IZZO SEALS THE VICTORY ON DEBUT: MONZA-MANTOVA 1-0

A good first for Paolo Bianco’s Monza, who start the Serie B season by beating Mantova 1-0 at the U-Power Stadium thanks to a goal from Izzo.

A tight and balanced match from the start, as expected in this Cadetteria. Monza tries to break down the solid guests’ defense. At 12’ Dany Mota makes a central surge and fires low with his right: the ball is deflected for a corner. The Portuguese player also tries to slip into the opponents’ area at 20’, but is anticipated at the moment of the shot. Bianco’s team wants the lead, which it almost grabs at 31’. Azzi serves Caprari well, whose shot, deflected, misses the far corner by a whisker on the second post. The whipped free-kick by Ciurria at 35’ also just goes wide. Monza plays well, takes control of the match and at 38’ crafts a beautiful move. Azzi runs down the left, cuts back and crosses with his right: Festa saves. Bianco’s team presses, even with shots from distance, like Lucchesi’s left-footed effort at 43’: ball just wide. The first half ends with a cross from the right by Birindelli, met by Azzi for a volley that exits by a hair. They go to the interval 0-0, a bit tight for the brianzoli.

The second half starts in the same way. Monza attacks with head down and Mantova defends. At 48’ a venomous cross from Azzi cuts through the mantuan area, but no biancorossi manage to direct it home. At 50’ Caprari’s corner and Dany Mota’s deflection just high. Mantova tries to interrupt the Monza dominance with a shot from Radaelli at 52’: ball over the crossbar. Only an episode, because Monza resumes the assault and at 54’ Caprari again scares Festa with a nice curling shot, just wide. The well-deserved lead comes from Izzo, who at 57’ times his header perfectly and scores the first official goal of Monza’s 2025-26 season. The ball is also deflected by mantovan Caprini, carom off the second post and triggers the celebrations of all the white-and-red under the Pieri stand. Mantova fails to build a real reaction, while the home side control the match. Bianco brings on Galazzi and Keita, then Petagna and Colombo. Monza seeks the goal to seal the match and comes close at 82’ with another Lucchesi substitute, almost making it 2-0. The brianzoli earn applause: at 83’ a spectacular long-range strike by Azzi, Festa parries magnificently in the corner. At the end Delli Carri also makes his debut, coming on at 89'.

Monza win 1-0, reclaiming the three points at home that they had been waiting for since January 13th, and starting the Serie B season in the best possible way.

In the next round the white-and-red will be on the road to Bari, Sunday August 31st at 9:00 PM.