COMO, Italy (Interstat) — Tiziano Merlonghi scored three goals and Bigbro beat Zeta Como 7-4 in a high-scoring match played Monday, giving the visiting side a second straight win to open the season. Bigbro moved to 2-0 in the competition and 2-0 across all competitions. Zeta Como dropped to 0-2 in the competition and 0-2 across all competitions. The result came after both teams had opened their seasons with high-scoring matches, and it kept Bigbro unbeaten while leaving Zeta Como still searching for its first win. The final score reflected the high-scoring nature of the contest.

Merlonghi was Bigbro’s top star with a hat trick. The key performances, in descending order, were Merlonghi’s three goals; one goal apiece from Oussama M Hamsi, Alessandro Garilli, Manuel Leone, Stefan Kladar, Alessandro Sigurta, Spizzi and Gabriele Giacchino. Hamsi, Kladar and Giacchino scored for Zeta Como. Garilli, Leone, Sigurta and Spizzi joined Merlonghi on the scoresheet for Bigbro. Merlonghi had also scored twice in Bigbro’s previous match, a 9-6 win over Gear 7 FC, and he added three more to lead the visitors.

Zeta Como struck first when Giacchino scored in the first minute. Leone answered in the first minute for Bigbro, leveling the match immediately. Spizzi scored in the fourth minute to put Bigbro ahead, and Sigurta added another in the 17th minute. Merlonghi then scored twice in the 20th minute, rapidly stretching the Bigbro advantage. M’Hamsi pulled one back for Zeta Como in the 21st minute, and Kladar scored in the 23rd minute to cut the deficit to 5-3. Merlonghi completed his hat trick in the 30th minute, restoring a larger cushion. Garilli scored in first-half stoppage time at 40+1 to cap the listed scoring. Zeta Como finished with four goals, including Giacchino’s opener, M’Hamsi’s 21st-minute strike and Kladar’s 23rd-minute goal.

Bigbro’s previous result this season was a 9-6 win over Gear 7 FC. Zeta Como’s previous result was a 7-5 loss to Alpak FC. Bigbro carried that form into the match and produced seven goals, while Zeta Como scored four. The goal summary featured a frantic opening stretch, with both teams scoring in the first minute and Bigbro adding three more goals before the 20th minute. Merlonghi’s pair in the 20th minute and his third goal in the 30th minute highlighted the visitors’ attack. Zeta Como answered with goals from Giacchino, M’Hamsi and Kladar, and the home side finished the match with four goals. The teams combined for 11 goals on the night.

The win gave Bigbro a 2-0 record in the competition and a 2-0 record across all competitions. Zeta Como fell to 0-2 in the competition and 0-2 across all competitions. Bigbro’s season has opened with two wins, while Zeta Como’s campaign has opened with two losses. The match was the second of the season for both sides, and Bigbro’s victory followed its 9-6 win over Gear 7 FC. Zeta Como’s loss followed its 7-5 defeat to Alpak FC. Bigbro’s two competition wins and two overall wins have come in its first two matches, and Zeta Como’s two competition losses and two overall losses have also come in its first two matches. Bigbro’s 2-0 competition mark matches its 2-0 overall mark, while Zeta Como’s 0-2 competition mark matches its 0-2 overall mark. The records left Bigbro perfect in the young season and Zeta Como still without a win. Zeta Como remained winless at home after the loss, while Bigbro stayed unbeaten.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Zeta Como 8, Bigbro 7. Its ELO system had projected Zeta Como with a 61.2 percent probability to win.