A thrilling finale saw Cesena and Monza share the points in an exciting 2-2 draw on matchday eight of the league season, played at the Romagna Centro Sports Centre.
After just four minutes, Fogliaro broke the deadlock to put Monza ahead. Following a corner taken by Attinasi, the Cesena defence failed to clear the ball, which fell to the biancorossi striker, who finished first time to beat Mazzi.
The home side absorbed the blow, regrouped and pushed forward. The bianconeri reacted immediately, but the Brianzoli remained compact and gave their opponents few opportunities.
At 16', Casadei Enea unleashed a long-range left-footed shot in an attempt to trouble Ballabio, who watched the ball sail over the crossbar.
Cesena continued to occupy the opposition half but struggled to seriously threaten Ballabio and his teammates, who remained well organised and ready to counterattack.
At 32', Monza moved forward again through Fardin, who skilfully got past a midfielder, cut inside onto his right foot and shot. His effort was powerful but inaccurate, drifting wide of the goal.
At 40', Fardin launched a counterattack and played a precise through ball to Fogliaro, who found himself one-on-one with Mazzi but wasted a great opportunity to double Monza’s lead.
After the break, the bianconeri pushed forward, but in the sixth minute the visitors launched a counterattack that produced the first scare of the second half. Mazzi was well positioned and watched the ball drift just wide of the right post.
In the eighth minute, Tonti tried to beat Ballabio with a curling right-footed effort, but the goalkeeper reacted well and pushed the ball behind for a corner.
At 17', the biancorossi thought they had made it 2-0 through Zanni, but the referee ruled the goal out for offside.
The 25' brought a flurry of action: first, Bertaccini was denied by Ballabio’s gloves. Zanni then launched a counterattack, and the ball reached Cassina, who used a feint to get past his opponent before shooting towards goal. A crucial deflection from a defender, however, kept the score unchanged.
At 27', Cesena won a corner as they searched for an equaliser. Gasperini rose highest to meet the cross with a header and make it 1-1.
At 30', Frisoni tried his luck from distance, but his effort sailed over the crossbar.
The balance was broken once again at 39' by Attinasi. After the home defence had cleared the ball, the Monza winger positioned himself perfectly and unleashed an unstoppable first-time left-footed strike, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. A stunning finish that restored the biancorossi’s lead.
In the closing stages, the bianconeri pushed until the very end in search of another equaliser, and their persistence paid off in at 44'. From a corner, Galvagno rose above the defence and headed home to make it 2-2, securing a share of the points.
AC Monza will return to action on Tuesday, 27th October, at 3:00 PM to face Union Brescia in the Coppa Italia Primavera Round of 64. On Saturday, 31st October, at 1:00 PM, the biancorossi will host AC Milan.
CESENA FC-AC MONZA 2-2
GOALS: 4’ 1H Fogliaro (MON), 27’ 2H Gasperini (CES), 39’ 2H Attinasi (MON), 44’ 2H Galvagno (CES)
CESENA FC: Mazzi, Cenerelli, Frisoni, Lontani (Amadori 1’ 2H), Gasperini, Bertaccini, Ridolfi (Michieletto 41' 2H), Casadei E. (Casadei M. 17’ 2H), Casadei T., Tonti, Ricci (Galvagno 26’ 2H). Substitutes: Bianconi, Gianfanti, Mokris, Minzoni, Petito, Antoniacci, Norgaard. Head coach: Nicola Pozzi
AC MONZA: Ballabio A., Fogliaro, Buonaiuto (Mariani 15’ 2H), Attinasi, Fardin (Rota Blulò 31’ 2H, Gamba 44’ 2H), Martone, Cassina (Scifo 44’ 2H), Drobnic, Abou Elezz (Zanni 15’ 2H), Ballabio N., Badarau. Substitutes: Balestreri, Ganci, Scaramelli, Perego, Varesis, Dia. Head coach: Luciano Vulcano
Yellow cards: Casadei E. (CES), Buonaiuto (MON), Casadei T. (CES)
Referee: Mr. Flavio Barbetti (Mr. Alessandro Pascoli - Mr. Daljit Singh)
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