takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Rachid KoudaYellow CardYellow card shown to Rachid Kouda.
Cristian Shpendi takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Dimitri Bisoli takes a shot with his head, but it misses the target.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Vanja Vlahovic takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Xavello Druiventak takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Kick-off! The referee is Mattia Drigo.
Cesena welcome an in-form Mantova side to the Manuzzi with both clubs off to encouraging starts. Mantova arrive full of confidence after back-to-back wins, while Cesena will lean on home advantage to keep pace near the top of the table.
