Bizzarri Save Helps Catania Upend Lazio
By: Chris |
3 Comments
I should just rename this blog “Bizzarri”, because it seems that is all you need to say most weeks that Catania play. The Rossoblu’s peerless goalkeeper saved a 60th-minute penalty kick by Goran Pandev to preserve a narrow win. In many ways, the win was an archetypal Catania victory: tight, well-organised defence, special goalkeeping, and just enough offensive firepower to win. Any of the three fail, and they don’t get a result.
The result virtually guarantees Serie A survival for Catania, giving them 37 points with just 9 games to play. What’s more, April brings a soft spot in the schedule with 3 of 4 games against lower-half teams, plus Cagliari. Thus, a 40-point season is virtually guaranteed.
Category: Catania Team News
Catania Hold On For Precious Away Point
By: Chris | 2 Comments
Maybe, someday, Serie A keepers will learn to stay close to home when Giuseppe Mascara gets the ball. Mascara made Emanuele Belardi look a little foolish, straying far from his box following a failed clearing attempt, as the Catania striker lobbed the ball just out of the goalie’s reach to score for the second time in three games. There have been suggestions recently that Mascara may soon be weighing offers from bigger, better places than the east coast of Sicily.
The Rossoblu ended up paying the price, however, for a lack of creativity in the second half, as Quagliarella knocked home a ball mishandled by Bizzarri from a corner kick to equalise. Catania will gladly take an away point from this dowdy game, as they set their sights this on Lazio at home this Saturday.
Category: Catania Team NewsCatania Trounce Men In Pink 4-0
By: Chris | 3 Comments
The Catania offense exploded for four goals against island arch-rivals Palermo this weekend, to put themselves 10 points clear of the relegation zone. After a brilliant early goal from the head of Ledesma, Australian midfielder Mark Bresciano gave the visitors an additional advantage by needlessly hacking the legs out from under Morimoto just 15 minutes into the game. Damn Aussies.
Mascara sealed it just before the half, as he caught Marco Amelia wandering from his box with an amazing volley from 45 yards out. The Rosanero keeper was unable to get back into position before the ball rattled into the back of the net. I’m not sure it was the goal of the year, as many are touting it, but it was pretty indeed.
Catania’s dominance continued into the second half, even with Palermo going for broke with a third striker, Davide Succi. This yielded a fourth goal, from the foot of Michele Paolucci who calmly placed a Biagianti pass inside the right post.
Of course, a Catania post would not be complete without mention of the wonderkeeper Bizzarri. Even with the result well in hand, Albano continued to play as if the game was on the line, blocking two low shots in succession by Succi and Fabio Miccoli. Outstanding once again.
Catania now look to solidify their place in the middle of the table with a winnable run of matches in March against Siena, Udinese and Lazio, two of which they host at Angelo Massimino.
Category: Catania Team NewsCatania Secure First 2009 Win. Yay.
By: Chris | 1 Comment
I suppose there is no mid-season swoon that a visit by the worst side in Serie A won’t fix.
Catania took the first step to regaining its early form with a resounding win over the hapless Calabrese. The Rossoblu took advantage of shaky play by goalkeeper Christian Puggioni, who resembled a pinball fender for most of the game, giving up rebound after rebound. Both of Catania’s goals - Capuano in the first half and Potenza in the second - came directly from second chances afforded by the Reggina keeper.
In contrast, Bizzarri had another strong game, albeit against a punchless Reggina attack that generated only a handful of chances. Still, he was confident in turning everything away, giving the Catania offence a chance to do its work.
Next weekend sees Gli Elefanti in another Sicilian derby, away to Palermo. What better place to breathe some life into Catania’s woeful road record?
Category: Catania Team NewsSnatching a Draw From The Jaws of Victory
By: Chris | Add Comments
Every point counts now, as Catania have fallen from the ranks of the secure in Serie A into the heat of the relegation race. Away points are particularly of interest — as Catania were unlucky early in the season on the road, this has now been compounded by their recent loss of form. Luck seemed to lend a hand in Verona, with Catania awarded a questionable penalty on a fall by Morimoto that was converted coolly by Ledesma. Bizzarri played the usual role of stalwart saviour, repeatedly knocking own dangerous chances by the home side. This increasingly familiar storyline continued, with Catania’s inconsistent offence providing little support to Bizzarri’s efforts. They finally paid the price when Colucci’s skillful header found the back of the goal in stoppage time, salvaging a deserved point for the Donkeys.
