Pro Vercelli 5-1 Atalanta U23s
Setback in Vercelli
At the Silvio Piola Stadium in Vercelli, the hosts ran out 5–1 winners in the Round of 16, bringing Atalanta’s Coppa Italia Serie C campaign to an end.
The tie got underway with a strike from Misitano in the 7th minute, denied by Passador. Moments later, Bergonzi whipped in a teasing cross that flashed right across the face of goal, with Navarro only a whisker away from getting the telling touch before a Pro Vercelli defender intervened. Barley a minute later, the hosts drew first blood with Akpa Apro, capitalizing on a defensive mix-up and tucking it home. In the 23rd, the Piedmont side doubled their lead thanks to Pino's strike from distance.
The Nerazzurri couldn’t swing the game back their way in the second half, and on 57 minutes Akpa Akpro struck again, heading in from a free-kick. In the 71st minute, Burruano drove into the box and netted Pro Vercelli’s fourth goal, before Comi wrapped up the scoring in the 79th with a volley. In stoppage time, Atalanta pulled one back with Riccio's curler from the edge of the box.
PRO VERCELLI 5-1 ATALANTA U23s
Scorers: Akpa Akpro 11, 57 (P), Pino 23 (P), Burruano 71 (P), Comi 79 (P), Riccio 90+1 (A)
Pro Vercelli: Passador, Marchetti, Burruano (Haoudi 72), Rutigliano, Sow A. (Huiberts 72), Iotti (C), Ronchi, Carosso (Piran 63), Pino, Clemente (Tarantola 77), Akpa Akpro (Comi 63). Unused Bench: Rosin, Livieri, Coccolo, Mallahi, Coppola, Sow O., Zacchera, Anton. Coach: Michele Santoni.
Atalanta U23s: Pardel, Plaia, Simonetto, Pounga, Misitano, Cassa (Papadopoulos), Riccio, Tornaghi (Comi 46), Navarro (Guerini 85), Bergonzi (C) (Idele 72), Lonardo (Fiogbe 40). Unused Bench: Zanchi, Torriani, Berto, Manzoni, Armstrong, Colombo, Bonanomi. Coach: Salvatore Bocchetti.
Referee: Gianluca Guitaldi from Rimini.
Assistant referees: Emanuele Spagnolo from Reggio Emilia and Alfonsorocco Rosania from Finale Emilia.
Fourth Official: Davide Gandino from Alessandria.
Notes:Tornaghi (A), Akpa Akpro (P), Plaia (A), Misitano (A), Iotti (P), Rutigliano (P) booked