A familiar face returned to the dugout this weekend as Serse Cosmi took charge of a floundering Pescara for the first time.
Always a popular figure throughout the wider world of Calcio, Cosmi will be looking to rebuild a coaching career that has stalled in recent seasons, having overseen Lecce’s relegation from the top flight in 2012 before being sacked as coach of a struggling Siena later that year.
In that respect, his appointment at Pescara seems oddly appropriate, with the Delfini struggling to find any semblance of consistency since attaining promotion under Zdenek Zeman two years ago.
Under the guidance of previous coach Pasquale Marino, Pescara had threatened to gate crash the race for automatic promotion with a fine run of form prior to the winter break, but a run of six straight defeats saw the side once again spiral down the standings.
There could have been few tougher assignments for Cosmi in his first game back than a trip to one of this season’s surprise packages Avellino, a fact not helped by the atrocious conditions in which the game was to be played.
On a swamp of a pitch, it looked at times during the first half as though a routine victory would be very much on the cards for the hosts, as time and again they pulled apart a Pescara line-up visibly low on confidence.
Mariano Arini went close early on with a dipping header that agonisingly clipped the bar on its way out for a goal kick, while Luigi Castaldo soon spurned a great chance having found himself in possession six yards from goal, with his tame effort easily smothered by Pescara keeper Ivan Pelizzoli.
The one way traffic continued into the second half, with Castaldo again failing to find the right connection mere yards from goal. Avellino’s pressure would eventually yield its rewards with 15 minutes remaining however, with Mathias Abero whipping a cross in from the right for Alessandro Fabbro to gleefully glance home.
Rather than spurring the hosts on to victory, it was a goal that finally saw Pescara spark into life, with Gaston Brugman registering his side’s first shot on target with a long range effort that was well held by a previously redundant Pietro Terracciano.
With the clock ticking over into stoppage time, a hopeful through ball from Brugman found substitute Gianluca Caprari six yards from goal, with the forward dispatching a clinical shot beyond the reach of a despairing Terracciano.
It was a point that Pescara barely deserved on the balance of play, but will ultimately be one of the more satisfying points of the season, preventing as it did a seventh straight defeat.
As reported by iltempo.it, Cosmi was pragmatic following the final whistle, saying: “Today we got a draw against a quality team. We scored at the end, but football games last 90 minutes. I think in the long run that Pescara deserved a draw.
“There have also been mistakes, but against such a strong team, and on field so heavy, it was difficult to do more. We are especially pleased for [the fans]. They did not deserve another disappointment. We must be proud to wear this shirt because we are talking of Pescara.”
Such is the congested nature of the table this season that a late push for promotion cannot be ruled out, particularly as the Delfini lie just five points adrift of the play-off places. Thoughts of a late surge for the title may just have to be put on hold however, as a first win in three saw Palermo become the first side to reach the 50 point mark this campaign.
A Kyle Lafferty header opened the scoring with an hour played in their encounter with Bari, who drew level a minute later through Cristian Galano’s wonder strike, before a fine finish from Paulo Dybala won it for the Rosanero with just under ten minutes remaining.
Trailing them by four points are Empoli, who were held to a 1-1 draw in the Tuscan derby with Siena. Massimo Maccarone edged ten-man Empoli ahead from the penalty spot midway through the second half, but a late header from Spanish striker Rafa Jorda earned the Robur a share of the spoils.
Elsewhere, Virtus Lanciano edged back into the top three with a 1-0 win over Juve Stabia, courtesy of a late free kick from Carlo Mammarella. Cesena meanwhile slip to fourth despite recovering from two goals down to secure a point at home to fifth place Trapani.
Latina moved above Avellino into sixth following a 3-0 win over Padova, while eighth place Spezia were denied all three points against Ternana thanks to Mirco Antenucci’s 91st minute equaliser.
Carpi moved above opponents Brescia with a 2-0 win, while Crotone fell to a 2-0 win away at Modena. Cittadella and Novara played out a 2-2 draw that does neither side any real favours, while in the game of the weekend, Varese emerged as 4-3 winners over Reggina, with no fewer than four goals arriving in the final 15 minutes.
