Juve Stabia vs Ischia

Juve Stabia took the lead inside eight minutes. Sandrucci capitalised on a defensive error in Ischia's build-up, intercepting the ball from goalkeeper Apuzzo and rolling it into an empty net.

Sandrucci nearly doubled the lead on 19 minutes, striking the post with a free kick from the edge of the box. But Ischia levelled on 29 minutes when Longo unleashed a 25-yard strike that beat Confente at his near post.

The first half ended 1-1, with Juve Stabia also hitting the woodwork through Mosti on 44 minutes. The home side looked heavy-legged — De Giorgio's squad had trained earlier that same morning — but showed good ball circulation in the final third.

The decisive phase began six minutes into the second half. Patanè slipped Caccavo through on goal, and instead of shooting, Caccavo backheeled for Meli, who finished past the Ischia goalkeeper to make it 2-1 (51').

Caccavo then got on the scoresheet himself (64'), racing onto Patanè's through ball and dinking the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper with the outside of his foot. One minute later, Patanè turned scorer: Meli spotted his run in behind the Ischia defence and threaded a pass through for the ex-Verona forward to lob the goalkeeper, making it 4-1 (65').

Correia completed the scoring in emphatic fashion (81'), collecting the ball on the left flank, dribbling past three defenders and drilling a powerful shot inside the far post.

The introduction of an entirely different eleven at half-time transformed the game. De Giorgio replaced nine outfield players plus the goalkeeper, and the fresh legs of Caccavo, Patanè, Meli and Correia overwhelmed Ischia, who largely kept the same XI. Four goals in a 14-minute spell (51'–65') killed the contest.

• Francesco Caccavo — A goal (64') and an assist for Meli's equaliser (51'), with intelligent movement and link-up play throughout his half on the pitch. The provider of the game's most inventive moment: the backheel assist.
• Kevin Patanè — One goal (65') and two assists (51', 64'). The Verona loanee's speed in behind and composure in the one-on-one finish stood out.
• Tommaso Meli — Goal (51') and assist (65'). Dictated the tempo from midfield after the break and showed sharp awareness to find Patanè's run.
• Correia — The fifth goal was a moment of individual brilliance, but he also offered width and drive from the left side of midfield.

Player of the Match: Kevin Patanè — directly involved in three of the five goals.

The provider data shows a 5-1 scoreline but no detailed shot or xG breakdown for this friendly. However, the narrative tells a clear story: Juve Stabia's second-half XI generated four goals from open play in 30 minutes, averaging a goal every 7.5 minutes. The first half, by contrast, was far more even — both sides scored once and the woodwork denied Juve Stabia twice. The sharp drop-off from Ischia's first-half competitiveness to their second-half fragility suggests fitness and squad depth gaps that will sharpen as the Serie D side's own pre-season progresses.

For Juve Stabia, it is a confident opening to pre-season ahead of their Serie B campaign. De Giorgio will have seen enough from the second-half XI to suggest his deeper squad can produce goals. Ischia, meanwhile, will take encouragement from a competitive first half before fatigue set in.

Juve Stabia's next friendly was against Cavese on 6 August 2026. Ischia's next outing was against Giugliano on 13 August 2026.

A predictable pre-season result with encouraging specifics for Juve Stabia: Caccavo-Patanè-Meli-Correia formed a fluid attacking unit in the second half, and the tactical split-squad approach gave De Giorgio clear data points. Ischia competed for 45 minutes but could not sustain it — a fitness-building exercise rather than a cause for concern.