In the Serie A opener at Sinigaglia, Como gave Parma no chance: 2-1
In their Serie A season opener at Sinigaglia, Como gave Parma no chance: 2-1. It was an entertaining match from the start, played at a brisk pace by both teams. When Fabregas’s men picked up the pace, trouble began for their opponents: Kean, in the heart of the box, fired a weak shot that Corvi easily saved, then Nico Paz earned two corner kicks with two shots that could have had better luck. Cuesta urged his team to come out of their shell, but it was tough going, and Yan Couto tested the Emilia-Romagna goalkeeper with a thunderous strike. A goal was in the air, and thanks to a clumsy clearance by the visiting defense, it came in the 23rd minute: Nico Paz won the ball and fired it toward the far post, where Ramon made a run and, from that position, simply couldn’t miss.
Parma falters, and their coach sends quite a few substitutes onto the field: the jolt has the desired effect on the starters, as two consecutive corner kicks create anxiety among the Como players. But Como continues to dictate the game, albeit with less intensity: a reckless rush off his line by Corvi following yet another corner kick (ten in the first half: 7-3) comes to nothing, and so the teams head into halftime at 1-0—partly because, just seconds before the halftime whistle, Lontani fails to convert the visitors’ clearest chance with a header.
The second half begins with no substitutions and an aggressive Como. Parma, however, did not sit back, and Cuesta shouted himself hoarse urging his team to push for the equalizer. A flurry of substitutions took place in the 55th minute, with Diao and Baturina making way for Caqueret and Rodriguez, and, on the other side, Frigan coming on for Touré. The Lombards shift into high gear again but leave themselves vulnerable to the opponent’s counterattacks: only Britschgi’s lack of precision prevents a potential scoring chance for the visitors. More substitutions (Douvikas for the ineffective Kean, Romero and Bernabé for Elphege and Sierro), and Parma had a sensational chance through Romero, who, set up by Valeri, hit the post with a sliding shot.
When Como manages to play the ball forward, they’re dangerous: Kaiki nearly made it 2-0 with a lob. Romero tries again from outside the box—too central—but Parma stays in the game until the 84th minute, when they concede the second goal, courtesy of Kaiki, who finishes in the box after a couple of shots that Corvi first parries well but then fails to clear. Como could have scored again, but it didn’t happen; instead, it was Parma who struck in stoppage time with Romero, set up nicely by Almqvist. The match ended 2-1.
