Catania were seeking only their second away win in Serie A this season when they took on Pescara on Friday.
Rolando Maran's side headed into the game at the Stadio Adriatico eighth in the league table, just six points off the final Europa League spot, while their hosts were struggling against the drop.
However, Catania succummed to a 2-1 defeat, thanks to an injury time goal from Eugenio Romolo Togni.
Read how it all unfolded in our minute-by minute live commentary below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute text commentary of the Serie A clash between Pescara and Catania. It pits a team fighting for a place in Europe against a side struggling for survival, and you can follow all the action live here on this page.
Heading into tonight’s game, Catania find themselves eighth in the league table, just six points off the final Europa League spot.
On the other hand, Pescara are currently third from bottom with just 14 points from 17 matches.
Catania will be favourites to win this evening, but their coach Rolando Maran has warned his players against complacency. "Pescara are a very compact team who are solid in midfield and give you little chance to play. That makes it more difficult for us, so we must lift each other on the pitch," he said.
However, Maran added: “We are physically fit and we force opponents to run a lot, and in the second half of the game that begins to have an effect." Catania will also be encouraged by the fact that in their last two matches against Siena and Sampdoria, they have come from a goal down to win 3-1 on both occasions.
In his pre-match press conference, Pescara coach Cristiano Bergodi said: “Catania are a great team with fast and skilful midfielders. We must not fall asleep at the start as has happened in the past; I will demand maximum concentration and a strong start. We will continue with the 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-2-1 systems which, in recent games, have served us well.”
Bergodi has won just one of his four games in charge of Pescara since succeeding Giovanni Stroppa as the team’s coach.
Team news coming up now...
PESCARA XI: Perin, Balzano, Terlizzi, Capuano, Modesto; Nielsen, Togni, Bjamason; Weiss; Abbruscato, Celik
CATANIA XI: Andujar; Alvarez, Legrottaglie, Bellusci, Marchese; Izco, Lodi, Almiron; Gomez, Morimoto, Barrientos
So the big team news for Catania is that their top scorer Gonzalo Bergessio is out of the match with a foot injury. Alejandro Gomez starts ahead of him in attack, while Souleymane Doukara gets a place on the bench.
For Pescara, Uros Cosic, Simone Romagnoli, Emmanuel Cascione, Manuele Blasi, Ante Vukusic all are out with injuries.
It’s just three minutes to kickoff to what promises to be an interesting match, so stay tuned on this page for all the action live as it happens.
The two sets of players are out on the pitch now and are getting ready to start...
And Pescara kick off proceedings at the Stadio Adriatico...
Pescara showing their intent early on, as they try to create an attacking move down the right flank but the ball is eventually cleared away by the Catania defence.
CHANCE! Oh, so agonisingly close for Catania! Pablo Barrientos is released down the left wing and he cuts in a cross for Alejandro Gomez, who takes a quick shot from close range but it goes high and wide. The Pescara defence was caught napping there.
Another nervy moment for the Pescara defence, as Catania are allowed to run at them yet again. This time, though, the final shot is blocked outside the box.
It has been a relatively quiet start to the match. Catania look the more composed and settled side at the moment, as Pescara are showing their defensive frailties that have caused them problems throughout this season.
Play is now confined largely to the midfield, as the two sides are sizing up each other. Pescara appear to have got comfortable on the ball in the last couple or so minutes.
POST! Catania hit the post! Horrible, horrible mistake there from Pescara defender Christian Terlizzi, who fails to clear a harmless ball that falls to Lucas Castro, He shoots at goal from a narrow angle and is unlucky to see his attempt come off the far post.
CHANCE! Mervan Celik now tries his luck for the home side with an ambitious shot from distance, but Mariano Andujar doesn’t even have to move from his position between the Catania posts. The shot is high and wide.
CHANCE! Another half-chance there for Catania, as their final shot hits the Pescara side-net. Good attacking move from the visitors down the right flank once more.
Fifteen minutes gone in this game, and it is goalless between Pescara and Catania. The match has burst into life in the last five minutes and hopefully we will see a goal soon.
Encouraging interplay between Sergio Almiron, Gomez and Barrientos but the final delivery into the Pescara penalty box is disappointing. Nevertheless, Catania have the upperhand in this game now, as they continue the search for only their second away win in Serie A this season.
This is not the only Serie A game tonight, by the way. We have Cagliari against Juventus this evening, and it starts at 7.45pm UK time. You can, of course, follow all the action from that match on Sports Mole.
