Hellas Verona and Parma shared the spoils in a tense survival battle at the Stadio Bentegodi, playing out a goalless draw that earned each side a valuable point in their fight to avoid relegation.
The two Gialloblu outfits clashed on Monday evening in the penultimate fixture of Serie A Round 30.
Verona entered the match without key players Harroui, Niasse, Faraoni, and Suslov, while Parma had to cope with the absence of Hernani due to suspension, along with injuries to Kowalski, Circati, Charpentier, Osorio, Benedyczak, Mihaila, and Cancellieri.
The hosts began on the front foot, with Daniel Mosquera coming close to breaking the deadlock early on. His header from a corner rattled the crossbar, and the rebound led to a controversial moment when Valentini attempted to reach the ball before Keita, who accidentally struck him in the face.
Despite Verona’s protests, the referee opted against awarding a penalty following a silent VAR check.
According to DAZN referee pundit Luca Marelli, the officials ruled that the defender had lowered his head, which contributed to the collision inside the area.
Parma responded swiftly, with Pontus Almqvist trying his luck from distance, narrowly missing the target at the near post.
Verona continued to threaten from set pieces, but Zion Suzuki was alert to palm away another dangerous corner, and Amin Sarr failed to capitalize from a tight angle.
Almqvist then came close again, skillfully maneuvering past Daniele Ghilardi from a throw-in before directing a header on target, only for Lorenzo Montipò to make the save.
Before halftime, Mosquera had another chance after latching onto a precise through ball from Duda, but a Parma defender managed to deflect his shot away from goal.
In the second half, the visitors had the first real opportunity when midfielder Bernabé stepped up for a free kick, only to send it sailing over the crossbar.
As the game wore on, both managers, Paolo Zanetti and Christian Chivu, introduced fresh legs in an attempt to break the deadlock, but neither side appeared willing to take excessive risks.
With just ten minutes left, Parma’s January signing Jacob Ondrejka tested Montipò with a long-range effort, but the Verona goalkeeper managed to parry it away.
The most dramatic moments arrived in stoppage time. First, Montipò denied Kamara at the near post with a crucial save using his feet.
Then, in the dying seconds, Casper Tengstedt had a golden opportunity to snatch the win for Verona, but his header from a promising position in the 95th minute sailed over the bar, leaving the home side with both frustration and relief.
Following the result, Verona remain seven points above 18th-placed Empoli, while Parma move up to 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone after overtaking Lecce.
Next up, the Ducali face a tough challenge as they welcome league leaders Inter, while Verona will hit the road to take on Torino.
