Benevento-Roma 0-0: Glik sent off, but Inzaghi resists

by our correspondent Andrea Pugliese

February 21st
– BENEVENTO

An opportunity as great as a house thrown to the wind by Rome. Without being able to score, without being able to beat a Benevento in some stoic way, but always closed in defense of his area. Also, by the way, in ten for more than half an hour. Inzaghi’s blocking at the end holds and takes away the possibility of going to Milan’s -3, with the Rossoneri who will be guests of the Fonseca team next Sunday.

Boredom wins

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Inzaghi a break from the game loses Tuia due to a muscle problem and moves Barba to the center, inserting Foulon from the left. Fonseca, on the other hand, relaunches from via Mayoral, thus winning the ballot with Dzeko as Roma’s offensive terminal. The score for the match is immediately clear, with Roma attempting to play the match and Benevento huddled in the last 20-25 meters to make density in the defensive phase and ready to restart the counterattack. So the result is a first half in which Roma close with 75% possession, but it never becomes really dangerous. The ball is slow and predictable, the depth to get Borja Mayoral out is not there and even Pellegrini and Mkhitaryan are struggling to find space to go play. In fact, the first shot by the Fonseca team reaches 34 ‘with Pellegrini, but it comes from an error by Schiattarella and not from a team move. On the other hand, however, Lapadula fights with all the balls and often dictates the pass, even reaching the shot in a couple of circumstances (blows, however, to say the least reviewable). So the clearest occasion is a mischione in the Roma penalty area (42 ‘) with Glik and Barba looking in vain for a header. The problem with Benevento is that when it comes to closing the game, quality is lacking. Then you go to rest, with the boredom of flying over everyone.

BENEVENTO RESISTS

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The recovery begins on the lines of the first half, although after 5 ‘Roma finally manages to create a danger, with Pellegrini who throws Mkhitaryan in the tight and Montipò is good closing the mirror at the exit of Armenia. At 12 ‘Glik goes wrong on Mkhitaryan, second yellow card and consequent red for the Polish defender. Fonseca’s move is to immediately put Dzeko in place of Veretout, and the Bosnian will join Mayoral. Inzaghi instead places Caldirola and goes to 4-4-1. The opportunities, however, did not come, so Fonseca also sent Pedro in the 27th minute, playing with all the available forwards (Dzeko, Mayoral, Pedro, Mkhitaryan and Pellegrini). Then El Shaarawy enters for Micki, just as Tello (who has also recently entered) squanders a very tempting opportunity for the final blow. Roma’s final assault is, on the other hand, sterile, with a team that is too flat in the offensive maneuver. A breath from the start, in one of the many scrums, Pellegrini leads the way, but on the line saves Caldirola. Then, on the last occasion, Foulon extends El Shaarawy into the area. It’s a penalty, but Var cancels it for offside by Pellegrini. For Roma so much regret for the missed opportunity, for Benevento a very heavy point.