And HERE is the preview of that Cagliari vs. Juventus clash...
Back to our game, and precious little has happened in the last few minutes really. It has gone quiet again after a period of intense activity.
GOAL! Pescara 1-0 Catania (Celik)
And just like that, Pescara take the lead. Much against the run of play as well. However, it was a good attacking move from the home side, as they take the play to the left side of the Catania penalty box from where Vladimir Weiss tees up Mervan Celik, who shoots past Andujar from outside the box.
YELLOW CARD Pablo Barrientos is shown the game’s first yellow card. I am not exactly sure why the Catania forward is cautioned, to be honest - it probably has to do something related to that goal that Pescara just scored...
Catania must be shell-shocked at conceding that goal. Until the 23rd minute, they had looked the better, more creative and more imaginative side, but in football you just never know, do you?
CHANCE! Francesco Lodi tries to equalise for Catania with a shot 20 yards from goal as he is set up nicely by Barrientos, but it goes way wide.
CHANCE! Catania put the Pescara defenders into a pell-mell there. A cross is floated in from the right that is then nodded down to Gomez, whose shot from yards out goes high.
CHANCE! Birkir Bjarnason tries his shot from distance as he is set up by a very lively Weiss, but he overhits the ball and fails to keep it on target.
GOAL! Pescara 1-1 Catania (Barrientos)
Catania make it 1-1 and deservedly so! The visitors push forward from the right side where Mariano Izco does some brilliant work to skip past his defender to set up Pablo Barrientos, who shoots home from inside the Pescara box.
Catania move forward with renewed vigour and earn a corner. The corner is taken brilliantly and the ball falls to Giovanni Marchese, who tries to turn it home from a narrow angle but narrowly missed the target.
Five minutes to half-time at Stadio Adriatico, It is 1-1 between Pescara and Catania at the moment.
Catania are going to make a substitution now. Pablo Alvarez is down injured and the stretcher is on the pitch. It does seem to be serious injury for the defender to be replaced rightaway.
SUBSTITUTION Giuseppe Bellusci replaces Pablo Alvarez for Catania, who have been forced to make this change due to injury to the latter.
YELLOW CARD The second yellow card of the game is brandished at Izco for a rather needless challenge on Weiss in midfield. Weiss was going nowhere with the ball really.
CHANCE! Pescara come so so close to their second goal of the evening! Matti Nielsen floats in a brilliant cross that Elvis Abbruscato heads towards the Catania goal from the centre of the box, only to see it sail over the crossbar.
We are into stoppage time now... It is still 1-1 between Pescara and Catania.
HALF-TIME: Pescara 1-1 Catania
It is half-time at the Stadio Adriatico and it is 1-1 between Pescara and Catania. Mervan Celik gave the home side the lead much against the run of play in the 23rd minute, but Pablo Barrientos restored parity in the 36th minute for the visitors.
It has been an interesting game of Italian football - not the best or most exciting, but certainly intriguing with some very encouraging moments. Catania have been the better side as they have controlled possession and have also created better and more constructive attacking moves.
However, the visitors will be disappointed with the way they conceded their goal but will be pleased that they have headed into the half-time interval level at 1-1. As for Pescara, they should know that they have been largely outplayed by Catania but they are very much in the match. An early goal for them in the second half could just propel them to maximum points at home.
Let’s look at some stats from the first half. Of Pescara’s six shots, only one was on target - and that resulted in the opening goal of the evening. They have had one corner kick, 49% of the possession and no yellow card.
As for Catania, they too had just one shot on target out of a total of eight, just one corner kick, 51% of the possession and two yellow cards.
The second half will begin in a matter of moments now, as the two sets of players are getting ready to come on to the pitch.
The players are out and the game will resume now...
And here we go: Pescara kick off proceedings in the second half. It finished 1-1 at the break. Will there be a winner in this match? Let’s find out.
Catania on the attack right from the start, as Barrientos once again tries to gallop down the right side. However, he is stopped in his tracks before he can create any real danger.
CHANCE! Gomez receives a diagonal ball on the left side, cuts inside and then takes a ferocious shot on the Pescara goal, but it is blocked just outside the goal.
CHANCE! Celik! Brilliant play from the goalscorer as he creates a good move for Pescara from the midfield and then tries to finish it off by shooting at the Catania goal from distance. However, Andujar makes a good save and turns it away for a corner, that yields nothing productive for the home side.
