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Emanuele Pecorino and FC Südtirol were frustrated after their second defeat in 2026.
FC Südtirol ends its meteoric rise with a crash landing
They played well – and yet scored nothing, won nothing. FC Südtirol experienced a truly bitter afternoon at the Drusus Stadium in Bolzano, at the end of which everyone was asking themselves: What if...?
March 07, 2026
From:
Alexander Foppa
"These are precisely the toughest games," Fabrizio Castori had warned. And the FC Südtirol coach was proven right. His team suffered a completely unexpected 1-0 defeat at home on Saturday in front of a crowd of over 3.000 against the struggling Virtus Entella.
First, let's address the initial question: What if FC Südtirol hadn't so carelessly let this game slip away? The South Tyroleans, who have been so strong so far this year, would at least have climbed into the playoff zone, at least temporarily, and continued their unexpected surge among the top teams. Instead, the Red and Whites remain stuck in ninth place.
More than missing out on a top-three finish, however, the fact that this game should never have been lost will likely sting the Castori team. FCS had more shots, more possession, more corners, more successful passes – and yet failed to create a single clear-cut scoring opportunity. Silvio Merkaj, Emanuele Pecorino & Co. were, for once, ineffective. Whether long balls or intricate passing sequences around the opposing defense – FC Südtirol simply never found the right approach.
Entella ends long dry spell
And Virtus Entella? Quite the opposite! The relegation-threatened team from Liguria was outmatched by FCS in every aspect – except for scoring opportunities. Entella had two of them: The first led to the corner kick that set up the opening goal. The second, the corner kick itself, was converted by defender Ivan Marconi to make it 1-0. It was Entella's first away win of the entire season.The (few) highlights
| The stifled cheers | In the 24th minute, FC Südtirol took the lead. Or did they? After a cross from Crnigoj, Pecorino finished the move. But the celebrations were cut short when the assistant referee raised his flag – rightly so, as the video assistant referee confirmed shortly afterwards. |
| The wild arc lamp | That was close! A cross from Simone Davi from the left half-space turned into a great chance, as the ball dipped almost into the top corner. But goalkeeper Colombi stretched out and tipped the ball around the post and out for a goal kick (65'). |
| The brilliant feat | A long ball from goalkeeper Colombi slips through the FCS defense and sends Dalla Vecchia on his way. However, he fails to convert when completely one-on-one with the onrushing Adamonis. The FCS keeper deflects the ball wide of the goal with his knee (73'). |
| The cold shower | The corner kick following Adamonis' brilliant save led to the visitors taking the lead. Merkaj lost track of the advancing Marconi, who calmly slotted the ball home – 1-0 (73'). After that, FC Südtirol offered little resistance. |
For FC Südtirol, it's time to dust themselves off and move on. Their next home game is on Sunday, March 15th, when bottom-of-the-table Pescara visits the Drusus Stadium. It marks the start of a busy week with further matches against Avellino (away) and Frosinone (home).
FC Südtirol – Virtus Entella 0:1
FCS: Adamonis - Molina, El Kaouakibi, Kofler (71st Veseli), Federico Davi, Zedadka (54th Simone Davi) - Crnigoj (54th Tait), Tronchin, Casiraghi (80th Tonin) - Merkaj, Pecorino (71st Verdi).Coach: Castori
Entella: Colombi - Parodi, Dalla Vecchia (85. Alborghetti), Cuppone (82. Tirelli), Marconi, Di Mario (71. Turicchia) - Debenedetti, Benedetti (82. Nichetti) - Bariti (71. Del Lungo), Tiritiello, Squizzato.
Coach: Chiappella
Gate: 0:1 Ivan Marconi (73rd minute)
Viewers: 3.065 (56 away fans)
The other Saturday games:
Avellino – Padova 1:0Goal: 1-0 Russo (92nd minute)
Spezia – Monza 4:2
Goals: 0:1 Petagna (9th), 0:2 Cutrone (16th), 1:2 Artistico (20th), 2:2 Aurelio (34th), 3:2 Bandinelli (57th), 4:2 Artistico (93.)
Venezia – Reggiana 2:0
Goals: 1-0 Haps (15th), 2-0 Doumbia (71st)
Modena – Cesena 0-0
| SP | G | U | V | TV | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Venice | 29 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 60:25 | 63 |
| 2.Monza | 29 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 46:25 | 60 |
| 3. Frosinone | 29 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 55:28 | 58 |
| 4. Palermo | 29 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 49:22 | 57 |
| 5. Catanzaro | 29 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 45:34 | 49 |
| 6. Modena | 29 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 37:24 | 44 |
| 7. Juventus Stabia | 29 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 32:34 | 40 |
| 8. Cesena | 29 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 36:41 | 39 |
| 9. FC South Tyrol | 29 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 31:29 | 37 |
| 10. Padova | 29 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 30:36 | 34 |
| 11. Avellino | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 31:46 | 33 |
| 12. Carrarese | 29 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 35:41 | 32 |
| 13. Empoli | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 36:42 | 31 |
| 14. Virtus Entella | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 27:40 | 31 |
| 15. Sampdoria | 29 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 29:40 | 30 |
| 16. Mantova | 29 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 30:44 | 30 |
| 17. Specia | 29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 29:39 | 29 |
| 18. Reggiana | 29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 29:42 | 29 |
| 19. Baric | 29 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 25:44 | 28 |
| 20. Pescara | 29 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 38:54 | 25 |
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