Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 34534 at
A. Pinto today.
Rodolfo Aguirre was the appointed referee with assistance provided by
Lars Pedersen and
Erwin Messmer.
Casertana decided to use a 3-5-2 set up.
Lineup: Grinovero - Tığlı, Piredda, Lid - Grandsire, Persano, Zangiacomi, Bormolini, Waage - Battistelli, Ďurka.
Crazys started off with a 3-5-2 lineup.
They fielded: Ranieri - Vázquez, Roig, Dreyer - Magnotta, Gimmelli, Kuhlwein, Lachambre, Bucciantini - Quadrio Aristarchi, Luna.
Crazys's
M. Roig gave the visitors a 0 - 1 lead after 5 minutes with a superb strike from the right.
Casertana's
R. Ďurka made a successful breakthrough on the left after 8 minutes and should have levelled the score, but instead he clipped it over the bar.
Crazys caught their opponents out with a clever counterattack down the right wing 9 minutes into the match.
D. Quadrio Aristarchi was able to finish off the move - 0 - 2.
The bicycle kick from
V. Magnotta would have been the Goal of the Year for Crazys, had it not hit the post.
With the scoreboard showing that 21 minutes had been played, Crazys nearly put themselves up another goal after
D. Quadrio Aristarchi came through on the left. Fortunately for the home crowd, the keeper made the save.
H. Lid caused mayhem in his own defensive line with some mad dribbles within his own penalty zone, but Crazys's
S. Bucciantini's shot went just wide.
M. Persano charged down the left and looked sure to score for Casertana 34 minutes into the game, but his shot went just wide.
42 minutes in, Crazys's
L. Dreyer received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first.
Casertana's
M. Persano went down after a savage challenge, but could continue playing after some medical attention.
It was 0 - 2 at the break.
Crazys claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 60 percent.
I. Lachambre received a delicate pass through the home side's central defence after 51 minutes, and chipped it past the flailing keeper to score making it 0 - 3. The Crazys fans went wild, whilst the home fans started to think about leaving early.
57 minutes into the match, Casertana's
P. Zangiacomi collected a ball sent down the right and put it in the back of the net, narrowing the score to 1 - 3.
After 61 minutes, an incisive pass through the middle gave
G. Luna a chance to increase the lead for Crazys, and he did not disappoint. The score was then 1 - 4.
Confident in their lead, Crazys's players relaxed and focused more on defending the lead than increasing it.
With 63 minutes played,
J. Waage was very close to reducing the score for Casertana with a low drive from the left, but a defender stuck his foot out just in the nick of time, blocking the shot to a corner.
Crazys's
I. Lachambre had to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines, after twisting his ankle with 70 minutes having been played.
R. D'Angelo was the replacement.
The Crazys captaincy was handed to
F. Ranieri.
G. Luna was, after 73 minutes, almost able to extend the visitors' lead with a well placed diving header after the ball had looped into the centre, but the home side's keeper
W. Grinovero made the save.
Casertana reduced the lead to 2 - 4 with 75 minutes on the clock when
G. Piredda got the best of a ball floated in from the left.
After 77 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for
G. Luna who increased Crazys's lead to 2 - 5.
Crazys had most of the ball, with 57 percent of possession.
Casertana's best player was
R. Ďurka.
H. Lid was a disappointment, however.
R. Gimmelli performed admirably for Crazys.
L. Dreyer on the other hand, had a terrible day.
The match ends 2 - 5.