Lega Serie B – General Discussion

[juventino_italiano]

[Messinterista]

Week 25 - Reports

Albinoleffe 0-1 Torino
It was a tale of two penalties in Bergamo, as Torino earned a precious away victory. Bernabrdini seemed to bring down Antonelli outside the box, but Inacio Pià still converted the spot-kick for the Granata. Soon after the referee pointed to the spot at the other end for a shirt-tug on Bombardini, but this time Morello parried Cellini's penalty. The Toro goalkeeper proved decisive in the second half too, keeping his team in front.
Scorers: Pià pen 37 (T)
Missed penalty: Cellini 44 (A)
Albinoleffe: Layeni, Bergamelli (Torri 73), Piccinni, Cioffi, Perico, Sala, Previtali, Bernardini (Hetemaj 52), Bombardini, Ruopolo, Cellini
Torino: Morello, Loria, Garofalo, Zoboli, Genevier, Pestrin, D’Ambrosio, Scaglia (Barusso 61), Antonelli Agomeri (Gasbarroni 45), Pià (León 68), Arma
Ref: Baracani
Attendance: 3,985

Ascoli 1-1 Vicenza
Vicenza took a surprise lead at the Del Duca when Gavazzi pounced on a weak backpass and would've been 2-0 up had another goal not been incorrectly ruled offside. That proved to be a crucial decision, as late on Di Cesare's handling offence allowed Antenucci to convert Ascoli's penalty.
Scorers: Gavazzi 37 (V), Antenucci pen 82 (A)
Sent off: Di Cesare 81 (V)
Ascoli: Guarna, Gazzola, Giallombardo (Ciofani 69), Micolucci, Portin, Giorgi (D’Agostino 46), Pesce, Mattila, Di Donato, Antenucci, Bernacci
Vicenza: Fortin, Bjelanovic, Ferri, Martinelli, Giosa, Di Cesare, Gavazzi, Madonna (Misuraca 89), Gatti, Botta, Sgrigna (Brivio 69)
Ref: Gallione
Attendance: 3,987

Brescia 1-0 Piacenza
Brescia climbed into the top six thanks to a slender victory over struggling Piacenza. Cordova deserves much of the credit for the winning goal, as it was his thunderbolt that took a deflection off Kosak.
Scorers: Kosak 36 (B)
Brescia: Arcari, Cordova (Taddei 79), Baiocco, Berardi, Dallamano, De Maio, Zambelli (Rispoli 93), Bega, Budel, Kozak (Vass 74), Possanzini
Piacenza: Puggioni, Rincon De Castro, Zammuto, Tonucci, Avogadri (Melinte 90), Paro, Amodio, Parfait, Greco, Moscardelli, Cani (Foti 60)
Ref: Peruzzo
Attendance: 2,790

Cesena 0-2 Crotone
Third-placed Cesena paid the price for wasting opportunities and were stunned in front of their own fans by little Crotone. The home team dominated proceedings and saw Parolo’s goal disallowed for a tight offside decision, but fell apart in stoppages. First Morleo curled a fantastic free kick in from distance, then Degano struck on the counter-attack.
Scorers: Morleo 90 (Cr), Degano 94 (Cr)
Cesena: Antonioli, Biasi, Lauro, Petras, Ceccarelli (Djuric 67), Parolo, Segarelli (Piangerelli 55), Schelotto, Greco, Bucchi, Giaccherini (Pedrelli 71)
Crotone: Concetti, Abruzzese, Galeoto, Morleo, Legati, Mazzarani (Degano 61), Galardo, Beati, Cutolo (Russotto 67), Gabionetta, Ginestra (Viviani 73)
Ref: Giancola
Attendance: 10,060

Empoli 3-0 Ancona
Empoli dealt a crushing blow to Ancona’s hopes of getting back to the top of the table thanks to their first victory since December 12. Coralli was the star of the show, as he opened the scoring by meeting a cross from the right and doubled his tally after the break from Eder’s assist. Teenager Cesaretti came off the bench and within seconds beat the offside trap to break his Serie B duck. Empoli are now just three points shy of Ancona, who suffered their fifth consecutive away defeat.
Scorers: Coralli 8, 55 (E), Cesaretti 81 (E)
Empoli: Bassi, Kokoszka, Stovini, Tosto, Valdifiori, Gulan, Marianini, Antonazzo, Vannucchi (D’Amico 85), Eder (Cesaretti 82), Coralli (Mancosu 74)
Ancona: Da Costa, Milani, Pisacane (Piccoli 77), Cristante, Cosenza, De Falco, Surraco, Mustacchio (Gerbo 62), Schiattarella, Colacone, Mastronunzio
Ref: Saccani
Attendance: 2,857

Grosseto 3-0 Cittadella
Grosseto made short work of Cittadella and Pinilla bagged a brace to climb to the very top of the Capocannoniere charts. His free kick squirmed under the goalkeeper, then he both earned and converted a penalty with Nocentini's last-man foul. Vitiello rounded out the scoreline 120 seconds later.
Scorers: Pinilla 26, pen 76 (G), Vitiello 78 (G)
Sent off: Nocentini 76 (C)
Grosseto: Caparco, Esposito (Vitofrancesco 60), Freddi, Turati, Melucci, Mora, Job, Consonni (Papini 76), Carobbio, Vitiello, Pinilla (Pichlmann 82)
Cittadella: Villanova, Nocentini, Cherubin, Marchesan, Manucci, Magallanes, Volpe (Oliveira 62), Carteri, Curiale, Pettinari, Iunco
Ref: Guida
Attendance: 2,358

Lecce 0-0 Modena
Lecce went one point clear at the top of the table, but it could so easily have been more following Sassuolo's shock defeat. The Canarini mainly focused on defending and did a good job of it, as they held out a clean sheet despite chances for Fabiano, Munari and Marilungo.
Lecce: Rosati, Angelo, Terranova, Fabiano, Mazzotta (Di Michele 63), Vives, Giacomazzi, Mesbah, Munari, Corvia, Marilungo (Baclet 84)
Modena: Narciso, Gozzi, Tamburini, Rickler, Perna, Bianco, Giampà (Ricchi 67), Luisi (Colucci 82), Pinardi, Troiano, Girardi
Ref: Rocchi
Attendance: 4,936

Padova 0-0 Frosinone
The debut of new Coach Nello Di Costanzo made little difference in terms of performance, even if he reshuffled the Padova squad. A lucky ricochet set up Trevisan just shy of the half-hour mark, but Sicignano somehow managed to palm it away from danger. Italiano threatened twice after the break, while Bassi had the best chances for Frosinone. Neither side has been in good shape recently and Padova made it four games on the bounce without a single goal.
Padova: Cano, Darmian, Trevisan, Renzetti, Cesar, Bovo (Giovannini 54), Cuffa, Italiano, Patrascu (Morosini 73), Vantaggiato (Soncin 87), Di Nardo
Frosinone: Sicignano, Semenzato, Del Prete, Scarlato, Ascoli, Cariello (Basso 66), Caremi (Bolzoni 47), Biso, Calil Caetano (Stellone 82), Troianello, Santoruvo
Ref: Nasca
Attendance: 5,261

