The Orange team made a great impression on the pitch. The difference was unnoticeable.

On the eve of the match, it was said that Andreucci was looking for answers from his players. After the friendly against Pisa , we can say that they arrived, and they were strong responses. Pistoiese not only avoided a defeat, but also played on equal terms with Pisa for the entire ninety minutes. Serie A on one side, Serie D on the other: the difference on the pitch was simply not there. The 1-1 final draw, sealed by goals from Buffon and Pinzauti , was somewhat of a stretch for the Dutch player, who for large stretches of the match dominated the proceedings against a Nerazzurri team packed with second and third string players but still close to starting their official season. The Orange players, who left the pitch to the applause of Melani in front of over two thousand spectators, performed excellently both physically and technically and tactically. The team already appears to be in excellent condition, although the real test will be the next friendly matches, scheduled for after mid-August, against Grosseto and Ghiviborgo.

Moving on to the match, Pisa had the first chance with Tramoni's shot from the edge of the box, which Giuliani saved for a corner. As the minutes ticked by, one might expect the Nerazzurri to dominate, but it was Pistoiese who took control. First Bertolo headed in, then Biagi from the edge of the box: the Orange were there, and a 0-0 scoreline at halftime was the fairest scoreline. At halftime, as is now customary, Andreucci made a complete makeover, leaving only Rossi on the pitch and making ten changes to the starting lineup. The home team remained unfazed and, in fact, continued to dominate the game, with the Diallo-Pinzauti strike pairing proving extremely inspiring. The two flirted with a goal in the space of a quarter of an hour, while Pisa responded with Leris hitting the crossbar in the 17th minute. Eight minutes later, the visitors took the lead: after a scramble in the box, Buffon was the quickest to put the ball in the net.

The Dutch team remained unfazed and equalized within five minutes. Diallo forcefully won a penalty, which Pinzauti converted. The score was 1-1, with the ball in the center, although towards the end there was only room for a great chance from Angori and an equally excellent save from Valentini. Pistoiese first half (3-5-2): Giuliani; Accardi, Gennari, Bertolo; Bastianelli, Alluci, Biagi, Rossi, Pellegrino; Alagna, Simeri. Pistoiese second half (3-5-2): Arlanch (Valentini from 35' st); Cuomo, Polvani, Venturini; Costa Pisani, Rossi (Sciortino from 22' st), Maldonado, Campagna, Kharmoud; Diallo, Pinzauti. Coach: Andreucci.

Michael Flori