Monza experienced a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Parma in a match that marked Salvatore Bocchetti’s debut as head coach. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Monza fought valiantly but ultimately succumbed to a last-minute goal.
The Ducali entered the match under pressure after suffering three consecutive defeats, with several players sidelined due to injuries, including Enrico Delprato, Nahuel Estevez, and Mario Balotelli. Monza, on the other hand, had recently parted ways with coach Alessandro Nesta and were also missing key players like Dany Mota Carvalho and Alessio Cragno.
From the outset, Monza displayed aggressive intent. Just 52 seconds into the match, Daniel Maldini had a golden opportunity but volleyed wide from a cross. Moments later, he hit the crossbar, and Patrick Ciurria’s follow-up was disallowed after a VAR review confirmed Gianluca Caprari had failed to keep the ball in play before the goal.
Maldini found the net again in the ninth minute, but Caprari was offside prior to his tap-in. Caprari later managed to evade the offside trap but saw his attempt saved by Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
The turning point of the match came in the 54th minute when Pablo Mari was penalized for a tackle on Woyo Coulibaly inside the area. After a lengthy VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty and issued a second yellow card to Mari, leaving Monza down to 10 men. Hernani calmly converted the penalty to give Parma the lead.
Monza’s Milan Djuric made a quick impact after coming off the bench but had his goal ruled out for offside. Parma was awarded another dubious penalty when Camara fell under minimal contact from Samuele Birindelli. However, VAR intervened for an on-field review and ultimately overturned the decision.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Monza equalized late in the game when Kevin Martins delivered a cross that Pedro Pereira headed home. However, Parma responded by pushing forward aggressively. In the eighth minute of stoppage time, Lautaro Valenti scored with a flicked header from a corner kick, sealing the victory for Parma.
Goals: Hernani pen 56 (P), Pereira 86 (M), Valenti 98 (P)
Parma (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Hainaut (89′ Almqvist), Balogh, Valenti, Coulibaly; Keita (46′ Valeri), Sohm; Man (72′ Benedyczak), Hernani (68′ Camara), Mihaila; Cancellieri (46′ Bonny)
Monza (3-4-2-1): Turati; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; D’Ambrosio, Bondo (73′ Sensi), Bianco, Birindelli (83′ Martins); Ciurria (83′ Pereira), Maldini (57′ Djuric); Caprari
