On February 11, one of the matches of the 22nd round of the Italian Football Championship took place. Empoli (Italy) and Spezia (Italy) met.
Empoli - Spezia - 2:2. Italian Championship, round 22Italian Championship, round 22
Empoli (Italy) — "Spice" (Italy) — 2:2 (0:2)
Goals: N. Cambiagi (71), Vignato (90 + 4) - Verde (25), Verde (31)
Warnings: Nicolau (25), Guglielmo Vicario (25), Verde (33), Esposito (39), Esposito (49), Albin Ekdal (63)
The Stade Carlo Castellani hosted the Serie A match between Empoli and La Spezia, which ended in a spectacular 2-2 draw. The match began sluggishly, the defense of both teams kept strong. Only in the 21st minute, when Empoli's F. Parisi received a red card, did the match begin to open. Spezia won the game after a red card and was rewarded with a penalty in the 25th minute. D. Verde approached the goal and unmistakably stumbled into the top corner of the goal, putting Spezia ahead 1:0. Two minutes later G. Vicario of Empoli also received a card for a foul. Spezia doubled their lead in the 31st minute when D. Verde scored his second goal.
Empoli made the first substitution in the match in the 27th minute, introducing T. Baldanci instead of L. Cacaca, and the second one in the 60th minute, when T. Ebuehi replaced P. Stojanovic. Then, at the same minute, R. Piccoli replaced J. Akpa Akpro. S. Esposito of Spezia received two yellow cards at the 39th and 49th minutes respectively, which resulted in his sending-off after 49 minutes. This was the game's turning point as Empoli began to push forward and returned to action in the 71st minute thanks to N. Cambiagi. The match then became tense as both teams raced to decide the winner, with Spezia introducing C. Agudelo in place of T. Chipot in the 79th minute and Empoli making a series of changes in the 85th minute. F. Bandinelli and F. Caputo replaced E. Vignato and M. Satriano, respectively. E. Vignato struck in the last minutes of the match, equalizing the score and securing a 2-2 draw for Empoli.
In the next round, the opponents are waiting for such matches: Fiorentina - Empoli, Spezia - Juventus.
