CRAZY BEES - DUNFERMLINE 2-2 (*)

(*) Crazy Bees through on penalties

VIA DELL'ACCIAIO - With their hearts shattered but their heads held high, Dunfermline bowed out of the Primavera Tournament after playing arguably their best match of the campaign.
Against a strong side, playing nitty-gritty-witty football, the Pars thrived and came very close to pulling off a great win, but were denied in the end, and once again punished by the penalty kicks.
Vanin deployed Perugini in goal, with Frassinelli and Merello starting in defence and Ducco on the left flank, the midfield being completed by Marletta in the middle of the park and Bovalino wide on the right.
Cantelli started upfront and the game got under way, with man in charge Remorino, excellent on the night, showing a yellow card to Soro almost straight from the kick-off for a shirt pull on Ducco.
Dunfermline had more of the ball and the better chances, with Cantelli and Marletta firing wide and Ducco and Bovalino constantly creating openings with their intelligent runs and passes.
The breakthrough was found as Cantelli played a great ball into the path of Bovalino, whose first time sidefooted effort left keeper Ratto with no chance but to pick up the ball from the back of the net.
1-0 up, the Scots looked self-assured in possession and effective in defence, and continued playing some nice football, with moments of individual brilliance and a collective togetherness that hadn't been seen for a while.
Perugini was called upon by Sgro, the Crazy Bees forward, and did well to save from his effort, Merello's ensuing clearance, though, fell far too kindly for Andrea Lai, who drove the ball past the Pars' keeper with an unstoppable flying effort.
The Fifers didn't lose their composure at all, though, and a Marletta free-kick was parried away by the keeper soon before half time.

HALF TIME: Crazy Bees 1, Dunfermline 1

Buccianti on for Ducco, with Bovalino shifted to the back-pack and Cantelli on the left, and the second half got started.
The No 14 was then re-introduced for Bovalino, and Marletta and Cantelli combined well, with the latter firing just wide with his left.
A number of chances and half-chances followed, notably Cantelli kept on wreaking havoc in the opponents' defence and Ducco supporting him well, while Frassinelli, then withdrawn to make way for Finotti with Ducco shifting to the back again, and Merello were pretty much unsurpassable in defence.
Perugini pulled off a great save to deny Crazy Bees a clear goal, then Sgro hit the crossbar after coolly getting rid of Frassinelli with a fine juggling touch.
Dunfermline took the lead again soon afterwards, as Ducco played a throw-in towards Cantelli, who stopped the ball with his chest and dispatched a mid-air screamer which left Ratto with no chance at all, what a goal!
The Pars kept on pushing and pushing and Marletta almost wrapped it up with a customary free-kick, as he hit the underside of the bar and ball appeared to have crossed the line. That mattered little, however, as the ref adjudged Buccianti to have unlawfully touched the keeper in the process.
Just when it appeared less and less likely, though, Crazy Bees equalised from a poorly defender corner-kick, as an unmarked Pagano sidefooted home from close range.
Lai got dismissed a few minutes later for a second bookable offence, as Buccianti was downed just beyond the halfway line, but the game ended with a 2-2 draw.

FULL TIME: Crazy Bees 2, Dunfermline 2

From the spot, Marletta, Cantelli and Ducco all socred, thus replying to as many succesful Crazy Bees efforts, then Buccianti got his shot saved at the sudden death stage and Dunfermline went out, despite having played out an inspired performance.


DUNFERMLINE
1 Perugini
10 Frassinelli (15 Finotti)
4 Merello (9 Buccianti)
11 Bovalino
5 Marletta (c)
14 Ducco
6 Cantelli

MANAGER: Vanin
SCORERS: Bovalino (0-1), Cantelli (1-2)
CAUTIONS: Marletta (Y)
PENALTIES: Marletta goal, Cantelli goal, Ducco goal, Buccianti saved


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