Sambenedettese vs Avellino

Nesta's 4-3-2-1 clicked from the opening whistle. Daniel Fila — the Czech striker on loan from Venezia — forced the first save inside 60 seconds, teeing up Besaggio only for Krapikas to deny him. The breakthrough came in the 21st minute: a patient build-up saw Faticanti recover possession, Sala and Russo exchanged passes on the right, and Russo's cross found Fila at the back post for a reactive header past Martinelli (1-0).

Sambenedettese's best chance arrived in the 26th minute when Marranzino fired just wide from a counter-attack sparked by an Avellino turnover in midfield. Russo then fired a free-kick inches wide. Avellino carried a 1-0 lead into the break.

The second half was decided within a 14-minute spell after mass substitutions. At the 54th minute, Fila held the ball up, slipped it to Besaggio, whose cross was cleared only as far as Cancellotti; his lay-off found Palumbo who volleyed home from inside the six-yard box (2-0).

Nesta then changed all but two outfield players. The fresh legs immediately delivered. In the 79th minute, Palmiero's through-ball sent Biasci clear — the striker finished across the keeper into the far corner (3-0). Three minutes later, Moruzzi's cross from the right found Favilli unmarked; his header arrowed into the top corner (4-0). In the 85th minute, a backpass error handed possession to Maisto, who was brought down by Krapikas for a penalty. Biasci stepped up and converted low and central to complete his double (5-0).

Nesta's decision to rotate almost his entire outfield XI on the hour mark — keeping only Cancellotti and Enrici on the pitch — could have disrupted rhythm. Instead, it accelerated it. Palmiero, Biasci, Favilli and Maisto scored or assisted within 12 minutes of entering, turning a controlled 1-0 into a 5-0 rout. The depth of Avellino's squad, particularly in attack, was the defining factor.

Daniel Fila (Avellino) — The Czech striker opened the scoring with a reactive header, won the physical battle, and created the second goal with intelligent hold-up play. His movement and link-up justified the summer loan from Venezia.

Tommaso Biasci (Avellino) — Serie B's top scorer in 2025/26 came off the bench and scored twice in six minutes. The first was a clinical near-post finish, the second a composed penalty.

Andrea Favilli (Avellino) — Entered at the same time as Biasci and scored within three minutes, a dominant header from Moruzzi's cross — exactly the target-man presence Nesta needs.

Player of the match: Daniel Fila — opened the scoring, created the second, and led the line for 60 minutes.

The provider payload records five goals at 21', 54', 79', 82' and 85' — three of them arriving in the final 12 minutes after the mass substitutions. No cards were recorded, reflecting the friendly's nature. Avellino's 24-0 win over Castel di Sangro and 3-1 victory over Scafatese in their previous two closed-door friendlies had already hinted at their attacking firepower; this 5-0 performance against a Serie C side confirmed the trend in a public setting.

The result is Avellino's third pre-season win from three outings (24-0 vs Castel di Sangro, 3-1 vs Scafatese, 5-0 vs Sambenedettese). Nesta's side next face a friendly on Tuesday, followed by a test against Lazio in Rome on Saturday 2 August, before their competitive season opener at Monza in the Coppa Italia first round on 14 August (source: AvellinoToday).

Sambenedettese, coached by Roberto Boscaglia, continue their pre-season build-up toward the 2026/27 Serie C campaign.

A ruthlessly efficient pre-season performance from Avellino. Fila, Biasci and Favilli all scored, Nesta tested two formations and rotated heavily without losing intensity, and the clean sheet will satisfy the defensive coach. Sambenedettese were outclassed but the friendly served its purpose as a fitness exercise. The test against Lazio on Saturday will tell us more about where this Avellino side really stands.