Reggina 3-1 Mantova
Reggina have been transformed on the debut of Coach Roberto Breda, the former youth team tactician who replaced Ivo Iaconi this week. Led by striker Brienza’s first half brace, they earned a crucial victory against fellow relegation strugglers Mantova. Within 120 seconds Handanovic had parried a Tedesco snapshot into the path of Brienza, then the same forward smashed an angled drive into the far corner. Mantova shot themselves in the foot when Salviato’s poor backpass turned into an assist for Cacia and, after Bonazzoli’s dismissal, Tarana grabbed a last-gasp consolation goal.
Scorers: Brienza 2, 43 (R), Cacia 59 (R), Tarana 89 (M)
Sent off: Bonazzoli 66 (R)
Reggina: Fiorillo, Vigiani, Bonazzoli, Tedesco (Missiroli 78), Dos Santos, Valdez Suarez (Camilleri 85), Lanzaro, Carmona, Barillà, Rizzato, Brienza (Cacia 59)
Mantova: Handanovic, Lambrughi, Salviato, Notari, Fissore, Spinale, Nicco, Grauso (Locatelli 52), Carrus, Pellicori (Malatesta 84), Nassi (Tarana 70)
Ref: Giannoccaro
Attendance: 5,553

Salernitana-Triestina
To be played on Monday.

Sassuolo 1-2 Gallipoli
One of the shocks of the season came at the Stadio Braglia, as leaders Sassuolo fell on home turf to team in crisis Gallipoli. Less than a week ago the visitors went on strike during a match and their Coach resigned following a brawl with his President. Giuseppe Giannini was back at the helm, albeit in the stands due to a four-match touchline ban, but that chaos revitalised his team. Volpato touched on a Scaglia cross for Daino’s header at the back post. Mancini should’ve made it 2-0 with a chip, as Gallipoli were always dangerous on the counter, but he made up for it when left relatively unmarked to chest and volley from close range. Zampagna netted at the death, but it was too late to save Sassuolo’s embarrassment.
Scorers: Daino 7 (G), Mancini 76 (G), Zampagna 90 (S)
Sassuolo: Bressan, Bianco (Titone 81), Polenghi, Minelli, Rossini, Riccio, Valeri (Piccioni 69), Quadrini (Zampagna 59), Salvetti, Masucci, Noselli
Gallipoli: Koprivec, Daino, Pallante (Galeotti 39), Abbate, Tagliani, Scaglia, Lazzari, Pederzoli, Mounard (Mancini 21), Di Carmine, Volpato (Filkor 59)
Ref: Valeri
Attendance: 2,735

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/breps25.html

[Messinterista]

Ancona docked one point

Serie B promotion challengers Ancona have been docked one point after failing to pay their squad.

The club was in joint third place with 40 points, but has now gone down to 39 on a par with Brescia.

An investigation went back to May 2009, when Ancona failed to pay some of their wages due to financial difficulties.

The Federation had requested a two-point penalty, but this evening the Disciplinary Commission opted for one.

In Italy all clubs have their finances checked before they are able to register for the new season.

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/feb18q.html

[San Paolo]

haha at the post above just one point!? good job the EPL have not done that with Portsmouth they would be in the minus'

anyway back to topic. Just watching Brescia vs Ascoli at the moment and Brescia are looking very good they are all over Ascoli, caracciolo has hit the post with a guided header with Frezzolini in the Ascoli goal happy to collect it as it came back to him straight from the post, 5 minutes later i didnt catch who it was it might have been Vass miss hit a cross that was tipped onto the post with the very tips of his finger by the Frezzolini, then a definate penalty has been turned away, Ascoli had one good chance when D'Agostino broke free down the left beating a defender as he broke into the box only for his ball to be cut square for nobody to tap in and roll out for a throw on the far side. Half time score, Brescia 0 - 0 Ascoli.

The second half started off brightly for Brescia with a whole host of chances missing the target, Ascoli slowley got some momentum and got themself into the game testing the Brescia defence, it was not until the 63rd minute when Possanzini broke into the Ascoli box on the left hand side and miscued his cross to chip the ball into the goal leaving the keeper stranded and ball watching, 5 minutes later a ball was slipped through the Ascoli defence for Caracciolo to run onto and to casualy strike with the outside of his right boot into the goal Brescia 2 - 0 Ascoli, a whole host of chances came and went for both teams but Brescia were in complete control of the game and had all the possession then 82 minute out of the blue a ball was whipped in from the right and Bernacci put his head onto it the ball bounced into the Brescia goal with the keeper grasping tha air, ascoli gained confidence and piled on the pressure in the 88th minutes Bernacci again had a chance 12 yards out but blasted wide with the goal at his mercy, Bresica made a tactical sub and took off the captain and opening goal scorer and put on Taddei, the ball went into the corner of the Ascoli half of the pitch and keep ball was played to wind down the last 2 minutes on the clock. Full time score, Brescia 2 - 1 Ascoli.

[Messinterista]

Week 26 - Reports

Ancona 2-2 Padova
It has been a bad week for Ancona, who were docked a point for failing to pay their wages on time. That showed in the shaky first half that saw Padova go 2-0 up thanks to Darmian's wayward cross-shot and a Bovo strike. However, Mastronunzio led a remarkable fightback. First he sprung the offside trap, then smashed a left-foot angled drive through a defender's legs.
Scorers: Darmian 25 (P), Bovo 38 (P), Mastronunzio 57, 74 (A)
Ancona: Junior Costa, Milani (Piccoli 80), Cristante, Cosenza, Zavagno, Catinali, Miramontes, De Falco (Camillucci 65), Surraco, Colacone (Gerardi 68), Mastronunzio
Padova: Agliardi, Darmian, Trevisan, Renzetti, Cesar, Bovo, Cuffa, Italiano, Patrascu (Jidayi 68), Gasparetto (Di Nardo 79), Soncin (Bonaventura 93)
Ref: Damato
Attendance: 4,991

Brescia 2-1 Ascoli
Brescia wasted numerous chances and hit the woodwork three times, but still managed to defeat Ascoli. Rispoli was first to rattle the woodwork after 28 minutes, his cross-shot flapped on to the post by the goalkeeper. Caracciolo’s header also thumped the upright before a Possanzini wayward effort looped into the top corner. The Rondinelle kept pushing and doubled their lead with Caracciolo finishing off a team move soon after. It would’ve been 3-0, but Caracciolo hit the frame of the goal for the third time with his header. Ascoli thought luck must be on their side and risked grabbing a point when Bernacci scored and Pesce went close to an equaliser at the death.
Scorers: Possanzini 63 (B), Caracciolo 68 (B), Bernacci 82 (A)
Brescia: Arcari, De Maio, Bega, Berardi, Rispoli (Martinez Vidal 87), Vass, Budel, Cordova (Lopez 66), Dallamano, Caracciolo, Possanzini (Taddei 90)
Ascoli: Guarna, Gazzola (Marino 77), Portin, Micolucci, Pesce, Luci, Di Donato, Amoroso (Ciofani 59), Giorgi (D’Agostino 68), Bernacci, Antenucci
Ref: Candussio
Attendance: 1,825

