USO GALAXY 5-4 Muratello ASD

The Long Street Park in Castegnato turns the lights back on a week before the canonical start of Serie A. The match scheduled between USO Galaxy and Muratello ASD is in fact the replay of the 10th day, not played in 2022 due to a bereavement in the hosts' ranks.

The hosts field Martinuz and Gamba for the first time, both new faces from the January market, but not yet presented to the press and fans.

Bertolini found Eddiraoui again, but had to do without Bergamaschi, Zammarchi and Gazzoli. The starting seven is therefore composed of Martinuz; Crea; Belotti, Magri, Mazzetti, Bregoli F.; Boccuti (on disp: Romeo, Fioretti, Eddiraoui, Bregoli D., Gamba).

Muratello and the Galaxy share the same path and position in the standings, having collected 14 points so far, the result of four wins and two draws. Winning would mean taking the lead in the group behind the Big3.

The match started slowly, with few dangerous situations on either side. Crea repeatedly had Martinuz well guarded; in the possession phase, however, the Giallorossi were too frantic and on several occasions were lured by immediate verticalisation.

The game was unblocked on the ninth lap of the clock with an extraordinary combination between Belotti and Mazzetti, with the latter paving the way for the number 18 to diagonal into the low corner. The hosts gained confidence and began to level up. In the 11th minute it was Boccuti who took centre stage, scoring a beautiful goal off a vertical feed from Belotti: the native of Calabria and France coordinated the rebound and let rip with a right-footer from outside the box, bringing back memories of a similar feat by Pogba in the derby della Mole. Muratello's boys were unable to contain the Giallorossi and only Mazzetti's lack of concreteness kept the result at 2-0. To be fair, a few chances also arrived at the feet of the guests, but the 'Dibu' washed his debut with a superlative performance and always managed to close the mirror. Shortly after half-time Belotti sealed the 3-0 goal from an almost impossible position after being exceptional in believing he kept a ball given up for dead in play. Muratello was completely at the Galaxy's mercy and two minutes later Boccuti punished again: Bregoli on the right skipped past his direct opponent and put a ball into the centre that the number 14 only had to struggle to put into the net. After Boccuti's second goal from the stands Romeo's daughter opens her jacket to show the inscription on her shirt: 'Who needs Berga? We reflect.

A last-minute misunderstanding between Crea, Magri and Martinuz condemned the Galaxy to an avoidable goal. They went to the rest on a well-deserved 4-1.

At the resumption Davide Bregoli took the place of Boccuti to try to put the seal on the match. The Galaxy started strongly again, again with Belotti's goal: 5-1!

Probably wounded in their pride, the guests begin to take courage and field. In the 30th minute a free kick on the edge of the area was fatal and reopened the match. The Giallorossi were not good at managing the moment and a minute later Martinuz was unable to oppose a shot in the small area. In a flash it was already 5-3 and never before did the Galaxy feel at ease. Bertolini tried to change something: inside Romeo in place of Crea and Fioretti for an exhausted Mazzetti (Bregoli F. moved central with Magri). The plot doesn't change and the match is obviously played by the oroblu in search of an unhoped-for draw. The Galaxy's chances ran out as the minutes passed: too much frenzy and lack of lucidity. In the 42nd minute the director of the match conceded a penalty to the guests for a hand foul whistled at Romeo. Martinuz guessed the angle but failed to parry the shot that made it 5-4. Muratello's push became more and more asphyxiating and Fioretti was often in trouble with the direct marker, who was decidedly faster and more enterprising. Bertolini then opted to stamp on Eddiraoui, taking over from the number 9.

On the counter-attack the hosts had the opportunity to close out the match, but the Bregoli brothers failed to turn a fine chance into the net.

Without any further troubles to endure, the triple whistle was blown. A deserved and sought-after victory, matured by playing a first half that lived up to what the classification demanded. The second half showed some fragility and some tarnish due to a not yet optimal physical condition, but it also highlighted the spirit of these boys. Thursday's away match in Nave against Allherta BVZ will set the course...