Serie B promotion play-off FIRST LEG | PLAYER RATINGS: Monza 2-1 Pisa

Filippo Berraโ€™s headed goal marked a consolation as a three-goal thriller saw Monza romp to a 2-1 victory against Pisa in the first leg of the Serie B promotion play-off.

Giovanni Stroppaโ€™s men hosted the party from Pisa, led by an ambitious Luca Dโ€™Angelo, who had resonated a great deal of confidence in his side ahead of the mega encounter. It was anticipated to be a close and tight affair. In reality, the scoreline depicted the anticipation, but the action differed, with both teams going toe to toe from the opening minute of the match.

A pacey counter-attack and a one-two pass between Dany Mota and Patrick Ciurria saw the latter find himself in some space in the opposition box. Without taking a moment to ponder, he volleyed the ball and put it past the Pisa custodian. Brimming with the ambition of qualifying for the next seasonโ€™s Serie A, the red sea erupted in the stands as their home team took a crucial lead in the tie.

Christian Gytkjรฆr, whose exclusion from the teamโ€™s starting line-up had raised a few eyebrows, extended the lead for the Biancorossi after coming onto the field as a second-half substitute. His goal might have put the game to bed but not the tie, thanks to the last-minute scorer from Filippo Berra. Here are the player ratings from the first leg of a fascinating promotion play-off.

Monza: Di Gregorio (6); Caldirola (6), Marrone (6.5), Pirola (6); Molina (5.5), Ciurria (7), Barberis (6), Mazzitelli (6.5), Carlos Augusto (6.5); Dany Mota (7.5), Machin (6.5)

Substitutes: Dโ€™Alessandro (6.5), Gytkjรฆr (6.5), Colpani (N/A), Mancuso (N/A), Sampirisi (N/A)

Pisa: Nicolas (7); Birindelli (6), Leverbe (5), Hermannsson (5), Beruatto (5.5); Marin (5.5), Nagy (5.5), Mastinu (5); Benali (5.5); Lucca (5.5), Puscas (5.5).

Substitutes: Siega (6), Sibilli (6.5), Torregrossa (N/A)), Gucher (N/A), Filippo Berra (7)

Jyotirmoy Halder

More European Football News