Lithuanian goalkeeper Marius Adamonis produced an outstanding performance on Friday evening as FC Südtirol secured their place in Serie B for next season after a second consecutive goalless draw against SSC Bari in the relegation play-out.
The 29-year-old goalkeeper once again was trusted between the posts for Südtirol. The club had finished 16th in the Serie B standings, one point above Bari in 17th, forcing the two sides into a two-legged relegation play-out to determine which team would remain in Italy’s second division and which would drop to Serie C. The first leg in Bari one week earlier had also ended 0-0.
On Friday evening in Bolzano, Südtirol only needed another draw after 90 minutes to survive because under Italian league regulations no extra time is played in the relegation play-out if the aggregate score is level, with the higher-ranked team from the regular season automatically staying up.
Südtirol thought they had taken a decisive lead during the second half that would have secured survival in more comfortable fashion, but after a VAR review the goal was disallowed due to a foul earlier in the build-up.
That decision gave Bari renewed hope and created a tense ending for the home supporters, with Adamonis ultimately becoming the hero of the night.
In the 73rd minute, the Lithuanian goalkeeper produced a brilliant reflex save from point-blank range to deny Bari a breakthrough. Then again in the 89th minute he rescued Südtirol with another excellent stop, this time pushing away a powerful long-range strike that looked destined for the net.
Thanks largely to Adamonis’ heroics, Südtirol held on for another 0-0 draw and secured survival in Serie B for next season.
During his second Serie B campaign, Adamonis made 36 appearances and kept nine clean sheets. The goalkeeper remains under contract with the Bolzano-based club until the end of next season.
