Raphael Kofler scored in his first friendly appearance for FC Südtirol. © DLife/LO

This FC Südtirol is really fun

Another Serie A club at the Drusus Stadium, and once again, FC Südtirol remains undefeated! The second-division side gave Hellas Verona a real run for their money on Sunday, securing another successful start to their preseason.

August 03, 2025

From the Drusus Stadium in Bolzano

It was supposed to be a trip to the summer football festival in Bolzano, but what awaited Hellas Verona and around 600 of its fans 150 kilometers north of their hometown was anything but a feast. FC Südtirol truly made the first division players sweat. They barely managed to snatch a 2-2 draw in the end.

Following the decisive victory against Oberliga side St. Georgen and the two draws in the three-way tournament with Serie A clubs Bologna and Sassuolo, Castori's team delivered another convincing performance. Aside from a few minor lapses at the beginning of the first and second halves, the defense was rock solid, the midfield was well-structured, and there were some good signs of attacking. Consequently, FCS remains undefeated in its fourth friendly.

Coulibaly & Co. make their mark

Three new signings from the South Tyroleans, in particular, made their mark: Filipe Bordon led the defense, striker Jonathan Italeng threatened with a diving header, and Mamadou Coulibaly provided a perfect assist for Daniele Casiraghi's 1-0 opener. Casiraghi slotted home with a direct shot (9'). Casiraghi was also in the spotlight in the 30th minute, as his free kick from a whopping 30 meters hit the crossbar.

After the break, Verona, captained by former Hertha and Schalke player Suat Serdar, took more control of the game. This was partly due to Verona's latest Brazilian import, Giovane, equalizing in the 46th minute to make it 1-1. FCS, which had made a full substitution at halftime, now played a more defensive game.

First game, first goal for Kofler

The 1985 Scudetto winners thus kept the pressure on, but the South Tyroleans had cause to celebrate: Substitute Raphael Kofler fired home a Mallamo corner in the 83rd minute. It was only the Rabland native's first friendly appearance, having recently been sidelined by bronchitis. But Verona had a swift response through Dane Martin Frese. He blasted a free kick into the net from around 25 meters. While it gave the first division side a black eye, the late 2-2 draw still put the Hellas fans in a good mood.

This was the third-to-last test before the cup match on August 16th in Como. Next Saturday, FCS Südtirol will play against third-division Trento, and four days later, top-division Virtus Bozen will come to the FCS Center in Rungg for a training session.

FC Südtirol – Hellas Verona FC 2:2

FCS: Adamonis (46. Poluzzi); Giorgini (46th Kofler), Bordon (46th Pietrangeli), Veseli (9th Masiello); Molina (46th El Kaouakibi), Coulibaly (46th Mallamo), Tronchin (46th Tait), Casiraghi (46th Martini), Federico Davi (46th Simone Davi); Merkaj (46. Odogwu), Pecorino (46. Italeng)
Coach: Castori

Verona: Montipò (61. Perilli); Unai (83rd Kurti), Ebosse (83rd Calabrese), Valentini (73rd Slotsager); Tchatchoua (83rd Fallou), Serdar (73rd Lambourde), Barnede (61st Niasse), Suslov (61st Ajayi), Frese; Livramento (73rd Kastanos), Giovane (61st Perez).
Coach: Zanetti

Gates: 1:0 Daniele Casiraghi (9th), 1:1 Giovane (47th), 2:1 Raphael Kofler (83rd), 2:2 Martin Frese (84th)

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