Crotone 1-1 Lecce
It was all square at the Scida. The pitch conditions, affected by the rain, favoured the locals who managed to hold League leaders Lecce. The visitors knew it was a difficult clash but Crotone were missing star man Gabionetta, suspended for this game and replaced by Cutolo. Lecce started well and found the lead with Marilungo, who took the ball off Beati and curled it past Concetti. Crotone promptly equalised with Mendicino after a long cross bounced off the post to his feet for a comfortable tap in. Abruzzese nearly scored an own goal as he deflected a cross on to the bar. The second half was hard fought with a couple of good chances for both sides. Lecce went forward looking for the winner in injury time but the draw was fair.
Scorers: Marilungo 22 (L), Mendicino 39 (C)
Crotone: Concetti; Galeoto, Legati, Abruzzese, Morleo; Beati, Galardo;
Cutolo (Degano 54), Mazzarani (Russotto 61), Mendicino (De Martino 79); Ginestra
Lecce: Rosati; Angelo, Fabiano, Terranova, Mazzotta, Munari, Giacomazzi,
Vives (Loviso 79), Mesbah, Marilungo, Corvia (Di Michele 65)
Ref: Pierpaoli
Attendance: To follow

Cittadella 1-0 Reggina
Reggina face the real risk of relegation after losing this six-pointer. Cacia thought he had given them an early lead, but his header was ruled offside and the same player hit the woodwork towards half-time. It was Cittadella who found the net when Bellazzini curled a spectacular free kick into the net from practically the byline.
Scorers: Bellazzini 79 (C)
Cittadella: Pierobon, Cherubin, Pisani, Marchesan, Pesoli, Dalla Bona, Magallanes, Carteri (Volpe 72), Iunco, Pettinari (Bellazzini 77), Ardemagni
Reggina: Fiorillo, Santos, Valdez Suarez, Lanzaro, Rizzato, Missiroli (Barillà 77), Carmona, Vigiani (Adejo 86), Tedesco (Pagano 82), Cacia, Brienza
Ref: Calvarese
Attendance: 2,156

Frosinone 3-1 Empoli
Empoli's poor away record struck again, as they conceded two goals in five minutes. Basso had given Frosinone the lead with a fine volley at the near post, then Coralli equalised by redirecting Antonazzo's cross from close range. The game was decided on the hour mark, with Troianiello's counter and a Mazzeo backheel flick in quick succession.
Scorers: Basso 18 (F), Coralli 34 (E), Troianiello 63 (F), Mazzeo 68 (F)
Frosinone: Sicignano, Maietta (Ascoli 50), Semenzato, Scarlato, Bocchetti, Caremi (Bolzoni 60), Basha, Basso, Troianello (Aurelio 76), Mazzeo, Stellone
Empoli: Bassi, Stovini, Angella, Tosto (Gulan 66), Antonazzo, De Giorgio (Cesaretti 80), Musacci, Valdifiori (Fabbrini 67), Marianini, Coralli, Eder
Ref: Gervasoni
Attendance: 3,208

Gallipoli 0-5 Vicenza
It was a complete disaster for troubled Gallipoli, as they were thrashed mercilessly in front of their own fans. After 11 minutes it was already 2-0 for Vicenza, as Bjelanovic’s backheel set up Madonna, then he got the second header himself. Both players completed braces with Madonna’a angled drive and a Bjelanovic counter, while Paonessa rounded out the scoreline with a cheeky close-range flick.
Scorers: Madonna 3, 31 (V), Bjelanovic 11, 56 (V), Paonessa 45 (V)
Gallipoli: Koprivec, Daino, Abbate, Tagliani, Galeotti, Mancini, Scaglia, Lazzari, Moro, Di Carmine (Della Penna 64), Volpato
Vicenza: Fortin, Ferri, Martinelli, Giosa (Huth Manzur 61), Gavazzi, Madonna, Gatti (Signori 51), Brivio, Paonessa, Botta, Bjelanovic (Litteri 66)
Ref: Pinzani
Attendance: 1,025

Mantova 2-1 Sassuolo
Sassuolo's shock defeat to a side battling against relegation dampens their hopes of catching Lecce at the top of the table, even though they remain in second place. Manganelli broke the deadlock when he accidentally deflected a low cross into his own net. Pellicori doubled the tally by coming off the bench to meet Nassi's assist, but Martinetti kept Sassuolo in the running with his impressive solo effort.
Scorers: Magnanelli og 42 (M), Pellicori 58 (M), Martinetti 62 (S)
Mantova: Handanovic, Gervasoni, Notari, Spinale, Lambrughi, Salviato (Lanzoni 57), Caridi (Pellicori 51), Tarana, Locatelli, Grauso, Nassi (Nicco 74)
Sassuolo: Bressan, Polenghi, Gorzegno (Masucci 46), Minelli, Rossini, Magnanelli, Riccio, Quadrini, Salvetti (Fusani 66), Martinetti (Zampagna 75), Noselli
Ref: Rizzoli
Attendance: 4,867

Modena 1-2 Grosseto
Grosseto climb into third place with this precious away victory. They reaped the rewards of a very strong start at the Stadio Braglia, as Esposito opened the scoring almost immediately on Pinilla's assist. Soon after Pinilla went to the top of the Capocannoniere charts with his angled drive. Girardi rose to nod in a free kick, but it was too late for Modena to turn this around.
Scorers: Esposito 5 (G), Pinilla 17 (G), Girardi 85 (M)
Sent off: Troiano 94 (M)
Modena: Narciso, Gozzi (Bianco 54), Tamburini, Rickler, Perna, Ricchi, Luisi (Colucci 67), Pinardi, Troiano, Catellani, Girardi
Grosseto: Caparco, Freddi, Turati, Melucci, Mora, Job, Consonni (Federici 81), Vitiello, Vitofrancesco, Pinilla (Pichlmann 75), Esposito (Papini 59)
Ref: Tommasi
Attendance: 5,405

Piacenza 1-0 Albinoleffe
Piacenza squeezed out the victory despite playing the final 25 minutes with 10 men. Cellino had gone close for 'Leffe, but Sivakov turned in a right-foot drive from Foti's assist to decide the match. Tonucci saw red, but his teammates held on for all three points.
Scorers: Sivakou 48 (P)
Sent off: Tonucci 57 (P)
Piacenza: Puggioni, Melinte, Tonucci, Zammuto, Iorio, Sivakov, Paro (Rincon De Castro 61), Parfait, Greco, Cani (Amodio 56), Foti (Sambugaro 80)
Albinoleffe: Pelizzoli, Cioffi, Perico, Sala, Hetemaj, Laner (Cia 73), Cristiano (Piccinni 82), Previtali, Bombardini, Ruopolo, Cellini (Torri 62)
Ref: Doveri
Attendance: 2,704

