Venice, 18 February 2024 – It’s Bianco’s team. With its limits, because Modena continues to concede goals with extreme simplicity or out of naivety. And with its merits, because everything can be said about Modena but not that it doesn’t have heart and soul.
Equal to Venice, it is worth continuity and trust, and there would also be some regrets. Some tactical innovations: the first, Santoro on the right in place of the suspended Ponsi to contain Zampano’s offensive attacks and Modena does this very well. Even on the other side, Corrado worries a little less about attacking and pays more of an eye to what Candela does, significantly limiting the enormous potential that Venezia would have on the outside.
The second novelty, quite evident, is the way in which Modena sets up the game from behind. With fluidity, that is, with a Cauz who often stands up alongside Gerli, leaving Riccio and Pergreffi to build. Perhaps to contain the pressing of Vanoli’s team, which is still impressive when it occurs.
All this leads to a first half in which the Canaries recognize the superiority of the opponent and face him, letting him let off steam and then trying to start again, a shame that when Palumbo and his teammates had the chance they rarely managed to get to Gliozzi and Abiuso : Santoro shoots three times from outside (one very tricky). In the 18th minute Marinelli conceded the penalty to Venezia for an alleged handball by Cauz on a cross by Zampano, the VAR stopped everything and noted that it was a chest ball. The technological aid turns into disaster ten seconds from the end of the three minutes of injury time granted by the match director. Battistella, as he turns, hits Zampano with a light elbow which for Marinelli is a foul from the edge but which for VAR is a penalty because the two were in the area: from the spot Pohjanpalo makes no mistake and Modena can be said to be naive.
In the second half we see more game proposals. Gliozzi, in the 60th minute, comes close to reaching the top corner. How many times has it been said that you can score from outside the area, how many. Words and music at the feet of Fabio Gerli a couple of minutes later, his shot into the left corner scored a draw. It seems like the peak of emotions, well, not yet.
Modena’s defensive defects re-emerge, Pohjnpalo punishes everything again only to kick on the developments of a corner. Palumbo returns to the chair with a sumptuous action, assisting Gliozzi who is brought down by Joronen: Marinelli, not in his best day, still needs the VAR to award a penalty to Modena missed by Palumbo but returned into the net by the same midfielder.
Among the final emotions also a red card waved to Bianco for one word too many from the fourth official, to tell the truth he is not the only one because a string of red cards also reach the members of the Venezia bench. Ah, Seculin performs a miracle in the 95th minute on Bjarkason, absolutely decisive. Anything could happen. So it was . And Modena came out of it not well, even more so.
The scoreboard
Venice-Modena 2-2
Venice (3-5-2): Joronen; Svoboda, Idzes, Sverko; Candela, Busio (90′ Ellertsson), Tessmann, Andersen (68′ Olivieri), Zampano; Pohjanpalo (90′ Bjarkason), Pierini (68′ Gytkajer). Available Bertinato, Grandi, Dembélé, Modolo, Altare, Ullmann, Cheryshev. All. Vanoli.
Modena (3-5-2): Seculin; Riccio, Pergreffi, Cauz; Santoro, Battistella (54′ Magnino), Gerli, Palumbo (90′ Manconi), Corrado; Abiuso (77′ Tremolada), Gliozzi. Available Vandelli, Gagno, Duca, Vukusic, Cotali, Bozhanaj, Mondele, Di Stefano. All. White.
Referee: Marinelli from Tivoli
Route: 48′ pt Pohjanpalo (rig.), 62′ Gerli, 72′ Pohjanpalo, 76′ Palumbo
Notes – Booked: Battistella, Zampano, Riccio, Gerli Corners: 6 to 4. Recovery: 3′ pt, 7′ st Attendance: 6,427, takings of 94,643, 12 euros.