Though the Rossoblu have fared poorly over this stretch of difficult matches, the upcoming schedule appears more charitable, beginning with a home date with hapless Reggina. Let’s hope that their confidence has not been completely sapped by the past six weeks. Now is the time for Zenga to step up and restore order at Angelo Massimino.
Category: Catania Team NewsRossoblu in Freefall
By: Chris | 1 Comment
Catania’s mid-season “swoon” looks to be degrading into a complete second-half collapse. The tank appeared to be empty against Atalanta this past weekend. I scoured the game film for Catania chances, and discovered just one: Mascara’s false offside play in the second half. Don’t be fooled, though — this game would have been far worse had it not been for another round of Bizzarri heroics. If he decides to stop playing way over his head, Catania can pack their Serie B bags.
Who’s up next? Juve! No better tonic for a losing streak, I say.
Category: Catania Team NewsCatania Secure First Point of Year at Genoa
By: Chris | Add Comments
The Rossoblu have had an inauspicious start to the year, with three consecutive defeats, including an inexplicable gift of points to Bologna last weekend. Hence, even a single point versus fourth-place Genoa came as a relief, even after leading in the second half over a ten-man side. How expectations have dropped!
Davide Baiocco figured prominently in the outcome, being the victim of Matteo Ferrari’s second bookable offence early in the second half, then feeding Martinez shortly thereafter with a precise cross that gave Catania their short-lived lead. Genoa held on to preserve their home unbeaten record, despite some late surges by Gli Elefanti.
But, of course, every silver lining has a cloud. On the horizon are consecutive matches against Inter, Atalanta and Juve. Not exactly a sure cure for a mid-season swoon.
Category: Catania Team NewsCoppa: Juve 3, Catania 0
By: Chris | 2 Comments
Well, that’s that. Who the hell cares about the Coppa anyhow?
Damn.
Category: Catania Team NewsCatania Open 2009 With Loss
By: Chris | Add Comments
Gli Elefanti had an inauspicious start to the new year, falling 1-0 away to Napoli. Of course, it may have been too much to ask, expecting points in a difficult stadium, against a disciplined, well-coached team with perhaps better overall talent. Still, moral victories count for little in the standings, except insofar as they influence the performance in subsequent games. Catania do not look to be in the relegation battle this year, thankfully, but their away results may also ensure that they will not contend for a spot in Europe either. I’ll take it.
The Napoli match featured close play, but with few chances. Most of the shots from either side were either from poor angles or long distances. Perhaps the best chance of the first half was interrupted by the halftime whistle, with Morimoto rushing ahead in counterattack. The referee must have either been in the Camorra payroll, or poorly acquainted with the rules of football.
Catania (once again) had Bizzarri to thank for a clean sheet in the beginning of the second half, with stellar saves on Marek Hamsik and his ridiculous hair, one coming from the penalty spot. Their luck ran out, finally, against Maggio, and the Sicilians’ drive seemed sapped by the sheer ugliness of the goal. Still, Napoli had the better of the second half, and so the result was well-earned.
Catania have little time to stew over this one, however, with Juve on the horizon in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday. The only hope for a result resides in Juventus not caring enough about the Coppa to show up.
Category: Catania Team NewsCatania Returns To Form Against Roma
By: Chris | Add Comments
The Rossoblu shook off their holiday blues, and posted a convincing (albeit unlikely) win at home to AS Roma over the weekend. Catania dominated the visitors over the first 75 minutes of the game, and had a 3-0 lead to show for it. This was chiefly due to Takayuki Morimoto’s two goals, which could well have been five goals with just a bit more luck and concentration.
Bizzarri chose a good time to have a lapse in play, allowing two rather soft goals in the final quarter of the game to make the game look closer than it was. Hopefully he got that out of his system.
The win came at an unexpected juncture in the season, with Roma riding an 8-game winning streak, and Catania mired in a slump that has yielded just one point in four matches. The win puts Gli Elefanti back in the top half of the table as the year draws to a close. The season resumes on the 11th of January, with Catania away to Southern rivals Napoli.
Category: Catania Team News
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