Torino 2-3 Salernitana
Torino were stunned by bottom of the table Salernitana, who had to play the last half-hour with 10 men. It was a fiery encounter with three red cards and a missed spot-kick. Within nine minutes it was already 1-1, as Barusso blasted a screamer into the bottom corner and 60 seconds later Dionisi’s daisy-cutter had equalised. Kyriazis put Salernitana in front by redirecting a free kick from close range and Dionisi doubled his tally on the counter. Toro wasted the chance to get back into the game when Bastrini saw red for a last man offence, but Polito parried Bianchi’s penalty. 10-man Salernitana did succumb to another Bianchi spot-kick soon after, but red cards for Zoboli and Montervino made little difference to the result.
Scorers: Barusso 8 (T), Dionisi 9, 59 (S), Kyriazis 40 (S), Bianchi pen 80 (T)
Missed penalty: Bianchi 67 (T)
Sent off: Bastrini 65 (S), Zoboli 92 (T), Montervino 93 (S)
Torino: Morello, Zoboli, Garofalo, Loria, Rivalta, Genevier, Scaglia (Arma 61), Barusso (Gorobsov 78), Statella (D’Ambrosio 49), Pià, Bianchi
Salernitana: Polito, Kyriazis, Bastrini, Balestri (Russo 31), Peccarisi, Cozza (Stendardo 68), Montervino, Tricarico, Merino (Galasso 72), Soligo, Dionisi
Ref: Stefanini
Attendance: 11,856

Triestina 0-0 Cesena
Triestina played for over an hour with 10 men following Colombo’s straight red card for a late tackle, but still earned a point. Cesena slide further away from the top of the table after a game played on a waterlogged pitch. The visitors had penalty appeals waved away for Pit’s contact with Schelotto in the second half.
Sent off: Colombo 20 (T)
Triestina: Calderoni, Scurto, Colombo, Cottafava, Pit, Siligardi (Gorgone 25), D’Aversa, Testini, Gissi, Pasquato (Pani 87), Godeas (Della Rocca 83)
Cesena: Antonioli, Biasi, Volta, Lauro, Petras, Parolo, De Feudis, Schelotto (Malonga 90), Do Prado (Segarelli 85), Djuric, Giaccherini (Bonura 67)
Ref: Ciampi
Attendance: 6,134

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/breps26.html

[Messinterista]

[Messinterista]

Week 27 - Reports

Albinoleffe 1-0 Mantova
Albinoleffe earned a very important win to break away from the relegation zone, leaving Mantova in the thick of it. Cristiano got the only goal of the game when he bundled the ball over the line from a chaotic corner kick.
Scorers: Cristiano 58 (A)
Albinoleffe: Pelizzoli, Luoni, Cioffi, Perico (Garlini 76), Sala, Passoni, Hetemaj, Laner, Cristiano (Bergamelli 68), Bombardini, Ruopolo (Cisse’ 83)
Mantova: Handanovic, Gervasoni, Salviato, Notari, Grauso, Carrus, Lambrughi, Spinale (Nassi 72), Nicco (Rizzi 62), Locatelli, Pellicori (Cavalli 83)
Ref: Tozzi
Attendance: 3,364

Ancona 3-1 Gallipoli
Ancona got back on track, but only managed it after Gallipoli were reduced to eight men. The visitors had the better of the early play, but when Schiattarella’s scuffed angled drive drifted in and Lazzari saw red, it changed the game. In the second half Mastronunzio doubled their tally from Schiattarella’s assist, swiftly followed by another red card for Tagliani and Surraco’s strike under the bar. Daino was the third Gallipoli player sent off and moments later Artistico’s free kick got a consolation goal.
Scorers: Schiattarella 27 (A), Mastronunzio 50 (A), Surraco 59 (A), Artistico 79 (G)
Sent off: Lazzari 43 (G), Tagliani 53 (G), Daino 76 (G)
Ancona: Da Costa, Cristante, Cosenza, Zavagno (Piccoli 63), Catinali, Miramontes, Camillucci, Schiattarella (Gerbo 67), Surraco, Colacone (Mustacchio 70), Mastronunzio
Gallipoli: Sciarrone, Daino, Pallante (Artistico 52), Tagliani, Sosa, Mancini, Scaglia, Lazzari, Pederzoli (Viana 69), Di Carmine (Filkor 46), Volpato
Ref: Nasca
Attendance: 5,060

Cesena 1-0 Ascoli
Cesena close to within four points of the leaders, scraping past 10-man Ascoli. Giaccherini wasted an early opportunity before Greco broke through with a smart backheel on Schelotto's cross. Bernacci saw red, but the visitors continued to push on bravely.
Scorers: Greco 43 (C)
Sent off: Bernacci 68 (A)
Cesena: Antonioli, Biasi, Lauro, Petras, Volta, De Feudis, Do Prado (Bonura 81), Parolo, Schelotto (Piangerelli 73), Greco (Malonga 68), Giaccherini
Ascoli: Guarna, Marino, Gazzola, Giallombardo, Micolucci, Giorgi, Pesce (Amoroso 73), Luci, Di Donato (Tiboni 80), Antenucci, Bernacci
Ref: De Marco
Attendance: 10,994

Empoli 3-0 Modena
Empoli moved into the play-off battle with this comfortable victory, even if the tension got to the two teams. It was always going to be tough for Modena after Diagouraga brought down Coralli for a red card and penalty converted by Eder. Coralli quickly added to the advantage by meeting Stovini's backheel flick and, despite Eder's dismissal and Modena's penalty appeals, Saudati put the game beyond doubt from close range.
Scorers: Eder pen 28 (E), Coralli 33 (E), Saudati 78 (E)
Sent off: Diagouraga 27 (M), Eder 68 (E)
Empoli: Bassi, Antonazzo, Stovini, Angella, Tosto (Gulan 66), Valdifiori, D’Amico, Vannucchi (Saudati 74), Musacci, Coralli (Fabbrini 62), Eder
Modena: Narciso, Perna, Gozzi, Diagouraga, Tamburini, Colucci, Pinardi, Luisi (Catellani 69), Giampà (Ricchi 57), Bruno, Napoli (Bianco 54)
Ref: Gallione
Attendance: 3,144

Grosseto 0-4 Crotone
Grosseto were demolished in front of their own fans by little Crotone in a huge shock. The visitors had struggled in the first half, but took the lead against the run of play with a fierce Bonvissuto effort. After the break, Grosseto simply fell apart. Bonvissuto tapped in a second, Gabionetta’s chip beat the goalkeeper and Ginestra rounded out the scoreline with a header.
Scorers: Bonvissuto 40, 52 (C), Gabionetta 69 (C), Ginestra 79 (C)
Grosseto: Caparco, Freddi, Melucci, Turati, Mora, Consonni, Vitiello, Job, Vitofrancesco (D’Alessandro 49), Esposito (Alfageme 72), Pichlmann (Joelson 55)
Crotone: Concetti, Legati, Galeoto, Morleo, Abruzzese, De Martino, Galardo, Bonvissuto (Ginestra 69), Gabionetta, Cutolo (Beati 58), Degano
Ref: Mazzoleni
Attendance: 2,991

Lecce 1-1 Triestina
Leaders Lecce stalled their progress, but were fortunate to claw back a late point. Juventus youth product Pasquato thought he had already given Triestina the lead in the first half, but his goal was disallowed for a handling offence. He did get on the scoresheet by going it alone with a solo run from midfield. The teenager went close to another, but Baclet came off the bench to nod in the equaliser.
Scorers: Pasquato 65 (T), Baclet 80 (L)
Lecce: Rosati, Fabiano, Angelo, Mazzotta, Terranova, Giacomazzi, Loviso (Mesbah 71), Munari (Baclet 78), Corvia, Di Michele (Bertolacci 79), Marilungo
Triestina: Calderoni, Nef, Scurto, Cottafava, Siligardi (Volpe 60), Testini, Gissi, Gorgone, Pit, Pasquato (Pani 81), Godeas (Dei 54)
Ref: Guida
Attendance: 4,357

