Parma beat Chievo 3-2 at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi in Serie A in Sunday’s early kick off.
The home side took an early lead through Mariano Izco after a slow start from Roberto Donadoni’s men and held their lead until half time, showing some committed defending and a couple of promising counter attacks.
The game was completely turned around in the second half following the introduction of Massimo Coda for the Crociati, who scored one and provided two assists for Antonio Cassasno to put his side 3-1 up.
Alberto Paloschi got a late consolation for the Flying Donkeys but Parma held out to pick up their first win of the season.
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CHIEVO
Francesco Bardi – 6 – Blameless
Produced an excellent early save from Antonio Cassano, but was effectively helpless for Parma’s three second half goals.
Cristiano Biraghi – 6 – Promising
A confident and alert display from the promising left back who dealt easily with the threat of Abdelkader Ghezzal and got forward when possible.
Bostjan Cesar – 5.5 – Exposed
Looked alert and poised in the first half but was left exposed for Parma’s first goal.
Dario Dainelli – 5.5 – Deteriorated
Calm and resolute early on but positioning could be called into question for Massimo Coda’s first and Cassano’s second goals.
Nicolas Frey – 7 – Impenetrable
Extremely solid for the large majority of the game and proved a tough opponent for Ishak Belfodil.
Perparim Hetemaj – 7 – Invaluable
A relentlessly combative performance from the tireless Finnish midfielder who stopped Parma’s midfield from playing for large parts of the game.
Ivan Radovanovic – 5 – Mistake
Kept the Chievo midfield ticking over with short, safe passes but lost the ball before Parma’s first goal. Replaced by Isaac Cofie after 69 minutes.
Mariano Izco – 6 – Goal
Calmly put his side ahead after four minutes and tried to stay busy in midfield but was ultimately quiet following his goal. Replaced by Alberto Paloschi after 78 minutes.
Valter Birsa – 5 – Impotent
Disappointing going forward but did work hard to help Frey on occasion. Replaced by Ruben Botta after 73 minutes.
Dejan Lazarevic – 6 – Nippy
Excellent run to set up Izco’s early goal and looked sharp when Chievo counter attacked but his overall involvement was limited.
Maxi Lopez – 6.5 – Difficult
Worked hard at the thankless task of playing as the lone striker but starved of any meaningful chances.
Substitutes
Isaac Cofie – 4
69th minute substitution.
Ruben Botta – 4
72rd minute substitution.
Alberto Paloschi – 6.5
78th minute substitution. Scored Chievo’s second to give them hope near the end of the game.
PARMA
Antonio Mirante – 6 – Spectator
Uninvolved for most of the game and could do little about Izco’s early goal.
Massimo Gobbi – 5.5 – Erratic
Over-eager at times with a couple of rash tackles and a dragged shot when a pass was the better option.
Andrea Costa – 5.5 – Lacking
A flat footed and unsettled start from the defender playing his first game of the season.
Alessandro Lucarelli – 6.5 – Captain
Typically committed performance from the veteran who was untroubled for most of the afternoon.
Pedro Mendes – 5.5 – Uncomfortable
An uncomfortable start in an unfavoured right back role but settled into the game and showed good energy getting forward to support the attack.
Afriyie Acquah – 6.5 – Work
Had a tough battle against Hetemaj but stuck to his task and got through a lot of work in midfield.
Francesco Lodi – 5 – Quiet
A quiet day for the Catania loanee whose only real contribution was from several dead balls. Replaced by Daniele Galloppa after 64 minutes.
Cristobal Jorquera – 5 – Unseen
Unspectacular from the Chilean, another who suffered from the constant pressure of Hetemaj in the Chievo midfield.
Abdelkader Ghezzal – 4 – Poor
Really struggled against Biraghi and looked to be lacking confidence, failing to produce anything of consequence. Replaced by Massimo Coda after 64 minutes.
Antonio Cassano – 8 – Clinical
Had a slow start to the game but was a lot more lively in the second half and produced two excellent finishes when it mattered.
Ishak Belfodil – 4 – Forgettable
Largely anonymous and was let down on a couple of occasions by poor decision making. Replaced by Andrea Rispoli after 78 minutes.
Substitutes
Massimo Coda – 8
64th minute substitution. Immediately set up Cassano after coming on, before scoring the second and then assisting Cassano again for third.
Daniele Galloppa – 7
64th minute substitution. Got the assist for Coda’s goal and his cross allowed Code to set up Cassano for Parma’s third.
Andrea Rispoli – N/A
78th minute substitution.
Follow Allan Eccles on Twitter: @bookedforsim
