Pisa beat Empoli on penalties in Coppa Italia after 1-1 draw

Pisa and Empoli played to a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes at the Arena Garibaldi Romeo Anconetani in a Coppa Italia clash that needed a penalty shootout to produce a winner. With the score level at the end of regulation, both sides went to the spot, and it was Pisa who came out on top, winning the shootout 4-3. It's worth noting that the shootout only settled who won the night: this wasn't a knockout tie, so there was no team advancing or getting eliminated, Pisa simply took the shootout after the draw.

A first half of home control that Marras made count

The home side set the tone from the opening whistle and produced the clearer chances of the first stretch, with shots from Isak Vural, Tommaso Marras and Mattéo Tramoni either missing the target or being saved. Empoli answered with attempts from Salvatore Monaco and Edoardo Saporiti, but it was Pisa who broke through right before the break: in the 43rd minute, Marras fired home with his left foot from inside the box after a through ball from Mehdi Léris, and the goal stood after a VAR review. The score at halftime was 1-0, a fair reflection of a first half in which the home team had been sharper going forward.

In the second half, Empoli adjusted its lines and found the equalizer from a set piece. In the 60th minute, following a corner kick, Edoardo Saporiti connected with a right-footed shot that slipped in by the left post to make it 1-1. The goal gave the visitors a lift, as they had grown more involved in the game following changes in midfield. The rest of the second half swung back and forth, with chances for Tramoni, Felipe Loyola, Tomás Esteves and Henrik Meister on Pisa's side, but none of them managed to break the deadlock before the final whistle.

The numbers behind the match

Pisa controlled possession and also produced the greater share of the attacking play, though the scoreline ended up tight.

According to our own xG estimate calculated from the shots taken in the match, Pisa generated 1.36 expected goals against Empoli's 0.69, a gap that backs up the home side's offensive edge over the 90 minutes, even though the result on the scoreboard ended up even.

What the preview said and what actually happened

In our preview, we had projected a very even match, with a 35% chance for Pisa, a 30% chance of a draw and 35% for Empoli, alongside a projected total of 2.54 goals (1.27 for the home side and 1.26 for the visitors). What unfolded on the field lined up closely with that forecast: the match finished level with two total goals, exactly the draw scenario we had listed as the most likely outcome after a home win.

The penalty shootout

With the 1-1 score holding through stoppage time, the match was settled from the penalty spot. Luca Magnino missed Empoli's first penalty, while Tommaso Marras, Henrik Meister and Emanuele Rao all converted theirs for Pisa. For Empoli, Stiven Shpendi, Bohdan Popov and Simone Romagnoli did score, but it wasn't enough: the shootout finished 4-3 in Pisa's favor, sealing the win on the night at the Arena Garibaldi Romeo Anconetani.

The result leaves behind a hard-fought match, with Pisa showing more clarity in possession and chance creation, and an Empoli side that matched them on the scoreboard until the end and even had the first chance in the shootout to steal the win, but couldn't take advantage of it.