Padova 0-1 Torino
Torino conquered Padova, but have to thank their goalkeeper for saving a first half penalty. Di Nardo stepped up after 24 minutes and saw his spot-kick saved by Morello. Just shy of the hour mark top scorer Bianchi sprung into action by gathering from Gasbarroni to drill a right-foot angled drive into the bottom corner. It was a much-needed boost for the Granata, who were still smarting from last week's 3-2 home defeat to bottom of the table Salernitana.
Scorers: Bianchi 58 (T)
Missed penalty: Di Nardo 24 (P)
Padova: Cano, Darmian, Cesar, Trevisan, Renzetti, Bovo, Cuffa, Italiano (Bonaventura 62), Patrascu (Rabito 74), Di Nardo, Gasparetto (Soncin 79)
Torino: Morello, D’Ambrosio, Loria, Ogbonna, Garofalo (Barusso 77), Scaglia (León 50), Genevier, Pestrin, Gasbarroni, Pià (Rubin 63), Bianchi
Ref: Giannoccaro
Attendance: 8,872

Reggina 1-0 Frosinone
Reggina earned three crucial points to lift themselves away from the danger zone. Brienza got the only goal of the game within the opening 60 seconds, as his shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off Scarlato. There could well have been more, as Brienza's chip hit the crossbar and at the other end Santoruvo nodded wide of an open goal. Substitute Stellone was sent off against his former club for elbowing Costa.
Scorer: Brienza 1 (R)
Sent off: Stellone 86 (F), Scarlato 94 (F)
Reggina: Marino, Adejo, Valdez, Lanzaro (Costa 76), Rizzato, Carmona, Tedesco, Vigiani, Missiroli, Brienza (Cascione 79), Cacia (Barilla' 66)
Frosinone: Sicignano, Bocchetti, Scarlato, Ascoli (Cariello 71), Del Prete, Basha, Bolzoni, Troianiello (Aurelio 76), Mazzeo, Basso (Stellone 57), Santoruvo
Ref: Baracani
Attendance: To follow

Salernitana 1-0 Piacenza
Salernitana are still stranded at the foot of the table, but keep their hopes alive with a hard-fought victory. It was a tale of two penalties, as Moscardelli hit his effort straight at the goalkeeper just eight minutes in. Dionisi also hit the crossbar, but Merino scored the winner by converting his spot-kick on the hour mark.
Scorers: Merino pen 59 (S)
Missed penalty: Moscardelli 8 (P)
Salernitana: Polito, Stendardo, Pippa (Galasso 85), Peccarisi, Russo, Merino, Cozza (Caputo 55), Tricarico, Jadid (Carcuro 62), Soligo, Dionisi
Piacenza: Puggioni, Avogadri, Iorio, Zammuto (Capogrosso 34), Rincon De Castro, Amodio, Sambugaro, Greco (Cani 76), Moscardelli, Guerra (Sivakov 65), Foti
Ref: Velotto
Attendance: (0 - closed doors)

Sassuolo 0-2 Brescia
Brescia won the head-to-head in order to catch Sassuolo in joint second place. They took an early lead through a smart Vass stop and volley with the outside of his right foot. The home side tried to fight back and went close when Martinetti hit the upright and Noselli didn't make the most of the follow-up. Possanzini put the points under lock and key by rising to nod in Caracciolo's cross.
Scorers: Vass 11 (B), Possanzini 63 (B)
Sassuolo: Bressan, Polenghi, Bianco, Rossini, Minelli, Quadrini (Zampagna 82), Fusani (Salvetti 66), Valeri, Magnanelli, Noselli (Masucci 62), Martinetti
Brescia: Arcari, Dallamano, Berardi, Bega, Zambelli (Taddei 76), De Maio, Vass, Cordova (Kozak 67), Budel (Lopez 94), Possanzini, Caracciolo
Ref: Saccani
Attendance: 3,486

Vicenza 0-2 Cittadella
Cittadella struck twice in the second half to win the derby and leapfrog local rivals Vicenza in the table. Sgrigna thought he had given the home side the lead with his delightful chip, but it was disallowed for a foul in the build-up. Instead, Ardemagni went on the counter and was brought down for a penalty converted by Pesoli. It was a fiery encounter and Bjelanovic’s header was inches past the post, but Iunco put the result beyond doubt in stoppages.
Scorers: Pesoli pen 60 (C), Iunco 95 (C)
Vicenza: Fortin, Ferri, Giosa, Martinelli, Brivio, Madonna, Gatti (Signori 56), Botta, Gavazzi (Di Matteo 61), Bjelanovic, Srigna (Margiotta 75)
Cittadella: Pierobon, Pisani (Manucci 73), Pesoli, Cherubin, Marchesan, Magallanes, Carteri (Volpe 85), Dalla Bona, Bellazini (Pettinari 58), Ardemagni, Iunco
Ref: Giancola
Attendance: 8,298

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/breps27.html

[Messinterista]

Week 28 - Reports

Ascoli 4-2 Salernitana
MAscoli fought back twice to get the better of a resurgent Salernitana, who now see their hopes of avoiding relegation hit hard. Dionisi waltzed round the goalkeeper from a Cozza ball over the top, but Lupoli pounced on a defensive error to equalise. Salernitana again went in front through Kyriazis' looping header. Ascoli thought they'd draw level when they were awarded a penalty for Peccarisi's foul, but Antenucci hit his spot-kick straight at the post. Caputo also thumped the woodwork for the visitors, but Ascoli came to life with Luci's screamer from 25 metres, Lupoli redirecting a scuffed Antenucci strike and in stoppages Tiboni finalising a counter-attack.
Scorers: Dionisi 13 (S), Lupoli 18, 70 (A), Kyriazis 51 (S), Luci 68 (A), Tiboni 91 (A)
Missed penalty: Antenucci 59 (A)
Ascoli: Guarna; Gazzola, Portin, Micolucci, Marino; Giorgi, Luci, Di Donato (Amoroso 81), Pesce (Ciofani 88); Antenucci, Lupoli (Tiboni 74)
Salernitana: Polito; Kyriazis, Peccarisi, Bastrini, Balestri; Montervino, Jadid (Carcuro 61), Tricarico, Cozza (Stendardo 67); Merino (Caputo 50), Dionisi
Ref: Ciampi
Attendance: 3,953

Brescia 2-3 Grosseto
Brescia had climbed into second place, but were stunned on home turf by Grosseto, who leapfrog them again. Turati broke through early on with a header across the face of goal from Carobbio's corner, then Pinilla struck from 30 metres for a second. The Rigamonti crowd were silenced when Pinilla scored again before the break with a right-foot drive from distance that settled under the crossbar to make it 3-0. Possanzini mounted a one-man comeback with his daisy-cutter from distance and stoppage-time tap-in from a corner, but it was not enough to make up for the disastrous opening 45 minutes.
Scorers: Turati 8 (G), Pinilla 13, 38 (G), Possanzini 58, 95 (B)
Brescia: Arcari; De Maio, Bega (Baiocco 46), Berardi; Dallamano, Zambelli, Vass (Kozak 88), Budel, Cordova (Taddei 46); Possanzini, Caracciolo
Grosseto: Acerbis; Turati, Conteh, Freddi, Mora; Papini (Vitiello 71), Consonni; Job, Carobbio (Federici 77), Esposito (Vitofrancesco 66); Pinilla
Ref: Gava
Attendance: 7,564

Cesena P-P Sassuolo
This match was eventually abandoned when snowfall on the Stadio Manuzzi became too heavy to continue. The Friday night fixture was still goalless when the referee decided the situation had become too precarious for the players after 74 minutes. It was a head-to-head for promotion between second and fourth in the table. Sassuolo had three good chances to break the deadlock with Martinetti’s header on to the upright proving the most dangerous. The remaining 16 minutes will now have to be played at a later date. “That’s not a real game,” complained Cesena Coach Pierpaolo Bisoli.

