Survival drama: Verona’s nerve holds on Serie A’s final day | OneFootball

Hellas Verona navigated a turbulent 2024/25 Serie A campaign to secure survival on the final day, ensuring a seventh consecutive year in the top flight. Under the guidance of Paolo Zanetti, who succeeded Marco Baroni after the latter's move to Lazio, Verona endured management change, a shift in club ownership, and fluctuating form before ultimately retaining their place in Serie A.

The season began brightly with a convincing 3-0 victory over Napoli, highlighted by debut goals for Livramento and Mosquera. However, early promise quickly faded as Verona endured heavy defeats, notably 3-0 at home to Juventus, 6-1 against Atalanta, and a chastening 5-0 loss to Inter. Defensive lapses, disciplinary issues—such as Dawidowicz’s early red card against Torino—and injuries, particularly to goalkeeper Montipò, further complicated their campaign.

Verona’s struggles were punctuated by moments of character. Notable away wins included 2-0 at Genoa, 3-2 at both Parma and Bologna, and a narrow 1-0 at Udinese, where Duda delivered a crucial set-piece goal. At home, the team mustered important victories against Roma and Fiorentina, with contributions from Tengstedt, Mosquera, and Bernede at pivotal moments.

A troubling mid-season slide left Verona perilously close to the relegation zone, particularly after a 0-5 reverse at the hands of Atalanta in February. However, the side tightened defensively in the run-in, collecting valuable draws against Udinese, Torino, Genoa, Lecce, and Como. The attack, while inconsistent, found key goals through the likes of Coppola, Bradaric, and Lazovic.

The campaign concluded with everything resting on their final fixture at Empoli. Verona triumphed 2-1, with Serdar opening the scoring early before Bradaric’s decisive strike confirmed safety and consigned their opponents to the drop. It was a fitting reward for a squad that dug deep during difficult spells, buoyed by the emergence of young talent such as Tchatchoua and the reliability of more experienced figures like Duda.

Throughout, tactical adjustments under Zanetti and the resilience shown by makeshift defensive line-ups—necessitated by injury and suspension—proved critical. Despite suffering from disciplinary setbacks and some heavy defeats, Verona lost only one of their final six matches, ultimately accumulating enough points to finish above the relegation places.

Attention now shifts toward a summer of rebuilding, with ownership expected to back Zanetti after a demanding, drama-filled campaign. For now, Verona can reflect on a season of hard lessons and hard-fought survival, their place in Serie A next year secure.

Source: L’Arena