Hudson è un ragazzo americano che ha iniziato uno stage a PPC.
Porterà un po' di inglese nel nostro sito... e nel nostro ufficio.
Potrete trovare questo articolo anche sul suo sito https://www.wecallitsoccerpod.com/wcis-blog/parma-calcio-1913-vs-roma-review
Pre-Match
Biking to the Stadio Ennio Tardini, which is around 10 minutes from where I live in Parma, I could sense the anticipation. Fans in yellow and blue were walking to the stadium in full force, ready to watch their team turn things around against a mid-table Roma side missing some key players, most notably their talisman Paulo Dybala. Parma went into the game under intense pressure, winless in their last 6 matches- losing 4 and drawing 2 in that spell. Sitting 18th in the table, at the tip of the relegation zone, it needs no emphasizing how massive a win against Roma would have been for them. The stadium itself sits around 22,000 fans, and it presents a truly unique atmosphere. Parma is a historic club, having enjoyed some incredible spells over the years, most notably during the 1990s with footballing icons such as Gianfranco Zola, Fabio Cannavaro, and Hernan Crespo. With that history, the fans are not content sitting in the relegation zone in Serie A, and thus the tension was palpable among the home support. I was sat behind the goal in the section directly adjacent to the Roma away fans, who were in full voice. On a cold Sunday night under the lights, the teams were ready for kickoff. With that being said, let’s look at what transpired over the next 90 minutes.
First Half
The game started out fairly even for the first 30 minutes, with few chances for either side. Parma had the best chance of the first quarter of the game, as left winger Matteo Cancellieri’s mazy run ended with a pass into the box for striker Ange-Yoan Bonny, who slid in to fire just wide for the hosts. Parma, it could be said, was the better side for the first 30 minutes, clearly content with sitting back a bit and letting Roma possess in their half. They looked dangerous on the counter and Roma looked completely unthreatening. That is, until the 29th minute completely changed the outlook of the game. After a neat exchange between Roma forwards Matìas Soulè and Eldor Shomurodov, Parma’s 18 year-old center back, Giovanni Leoni, tripped Soulè as he was through on goal. First giving a yellow card and a penalty, a VAR review determined the foul was just outside the box, as well as ruling it a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, and thus a red card. Soulè proceeded to hit a beautiful free kick with his left foot into the top right corner, putting Roma up 1-0. The half ended 1-0 to the team from the capital, but it felt undeserved after they hardly created any chances from open play.
Second Half
Despite playing down a man, Parma hung in the game for the entirety of the second half, even creating a chance or 2 of their own. Roma still looked unthreatening for large portions of the game, though they did have some clear chances to extend their lead. Roma’s biggest chance came in the 50th minute, when Parma keeper Zion Suzuki made a miraculous double save. He first pushed a shot wide from Soulè at the right side of the box, which went straight to Roma winger Salah-Eddine, who seemed to have an open goal to aim at. Miraculously, Suzuki sprinted and dived back onto the line, somehow keeping the ball from crossing over. It was truly an outrageous play from Suzuki, in my opinion the best save of the season in any league in Europe.
Parma came closest to scoring with a left-footed volley from Simon Sohm in the 56th minute that blazed just over the crossbar. Other than that, the story of the second half was constant Roma possession, content with keeping the ball until the clock ran out. There was a sense of inevitability in terms of the outcome, and it was always going to be an uphill battle for Parma with 10 men. The ref blew the final whistle, with the game finishing 1-0 to Roma.
Broader Implications for Parma
That loss was Parma’s 4th consecutive in Serie A, now sitting firmly in the relegation zone in 18th. This result prompted the ownership group to make the bold decision to sack head coach Fabio Pecchia and hire Cristian Chivu the next day. It’s clear that something needs to change for Parma, though time will tell whether this was the right move from Kyle Krause and co at the helm. Parma face Bologna at home on Saturday, and a win in Chivu’s first game may be just the boost this team needs to push on and fight for safety as the season rolls to a close. I am looking forward to my next game at the Tardini, and I will be following Parma’s journey closely until the Serie A season finishes in May.
Forza Parma, sempre.
Hudson