Cittadella 2-1 Empoli
Empoli's away form continues to be a problem, as they have now lost 10 of their 15 trips this season, but it consolidated Cittadella's strong run of results. Ardemagni took control and opened the scoring by nodding in a Magallanes cross, then after the break he finalised a strong Bellazzini move. Empoli got a consolation goal, as Fabbrini slid on to Coralli's cross to the back post.
Scorers: Ardemagni 24, 63 (C), Fabbrini 73 (E)
Cittadella: Pierobon; Pisani, Pesoli, Cherubin (Nocentini 87), Marchesan; Bellazzini (Musso 78), Magallanes, Dalla Bona, Carteri (Volpe 38); Ardemagni, Iunco
Empoli: Bassi; Antonazzo (Tosto 51), Angella, Stovini, Iacoponi; Marianini, Valdifiori (Cesaretti 81), D'Amico (Saudati 57); Vannucchi, Fabbrini; Coralli
Ref: Orsato
Attendance: 2,312

Crotone 0-3 Albinoleffe
Albinoleffe earned this comfortable success and even added to their tally after going down to 10 men. Torri netted after just eight minutes when two defenders collided, allowing him to go clear on goal. Degano's equaliser was disallowed for a push in the box and Torri saw red on 66 minutes. However, Leffe still managed to add another two goals with Cristiano's angled drive and Perico's tap-in.
Scorers: Torri 8 (A), Cristiano 70 (A), Perico 78 (A)
Sent off: Torri 66 (A)
Crotone: Concetti; Galeoto (Mendicino 71), Legati, Abruzzese, Morleo; De Martino (Beati 46), Galardo; Cutolo (Ginestra 46), Degano, Gabionetta, Bonvissuto
Albinoleffe: Pelizzoli; Bergamelli (Cristiano 46), Sala, Luoni; Perico, Bernardini (Cissè 82), Previtali (Garlini 73), Piccinni; Laner, Bombardini; Torri
Ref: Candussio
Attendance: 3,980

Gallipoli 1-2 Padova
Padova earned a surprise away victory despite playing with 10 men for the final 23 minutes. Cuffa volleyed in a Patrascu free kick and Soncin made it 2-0 from point-blank range, but after Trevisan's dismissal the only fightback from Gallipoli was a Volpato tap-in.
Scorers: Cuffa 27 (P), Soncin 52 (P), Volpato 69 (G)
Sent off: Trevisan 67 (P)
Gallipoli: Sciarrone; Abbate, Grandoni, Franchini; Sosa (Della Penna 71), Mancini, Pederzoli, Mounard (Artistico 53), Viana; Di Carmine, Volpato
Padova: Cano; Petrassi, Faisca, Trevisan, Patrascu; Bovo, Italiano, Cuffa, Renzetti; Soncin (D Gasparetto 71), Vantaggiato (M Gasparetto 64) (Morosini 78)
Ref: Velotto
Attendance: 800

Mantova 2-2 Lecce
Leaders Lecce fought back to grab a fourth consecutive draw away to 10-man relegation strugglers Mantova. Salviato broke through after 21 minutes when Locatelli’s free kick was parried into the path of the defender. Corvia wasted the chance to equalise when one-on-one with the goalkeeper moments later, but did draw level thanks to Munari’s header from a Vives set piece. Handanovic flew to prevent Giacomazzi making it 2-1 to the visitors, but Mantova started the second half in fine fettle and after chances for Pellicori and Nassi, they restored their advantage when Pellicori nodded in Locatelli’s cross. Di Michele came off the bench and quickly created several scoring opportunities, so when Gervasoni was sent off for a tackle on Marilungo, Mantova came under intense pressure. Corvia hit the upright and Munari turned in on the rebound to make it 2-2.
Scorers: Salviato 21 (M), Munari 36, 83 (L), Pellicori 53 (M)
Sent off: Gervasoni 74 (M)
Mantova: Handanovic; Salviato, Notari, Gervasoni, Lambrughi; Spinale, Grauso, Nicco (Lanzoni 70); Locatelli (Fissore 76); Pellicori (Rizzi 60), Nassi
Lecce: Rosati; Angelo (Schiavi 59), Terranova, Fabiano (Baclet 80), Mazzotta; Munari, Giacomazzi, Vives, Mesbah (Di Michele 38); Marilungo, Corvia
Ref: Bergonzi
Attendance: 5,613

Modena 2-1 Ancona
Ancona’s promotion hopes took another blow with this defeat at the Stadio Braglia. It took just four minutes for Bruno to find the back of the net when he met Troiano’s cross from six yards. Pinardi grabbed the second before half-time with a right-foot finish, but Colacone’s strike under the bar was not enough to get Ancona back into it.
Scorers: Bruno 4 (M), Pinardi 37 (M), Colacone 72 (A)
Modena: Narciso; Perna, Rickler, Tamburini; Bianco (Ricchi 85), Colucci, Troiano, Pinardi (Luisi 75), Cortellini; Bruno (Girardi 75), Catellani
Ancona: Da Costa; Milani (Mustacchio 71), Cosenza, Cristante, Zavagno (Piccoli 50); Schiattarella, De Falco, Catinali, Miramontes (Gerardi 85); Mastronunzio, Colacone
Ref: Celi
Attendance: 5,709

Piacenza 0-0 Reggina
Both teams had to settle for a point apiece as Piacenza and Reggina played out a dour stalemate at the Stadio Leonardo Garilli. The result will not come as much help to either Biancorossi coach Massimo Ficcadenti or Amaranto boss Roberto Breda as the two sides look to ease their way out of the relegation mire. With hardly any action of note to speak of, the game was certainly a competitive encounter as no fewer than five yellow cards were dished out to both Tonucci and Avogradi for the home side while Costa, Lanzaro and Carmona were cautioned for the visitors.
Torino: Puggioni, Melinte, Avogradi, Tonucci, Iorio, Amodio, Sivakov (Sambugaro 58), Paro (Greco 58), Parfait, Foti, Moscardelli
Frosinone: Vigiani, Marino, Costa, Lanzaro, Valdez, Missiroli (Rizzato 83), Carmona, Adejo, Casione, Cacia (Bonazzoli 69), Brienza (Pagano 74)
Ref: Stefanini
Attendance: To follow

