Bernabé strikes early, Harroui levels from the spot, then Pellegrino rises in the 93rd minute to hand PARMA a dramatic win despite VERONA playing most of the match with ten men.
Serie A Matchday 25 delivered late drama at the Tardini, where Parma claimed a vital 2-1 victory over Hellas Verona in a direct relegation battle that could prove decisive in the run-in.
Despite enjoying a numerical advantage from the 11th minute, PARMA needed a last-gasp winner to secure three points that lift them to 29 and into 12th place, while HELLAS VERONA remain penultimate.
First Half: Early Lead, Red Card, and a Penalty
PARMA could not have asked for a better start. After just four minutes, a turnover by Keita sparked the move that ended with Adrián Bernabé controlling on the edge of the box and unleashing a superb first-time volley into the bottom corner past Montipò.
VERONA’s afternoon worsened soon after. At 11 minutes, Orban was shown a straight red card for dissent following a foul not given in midfield, leaving the visitors with ten men for almost the entire match.
Montipò then kept HELLAS VERONA alive with a series of saves, but just before the break the game swung again. Circati brought down Bowie in the area, and Abdelhamid Harroui calmly converted the resulting penalty to make it 1-1 at halftime.
Second Half: Pressure and a Late Decider
With the extra man, PARMA dominated possession after the interval, but struggled to break down a compact, deep-lying VERONA defense. Crosses rained into the box, yet Pellegrino was closely marked and clear chances were scarce.
The closest the hosts came before stoppage time was in the 71st minute, when Strefezza curled a beautiful right-footed effort that crashed off the crossbar.
As the clock ticked down, PARMA pushed everyone forward—and were finally rewarded. In the 93rd minute, Mateo Pellegrino rose highest in the box and powered a header home from Nicolussi Caviglia’s cross, sending the Tardini into raptures and sealing a priceless 2-1 win.
Match Report
PARMA 2-1 HELLAS VERONA
Scorers:
4’ Bernabé (PARMA)
43’ Harroui (HELLAS VERONA, pen.)
93’ Pellegrino (PARMA)
PARMA (3-5-2):
Corvi; Delprato, Circati (Ondrejka 46’), Valenti; Britschgi, Bernabé, Keita (Nicolussi Caviglia 62’), Sorensen (Oristanio 70’), Valeri; Strefezza (Ordonez 90’+), Pellegrino.
Head coach: Cuesta.
HELLAS VERONA (3-5-2):
Montipò; Bella-Kotchap, Nelsson, Edmundsson; Belghali (Akpa Akpro 20’), Niasse (Serdar 79’), Al-Musrati, Harroui (Slotsager 79’), Bradarić; Bowie (Sarr 62’), Orban.
Head coach: Sammarco.
Referee: Pairetto (Nichelino)
Bookings: Circati, Valenti (PARMA); Akpa Akpro (HELLAS VERONA)
Red card: Orban (11’, dissent)
