Empoli won 1-0 away against Hellas Verona at the Stadio Bentegodi on Sunday, leaving new Mastini coach Luigi Delneri without a point on his Serie A return.
Andrea Costa scored the solitary goal of the match in the second half and he did so against the run of play. The Gialloblu controlled possession but the Azzurri were solid defensively throughout the match.
Verona dominated the first half, attacking Empoli at pace and using the left-wing as their main attacking outlet. Azzurri midfielder Riccardo Saponara was fouled by Eros Pisano just outside of the penalty box but the referee waved play on.
Empoli goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski was arguably the busiest player in the first half. He caught a cross-shot from Emil Hallfredsson, denied Luca Toni from point-blank range after a header in front of goal, made a great fingertip save from Federico Viviano’s long-range volley, and stopped headers from Toni and Vangelis Moras going in before half-time.
Verona striker Luca Siligardi also missed the target with a volley.
The Azzurri possessed little threat in attack but Leandro Paredes just missed the target with a long-range shot and Gialloblu goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini denied Massimo Maccarone in a one-on-one situation.
It was a rather uneventful start to the second half until Empoli took the lead in the 61st minute. Manuel Pucciarelli’s free kick sailed over the penalty box and found Costa at the far post.
Despite being denied the first time, Costa persisted and scored on the rebound with a left-foot strike.
Maccarone nearly made it 2-0 soon after running onto a short free kick and Matteo Bianchetti nearly equalised but hit the post. Verona kept searching for an equaliser but failed to challenge Skorupski.
Empoli are now 10th in Serie A with 21 points while Hellas Verona remain on the bottom with just six points and no wins.