Torino 3-1 Frosinone
Torino earned a much-needed and rare home victory thanks to Bianchi's hat-trick, although he also missed a spot-kick. Del Prete brought down Leon for the first spot-kick on the stroke of half-time and Santoruvo equalised by pouncing on Ogbonna's error. The referee awarded another penalty for Bocchetti's shirt-tug on Ogbonna and this time Bianchi's effort was palmed on to the post, but the former Manchester City striker was first to the rebound. Only a splendid Sereni save stopped Cariello making it 2-2, so in stoppages Bianchi's acrobatic volley secured the points.
Scorers: Bianchi pen 42, 75, 95 (T), Santoruvo 55 (F)
Missed penalty: Bianchi 75 (T)
Torino: Sereni; D’Ambrosio (Rivalta 86), Loria, Ogbonna, Rubin; Antonelli (Barusso 83), Pestrin, Genevier, Leon; Bianchi, Pià (Gasbarroni 65)
Frosinone: Frattali; Del Prete, Maietta (Aurelio 90), Giubilato, Bocchetti; Basha, Bolzoni (La Mantia 90); Troianiello, Mazzeo, Basso (Cariello 78); Santoruvo
Ref: Tommasi
Attendance: 14,866

Triestina 0-0 Vicenza
Triestina and Vicenza shared the spoils in this local derby, a result that suits the visitors rather more than the home team. Vicenza had two great chances to snatch the victory, but Gavazzi and Litteri couldn't beat Calderoni. Scurto saw red for Triestina after a last man foul.
Sent off: Scurto 61 (T)
Triestina: Calderoni; Nef, Brosco, Scurto, Colombo; Volpe (Sabato 46), Gorgone (Pani 30), Gissi, Testini; Pasquato (Sedivec 71); Della Rocca
Vicenza: Fortin; Martinelli, Di Cesare, Giosa, Brivio; Madonna, Gatti (Rigoni 77), Botta, Gavazzi (Di Matteo 70); Sgrigna (Margiotta 82), Litteri
Ref: Calvarese
Attendance: 6,438

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/breps28.html

[RomaShield27]

Serie B Sunshine before League Split

www.insidefutbol.com – Luca Ferrato

Next July, the Italy’s Lega Calcio (Football League) will, for the first time in their history, split into two parts: With one Lega Calcio for Serie A and one Lega Calcio for Serie B. An English Premiershit style divide is envisaged, bringing further problems for an already troubled Serie B.

Italy’s second tier must currently cope with poor attendance figures, a lack of TV coverage and inadequate stadia. Serie B usually play on a Saturday afternoon to avoid competing with Serie A on a Sunday, with matches being shown on a pay-per-view basis on both Sky Italia and Dhalia TV, a network more famous for its porn movies than its football.

On the pitch the league suffers from a distinct lack of quality, but one positive effect of this is that all 22 sides are roughly even, so interesting and exciting matches often occur for the neutral. The few that have made up the viewing figures this season have been treated to an open campaign, with at least 10 teams still in with a shot at promotion at the time of writing: The top two teams will go up automatically, while those placed from third to sixth will battle it out for a final promotion slot in a series of playoff finals.

While that promotion system might sound simple, it is in fact a little trickier. If the gap between the third and fourth sides in Serie B is more than 10 points at the end of the season then there will be no playoff at all – as happened in 2006/07 with Juventus, Genoa and Napoli advancing to Serie A to the dismay of fourth placed Piacenza.

Currently it is Lecce, coached by Gigi De Canio, who hold top spot and with it a reasonable expectation of promotion. The Giallorossi of Salento play an ordinary 4-4-2 and are both solid in defence and effective in attack. Lecce were in Serie A last season and are hungry to return return to paradise once again, with their fans looking forward to a renewal of the “derby delle Puglieâ€

[juventino_italiano]

[RomaShield27]

Serie B Week 34 action - Torino's hopes of automatic promotion slip
http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/article.aspx?id=1253 – By Rich Hall

Albinoleffe 1-2 Cesena: Cesena took an early lead through Emanuele Giaccherini when he pounced at the near post to tap home. Dominique Malonga scored from the spot for Cesena’s second but in truth it was a weak penalty. Albinoleffe grabbed a consolation when Simon Laner headed home.

Ancona 0-1 Crotone: Crotone’s victory saw them move to within two points behind Ancona in eighth place, the only goal of the game a superb downward header from Ciro Ginestra after 12 minutes. Salvatore Mastronunzio had a penalty well saved on the stroke of half-time from man of the match contender, Crotone goalkeeper Emanuele Concetti.

Cittadella 2-0 Ascoli: Cittadella are now only two points off the promotion places with this win. Matteo Ardemagni crashed a low drive across Enrico Guarna after only three minutes but his side continued to assert its authority, pressing hard for a two-goal cushion. That second goal came after 90 minutes, Tommaso Bellazzini’s cheeky tap under the keeper securing all three points.

Frosinone 2-0 Gallipoli: Frosinone secured a vital three points and lifted themselves further away from the drop by going two goals up within 6 minutes. Simone Basso had his shot saved but reacted quickly to stab the ball home. The second goal was scrappy affair, Gennaro Troanello eventually finishing from close range after a series of deflections in and around the goalmouth.

Grosseto 4-0 Vicenza: Grosseto continue to impress and still have strong hopes of promotion. The first of the day’s four goals came from a sensational 25 yard free-kick from Filippo Carobbio. Mauro Esposito then capitalised on a dropped cross to sneak home number two before Thomas Pichlmann’s penalty made it three. The final goal came from a delicate chip over the grounded ‘keeper courtesy of Luis Maria Alfageme.



Lecce 2-1 Torino: The big game of the weekend saw Lecce end Torino’s impressive recent run. David Di Michele was fortunate when Ahmed Barusso’s clearance bounced off the former Torino striker’s leg into the net. The second goal was from the spot as Daniele Corvia, having been forced to retake the penalty, saw his shot creep over the line after Matteo Sereni had got a strong hand to it. Torino pulled one back through a penalty of their own, scored with power by Rolando Bianchi.

Mantova 1-1 Piacenza: A penalty from Gaetano Caridi was slotted home on 64 minutes to give the home side the lead. Edgar Cani equalised for Piacenza on 86 minutes with well placed volley which finished off a flowing move. A draw no good for Mantova however, who sit dangerously in 19th place

Modena 1-1 Sassuolo: Sassuolo needed more than a draw to keep them as dead certs for promotion. Modena took the lead with a crashing 20 yard drive from Andrea Catellani after only nine minutes. Sassuolo fought back and equalised when Daniele Martinetti lobbed the keeper with a fine header.

Reggina 1-1 Empoli: Empoli opened the scoring in this match when, just before half-time, Citadin Eder’s deflected header outwitted Pietro Marino. Reggina were back in the game on 62 minutes when Franco Brienza converted a penalty high into the top right hand corner. Reggina are now two points from safety.

Salernitana 0-0 Padova: Bottom club Salernitana fought hard for this draw although the fate of the club has already been confirmed. Daniele Vantaggiato saw his penalty saved by Rino Iuliano who managed to stop the rebound as well. Padova will see this draw as major chance missed to escape the drop zone.

Triestina 0-1 Brescia: Only goal difference sees Brescia outside of the promotion places, but this was a vital win considering the tight nature of the top six. Libor Kozák was Brescia’s hero on 83 minutes, beating the keeper to head home a vital three points. The defeat also sees Triestina teeter on the brink of the abyss.

