Marco Zaffaroni’s side headed into this clash on a run of just one win in their previous six Serie A fixtures. Being six points adrift of safety before kick-off, the Mastini immediately required points on the board as the business end of the campaign approached.
After a muted opening to the contest, Matteo Pessina squandered an opportunity for mid-table Monza by blasting his ambitious 25-yard strike over the bar.
Ondrej Duda followed suit at the other end of the pitch, as Verona attempted to end their recent dry spell in front of goal, having failed to hit the net in each of their last three Serie A encounters heading into this one.
Minutes later, Duda tried his luck again, but Michele Di Gregorio was on hand to thwart the Slovakia international. Monza’s Patrick Ciurria attempted to break the deadlock before the interval, though Lorenzo Montipo twice denied him.
Andrea Petagna then saw his close-range header fly inches over the bar as both teams headed down the tunnel all square at the break.
The game sprung to life in the second half as Verona ended their goal drought and forged ahead in the 51st minute when Simone Verdi hammered in via a rebound.
That lead was cancelled out just four minutes later, however, as Stefano Sensi guided Carlos Augusto’s inviting pass into the back of the net to pull Monza level.
The visitors seemingly doubled their advantage just after the hour mark, but VAR ruled Gianluca Caprari’s strike out for offside.
Monza continued to dominate as they went in search of a winning goal and had two golden opportunities to seal the victory late in the game, with Pablo Marí and Matteo Pessina firing over.
Verona stood firm and held on to claim a vital point in their fight for survival, now closing the gap between themselves and 17th-placed Spezia to five points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Patrick Ciurria (Monza)
