– Crazy helter-skelter game with Rumori Calcio’s lead vanished in the final 10 minutes
– Late penalty awarded for handball gives SK Mercury one point and leaves Roosad Pantrid on the last spot
– Notwithstanding they were always in front, Rumori Calcio threw the three points away
Scorecard
You might think the full-time score in the headline is the author’s blunder. It’s not. Six – Six, this was the full-time score at the Tallinna Õismäe Gümnasium pitch at the end of 70 electric minutes with the second half packed with goals.
Rumori Calcio failed to grab their second seasonal win and will now wait for group winner, FC Lebo Ülesanne, to visit their home for the Rahvaliiga regular season last fixture (all details here)
Coach Palmeri opted for a 3-3-1 to cover the wide half-pitch of the Õismäe Güm. ground.
Unexpectedly, Rumori Calcio took the lead thanks to a defensive blunder of Mercury allowing Joy Verano to score his third goal with the skyblues.
It looked like a smooth evening for the side captained by Samuele De Pizzol, instead Rumori Calcio started to make their lives immediately complicated as they allowed Mercury to pull one back on a throw-in situation. Everything happened in the first six minutes of play.
However, it took a while and several other attempts, especially from the flanks, to have Rumori Calcio going in front again. Rather than from build-up, Emre Yaticki found his first netting with the skyblues when he solved a confused situation in the box and shot it past the Mercury’s goalkeeper with the outside of his left foot. The first quality goal of the evening giving Rumori Calcio the deserved lead at the end of first half.
Goalkeeper Rezeq Sayara returned to the pitch after one month and ten days since his injury. He had to make several good saves to stop Mercury
Second half started exactly as the first one as, following a blunder of the Mercury goalkeeper (comically backheeling himself…) Joy Verano could bag his personal brace and increase Rumori Calcio lead (1-3).
The game seemed to get onto the right track when soon after the same Joy Verano bagged his personal hattrick with a powerful shot from the edge of the box (1-4). His personal achievement and the lead of the Rumori Calcio topscorer table was celebrate with a change to give him the deserved accolade.
At this point, with about 20 minutes till the end, it looked like Rumori Calcio had the game in their pockets.
Even the second goal scored by Mercury (2-4) did not not rise an eyebrow as Rumori Calcio was prompt in keeping the distance with Yaticki catching the new goalkeeper unprepared outside of his box with a panenka (2-5).
Another mistake that pushed the home side to replace their goalkeeper with an onfield player as shot-stopper.
Captain De Pizzol tried several times from distance with no success
Over? Not quite. The last 15 minutes probably well represent Rumori Calcio’s season in full: great at undoing what they managed to achieve among many difficulties.
Mercury pulled one back and then another one until getting close to equalize (4-5). Rumori Calcio used the five changes in full trying to bring fresh people when needed. The pressing machine was not any longer working as in first half. Albeit Rumori Calcio manage to take another breath thanks to Jessi Verano’s panenka past the goalkeeper (again!), they conceded a quick build-up from the back allowing Mercury to finish the game with just one goal distance (5-6).
It was all Mercury needed to keep their hope alive until the full-time whistle.
Before that, a handball caused by French central defender Thibaut Mathon, gifted the hosts an unhoped-for penalty scored by a great maestro as Grigori Shumilin.
6-6 but no tie-break for Rumori Calcio.
Before the last game of the Rahvaliiga season, the skyblues will take on UCL Academicals (ENG) for the ‘Rumori Cup’ challenge. All info here.
#ForzaRumori
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