Empoli had enjoyed a positive start, but the match was turned on its head in the 21st minute when Przemysław Wiśniewski’s flicked header was handled by Fabiano Parisi, who conceded a penalty and was sent off. Guglielmo Vicario made a miraculous double save to deny Daniele Verde, but the penalty was retaken due to the goalkeeper coming off his line. After being booked in the aftermath of the first spot-kick, Vicario was unable to deny Verde’s second penalty.
Before travelling to Stadio Carlo Castellani, Verde’s three goals this season had all come in the Coppa Italia, but he’s clearly bringing his shooting boots to SA matches now the Aquilotti are out of the cup. Just six minutes after scoring the opener, the 26-year-old let off a sensational strike that flew into the top corner, giving Vicario absolutely no chance of stopping it. Răzvan Marin’s free-kick from a tight angle gave Bartłomiej Drągowski his biggest test of the first half moments before its end, before being cleared.
The numbers were evened up a mere four minutes into the second half, after Salvatore Esposito received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, having received his first in a similar situation involving Nicolò Cambiaghi late in the first half. Verde was brought off as Luc Gotti looked to bring his midfield back to full strength, but Empoli went on the front foot for a sustained period. A superb save from Drągowski was required to deny Cambiaghi’s header, although there was no denying the forward’s instinctive finish moments later.
Gli Azzurri finally struck in the 94th minute through Emanuel Vignato’s venomous half-volley, as Spezia were unable to end their four-game winless run in all competitions. Meanwhile, Empoli ensured that they have now lost just one of the last eight SA matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Daniele Verde (Spezia)
