Cremonese beats Monza in a friendly match: the game was decided by a late flurry of action

Monza’s first friendly match during the long break for national team play ended in a loss: the Brianza-based team was defeated 3-2 by Cremonese at the “Silvio and Luigi Berlusconi-Monzello” Sports Center. An early lead wasn’t enough for Ivan Juric’s Biancorossi; Fabio Pecchia’s Grigiorossi came away with the win.

Monza dominated the opening minutes and took the lead in the 7th minute: after a shot by Dany Mota Carvalho was blocked by the Grigiorossi defense, Ngonge collected the ball at the edge of the box and fired a precise right-footed shot into the corner, scoring his first goal—albeit in an unofficial match—in a Biancorossi jersey.

Cremonese immediately tried to respond and, after a long-range attempt by Barros Cabezas that went wide, equalized in the 14th minute: Strajnar parried a shot by Thorsby, but on the rebound, De Luca was the quickest to react and tapped the ball into the net to make it 1-1. Monza continued to press and, in the 27th minute, nearly regained the lead with a fine run by Zeballos. The forward beat two defenders and fired toward the goal, but Fulignati was quick to react.

In the second half, both coaches made major changes to their starting lineups, but the pace remained high. After a good chance created by Cremonese through Elia and Licina, the visitors took the lead in the 52nd minute: following a corner kick, Baschirotto shook off his marker and headed the ball past Strajnar to make it 2-1.

Monza didn’t give up and immediately sought to respond. Cutrone tested Festa with a powerful shot, while in the 69th minute, Antov came very close to equalizing when his shot hit the post off an assist from Colpani. It was just the prelude to the 2-2 tie: a minute later, Antov himself rose highest on a perfect cross from Colpani and equalized with a flawless header.

Just as the match seemed headed for a draw, Cremonese struck the decisive blow: In the 83rd minute, Elia capitalized on one of the game’s final opportunities and scored the decisive 3-2 goal, securing the victory for the Grigiorossi. In the closing minutes, Monza tried once more to get back into the game through Colpani, but the score remained unchanged. Juric’s men’s next match is on Saturday, October 3, 2026, on the road against Brest.