The second half has been brilliant so far, as both sides have created genuine chances to take the lead. It is end-to-end stuff now at the Stadio Adriatico.
GOAL! Oh, it has been ruled out! Catania think that they have scored their second goal of the evening, as Giovanni Marchese slots home from close range, but it has been ruled out. It appears that he was in an offside offside when he was released by Nicolas Spolli.
CHANCE! Marchese again comes so close for Catania, as he is set up by Lodi, but his shot from outside the box goes wide. Still 1-1 between Pescara and Catania.
YELLOW CARD Mervan Celik goes into the referee’s book for his challenge on Izco.
Catania have regained the upperhand in this encounter in the last few minutes, but Pescara are very much in the game. They are lacking that imagination you need to unravel the opposition’s defence, but are pressing on from the midfield.
Weiss was on a marauding run there down the left wing, but he was overpowered by two Catania defenders. The 23-year-old Pescara midfielder has looked lively and creative in this game.
CHANCE! Spolli goes close with his header from a Nicola Legrottaglie, but he narrowly misses the mark there.
SUBSTITUTION This time Pescara are forced into making a change. Francesco Modesto comes off the pitch injured and is replaced by Damiano Zanon.
CHANCE! Another chance for Catania, this time it falls to Almiron. Lodi floats in a brilliant corner that Almiron nods towards goal, only to see it go narrowly wide. The visitors look the likelier side to score the third goal of the evening.
Less than 20 minutes remain in this match. It is still 1-1 between Pescara and Catania, but it is the visitors who are controlling the game at the moment.
Antonio Balzano takes an attempt on the Catania goal from outside the box, but it is largely harmless and goes wide without troubling Andujar.
Gomez is down injured at the moment and requires medical attention. Catania could be forced into making another change soon...
SUBSTITUTION Takayuki Morimoto comes on for Alejandro Gomez, who is forced to go off because of injury.
The match has gone quiet again. This encounter has been played in parts really - there have been some very intense spells and there have been very quiet periods. The last few minutes have been part of the latter domain.
SUBSTITUTION Pescara make their second change of the evening, as Vladimir Weiss is replaced by Gianluca Caprari.
Ten minutes of normal time left at the Stadio Adriatico. There has been no goal in the second half, as it is still 1-1 between Pescara and Catania. However, I do expect the game to pick up momentum in the final 10 minutes of the clash.
Well, what can I say: I have been wrong about my prediction that the match will get intense in the final 10 minutes. So far, there has been virtually no action of note.
CHANCE! Oh, just as I wrote that, Pablo Barrientos unleashed a ferocious shot from outside the Pescara penalty box after a corner was half-cleared by the home side. However, his shot sailed over the crossbar.
SAVE! What a wonderful save by Pescara goalkeeper Mattia Perin, the best of the game! Giuseppe Bellusci takes a fierce shot on goal that is dipping as well, but Perin punches it for a corner.
Another long-range effort from Catania, another chance missed. Lodi’s corner falls to Almiron inside the Pescara penalty area, but his shot is high and wide.
CHANCE! Pescara have been denied what would have been their second goal of the evening! Marco Capuano gallops down the right wing and whips in a cross that Gianluca Caprari fails to put it into the net from just yards out! He complains that Andujar had the final touch, but the referee gives a goal kick.
Four minutes of injury time have been awarded here.
The match has indeed picked up momentum in the last 10 or so minutes. But Pescara should have gone 2-1 up really - that was the miss of the match by Caprari!
Pescara have been awarded a free kick here. Probably the final chance of the game for either side to pick up maximum points from this fixture.
GOAL! Pescara 2-1 Catania (Togni)
Pescara score from that free kick and are now 2-1 up! Eugenio Togni takes the free kick and floats it past Andujar. Incredible!
FULL-TIME: Pescara 2-1 Catania
It’s all over at the Stadio Adriatico as Pescara have defeated Catania 2-1 with a last-minute goal! Mervan Celik put the home side 1-0 up in the 23rd minute, but Pablo Barrientos equalised on 36 minutes. Both sides went close to picking up maximum points from this match in the second half, and eventually Pescara did as Eugenio Togni scored from a direct free kick in injury time.
I hope that you enjoyed our live coverage of the match here on Sports Mole. Please join us for the live minute-by-minute text commentary of the Serie A game between Cagliari and Juventus from 7.15pm UK time. Until then, it’s goodbye from me.
Written by
Subhankar Mondal
Subhankar Mondal
