Matchday One
August 2023
Parma vs Reggiana
17 Shots 5
7 On Target 0
1.94 xG 0.50
65% Possession 35%
457 Passes completed 251
The first game of the season was here, and so was derby day. Rivals Reggiana travelled to play in front of a 20,000 strong crowd in Parma and were humbled.
Parma opened the scoring after 12 minutes, after a headed clearance from a corner found its way back out wide for Adrian Bernabe, who entered the box and cut it back to a central position on the edge of the box for debutant Aljaž Antolin to fire low into the bottom left.
The second goal came at the end of the first half as Bernabe fired a free-kick into the area, which Circati rose to meet - heading to the near post where Roberto Inglese was waiting to head beyond Barci in the Reggiana net.
In the 77th minute, a third goal came for Parma as Sohm intercepted a loose ball and played it into Inglese, who turned on a dime and slotted a ball through to Colak. His shot was low, rolling under the 'keeper and into the back of the net.
The final goal of the game came six minutes from time as captain Delprato combined with Bernabe on the right - before the Spaniard lofted a diagonal ball to the left where fullback Woyo Coulibaly was in acres of space. Coulibaly fired a volley on his left foot, which left the Reggiana 'keeper stranded as it nestled in the goal.
Matchday Two
August 2023
Ternana vs Parma
9 Shots 14
2 On Target 8
1.53 xG 2.52
47% Possession 53%
344 Passes completed 389
Matchday two saw Parma have to fight back from behind as Ternana took a two-goal lead in the first half. Diakite, out on the right, opened the scoring as he weaved his way past two Parma players to the touchline, before firing past Turk who stood rooted at his near post.
A mistake from Turk and Balogh gifted Ternana their second in the 38th minute, as the 'keepers pass came up short, leaving Balogh stretching to reach it. Ternana's Dionisi made it to the ball first and found himself bearing down on goal, behind the defence, before firing an effort that looped over the on-rushing Parma goalkeeper and into the net.
In added time at the end of the half Parma pulled a goal back. Benedyczak headed down a goal kick to Antolin, who ran out wide with the ball before playing a ball into the box for Benedyczak to fire emphatically home. A well worked one-two that travelled the entire Ternana half.
The hour mark saw Parma equalise, as Inglese picked up the ball on the half way line and slotted a ball forward to Benedyczak, who poked it through to Antolin. The Slovenian midfielder played a low cross into the box, where an onrushing Dennis Man found himself able to bury the ball.
Nahuel Estevez picked up another great goal in this game in the 69th minute, firing from outside of the box an effort that slipped past the entire Ternana defence and wound up in the back of the net.
Dennis Man would bag his brace just two minutes before the end of the 90 after a well worked sequence of passes found him with time and space in the Ternana box, where he was able to loop a ball over the opposition 'keeper.
Matchday Three
August 2023
Parma vs Lecco
34 Shots 6
9 On Target 1
2.52 xG 1.43
65% Possession 35%
483 Passes completed 260
Despite dominating possession and having a glut of shots throughout the game, Parma's fixture against Lecco at the Ennio Tardini Stadium was not easy.
Roberto Inglese opened the scoring after half an hour, with Antolin slotting a ball through to the Italian forward - who was able to round an onrushing defender and curl an effort into the bottom right corner.
Lecco equalised 10 minutes later as goalkeeper Corvi was forced to get down low to parry a Novakovic shot from three yards away. The save fell to a central position where Tordini was waiting to bury into an open net.
Parma's second came in the 74th minute as substitute Partipilo was able to play a ball out to the right hand side of the box, where Aljaž Antolin was able to connect first time and fire into the top left corner of the goal.
The third came as Nahuel Estevez's corner was headed back out to him on the left and the midfielder raced into the box and attempted to curl an effort into the top right. His shot deflected off Lecco's Giudici, diverting the direction of the ball as it wound up in the bottom left.
