Valles (Bolzano), July 25, 2026 – The phrase that encapsulates the entire meaning of the meager 2-0 with which the Rossoblù defeat (strong word) the Greeks of Iraklis in the last friendly match in Valles is uttered by Domenico Tedesco at the end of the training camp test: “There is a process underway but there is still a lot of work to do.”
Inevitable, considering the scope of the Copernican revolution in the transition from one Bologna to another. Certainly, the thousand Rossoblù fans who came to Valles today could legitimately have expected something more in terms of play and shots on goal, considering that Mazzarri’s Iraklis (Greek Serie A) started their work nine days ago and was playing their first friendly. Instead: zero real shots on target for the Greeks and the 2-0 that came about thanks to two sparkling gifts from the opponents.
The first was packaged by goalkeeper Athanasiadis, who in the 7th minute clumsily stumbled over the ball, opening up a highway for Dallinga, who in turn deposited the ball into the unguarded net almost without celebrating due to the opponent’s injury.
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The second gift to Castro and his teammates was instead made by referee Diop, who in the 58th minute literally invented a penalty for a ghost-contact in the Rossoblù area between Inigo and Dallinga. Rowe, whom Tedesco used for large parts of his hour of play on the right yesterday, went to the spot and converted the 2-0 with some jitters, but at least he wrapped up a victory that still stands. There is little else to save, in reality, on the thirteenth and last day of the Rossoblù in South Tyrol.
In the first hour of the match, Tedesco gave confidence to the second string, assigning the first starting jersey to debutant Alhassane (“excellent debut,” said the coach after the match) and employing Rowe, who is not a reserve, more on the right than on the left. But it was not the Rowe of his best days, nor did his teammates impress, with the exception of some nice initiatives from the talented Libra who shook off the torpor of a soporific first half. After a quarter of an hour of the second half, Tedesco sent on the starters and the match became more intense, also due to some excessive fouls by the Rossoblù (Castro and Dominguez) which the Greeks responded to with the same rough manners. In the 64th minute, Pobega mishit a ball in the heart of the Greek area, squandering one of the rare goal-scoring opportunities created by the Rossoblù. The moral: Tedesco is right, there is still a lot of work to do. Especially in terms of building play and finishing: from this point of view, much more convincing responses had come on Wednesday in the 1-1 draw with the Germans of Heidenheim. Now the team will rest until Tuesday, when training will resume in Casteldebole. “We will analyze this match too,” promises Tedesco. This time it won’t take long, because very little was seen on the field.
