Monza saw off Avellino 3-0 in the Coppa Italia Round of 64 on Thursday evening, booking their passage to the next stage with a performance that showed no sympathy for their visitors. The hosts took control early through Gustavo Varela, who opened the scoring in the twenty-second minute before adding a second just before half-time. Omar Forson's strike in the fifty-first minute put the result beyond doubt.
Varela was the man to watch all evening, and by then he had already made his case for the starting eleven. He finished with two goals, earning a substitution himself in the eighty-first minute alongside Samuele Birindelli. Forson came on for Rogério Mangas in the seventieth minute and did not waste his opportunity.
There were plenty of bodies turned over during the ninety minutes. Avellino's Brando Moruzzi received a yellow card in the forty-seventh minute while Monza's Dimitrios Sounas was cautioned in stoppage time. The substitutions tell their own story — five changes for each side, with the hosts making their first pair in the fifty-fifth minute.
And here's the thing about the numbers: Monza had 56 per cent possession and created four big chances from 113 attacks. Avellino managed just one corner, zero big chances, and had 33 clearances to make up for the deficit. Shots on target tell you more than most — five for the hosts against two for the visitors.
To be fair, Avellino did not arrive without something to play for. They had beaten Samobenedese 5-0 and Scafatese 3-1 in their previous outings, even if the 1-1 draw with Torino and the 3-6 defeat at Lazio suggested fragility under pressure. Monza came into this after a 3-3 draw with Padova, which left questions about their defensive consistency.
The goal difference now sits at plus three for Monza, and they have one foot in the next round. Avellino's campaign ends here, though the visit to Lazio and the draw with Torino will give them something to reflect on before their next fixture.