[Messinterista]

Week 35 - Reports


Albinoleffe 1-1 Grosseto
Grosseto wasted the opportunity to take the full points in Bergamo. Turati had made the most of a Pelizzoli howler to give them the lead and a second was on the cards when Luoni brought down Esposito, but Pichlmann fired his penalty on to the crossbar. Luoni saw red for that last man foul, but 10-man Albinoleffe surprisingly rallied to equalise through Foglio’s screamer.
Scorers: Turati 36 (G), Foglio 63 (A)
Missed penalty: Pichlmann 50 (G)
Sent off: Luoni 35 (A)
Albinoleffe: Pelizzoli, Perico (Garlini 88), Luoni, Cioffi, Piccinni, Passoni, Hetemaj, Previtali, Cristiano (Foglio 62), Cia (Cellini 54), Ruopolo
Grosseto: Caparco, Esposito (D’Alessandro 68), Federici, Turati, Conteh, Mora (Fautario 55), Job, Consonni, Carobbio, Vitofrancesco, Pichlmann (Alfageme 88)
Ref: Tozzi
Attendance: To follow

Ascoli 1-0 Triestina
Ascoli won the relegation dogfight thanks to an early spot-kick converted by Antenucci, as Nef had dragged down Silvestri during a corner. A save on Giorgi and poor finishing from Pesce kept the scoreline down, though Triestina went close late on through Della Rocca.
Scorers: Antenucci pen 10 (A)
Ascoli: Guarna, Gazzola, Giallombardo, Silvestri, Micolucci, Amoroso, Giorgi (Ciofani 83), Pesce, Di Donato (Luci 84), Tiboni (Bernacci 62), Antenucci
Triestina: Calderoni, Sabato, Audel (Magliocchetti 72), Nef, Cottafava, Pani, Sedivec (Pit 61), Princivalli (Godeas 76), Gorgone, Della Rocca, Volpe
Ref: Peruzzo
Attendance: To follow

Brescia 3-1 Frosinone
Brescia closed the gap on leaders Lecce to five points. They got off to the best possible start, taking a 2-0 lead within eight minutes. Kozak had already gone close before Dallamano's left-foot screamer and Kozak got his goal with a delightful chip. Frosinone threatened on the stroke of half-time when a Martinez header whistled wide, but Possanzini extended the Rondinelle's advantage by pouncing on a defensive error. Stellone saw red to complete Frosinone's bad night, though Santoruvo's late header was scant consolation.
Scorers: Dallamano 6 (B), Kozak 8 (B), Possanzini 62 (B), Santoruvo 84 (F)
Sent off: Stellone 66 (F)
Brescia: Arcari, Mareco, Martinez, Berardi, Dallamano, Zambelli, Budel (Baiocco 74), Hetemaj (Saumel 57), Vass, Kozak, Possanzini (Taddei 65)
Frosinone: Frattali, Stellone, Guidi, Maietta, Ascoli, Bocchetti, Bolzoni (Caremi 73), Basha (Cariello 75), Troianello, Aurelio (Del Prete 50), Santoruvo
Ref: Pinzani
Attendance: To follow

Cesena 3-1 Mantova
Cesena were caught in second place at the weekend and expected to push past struggling Mantova. Colucci opened the scoring when his free kick looped into the net with nobody able to get a touch to it. Abate skimmed the post for a potential equaliser, but Mantova shot themselves in the foot when goalkeeper Handanovic clumsily pushed a corner into his own net. A Carrus free kick was palmed away and Ronaldo thumped the upright from the edge of the box, all leading up to Mantova getting back into the match through Nassi nodding in. However, 60 seconds later Djuric's looping header restored the two-goal cushion.
Scorers: Colucci 14 (C), Handanovic og 31 (C), Nassi 88 (M), Djuric 89 (C)
Cesena: Tardioli, Biasi, Lauro, Volta, De Feudis, Ceccarelli (Petras 70), Parolo, Colucci (Segarelli 77), Schelotto, Giaccherini, Malonga (Djuric 46)
Mantova: Handanovic, Lambrughi, Rizzi (Ronaldo 38), Salviato, Notari, Fissore, Spinale (Lanzoni 56), Tarana, Carrus, Abate (Locatelli 70), Nassi
Ref: Trefoloni
Attendance: To follow

Crotone 4-2 Modena
Crotone saw off plucky Modena in a second consecutive victory. It was a thoroughly entertaining match that kicked off with Gabionetta firing into the top corner, then Ginestra’s penalty for a Catellani handling offence. Girardi got the Canarini back into the game with the aid of a deflection, but Gabionetta’s brilliant solo effort restored the cushion. Catellani made up for his earlier error with an angled drive, but again Galardo went on a slalom to secure the 4-2 scoreline.
Scorers: Gabionetta 21, 51 (C), Ginestra pen 43 (C), Girardi 46 (M), Catellani 75 (M), Galardo 79 (C)
Crotone: Concetti, Abruzzese, Morleo, Viviani, Legati, Mazzarani (Perpetuini 78), Galardo, Beati, Cutolo (Galeoto 87), Gabionetta (Russotto 74), Ginestra
Modena: Narciso, Tamburini, Rickler, Perna, Diagouraga, Colucci, Bianco (Spezzani 87), Giampà (Napoli 84), Pinardi, Catellani, Girardi (Bruno 58)
Ref: Gallione
Attendance: To follow

Empoli 5-2 Salernitana
Eder made like Leo Messi and scored four in this bizarre seven-goal encounter. Bottom of the table Salernitana are practically relegated, but took a shock 2-0 lead at the Castellani to threaten Empoli's unbeaten home record. Dionisi broke through by drilling under the bar with his right foot, followed quickly by Caputo's header from a Capone set play. However, Eder sprung to life to wipe out the lead in five minutes. First his right-foot strike flashed into the bottom corner, then Pepe gave away a penalty and a second yellow card, allowing Eder to convert the spot-kick. Iuliano also saw red when providing Eder with another penalty, then he completed his poker moments later against nine-man Salernitana. Marianini got a fifth in the final minutes with a right-foot finish.
Scorers: Dionisi 16 (S), Caputo 20 (S), Eder 39, 60, pens 44, 58 (E), Marianini 88 (E)
Sent off: Pepe 42 (S), Iuliano 56 (S)
Empoli: Bassi, Stovini, Angella, Antonazzo, Vannucchi, Mancosu (Saudati 75), Musacci (Marianini 64), Valdifiori, Gulan, Coralli, Eder (Dumitru 71)
Salernitana: Iuliano, Capone, Pippa, Bastrini, E Pepe, Carcuro (Robertiello 58), Tricarico, Soligo, Montervino (Brunetti 66), Caputo (V Pepe 71), Dionisi
Ref: Giancola
Attendance: To follow

Gallipoli 1-2 Cittadella
Gallipoli thought they had the win in the bag after leading for 90 minutes, but it all fell apart in stoppages. Di Carmine scored just 80 seconds into the match and Cittadella showed few signs of changing that situation until injury time. In the space of two minutes De Gasperi nodded in a corner kick and Bellazzini turned the game around completely to send Gallipoli to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Scorers: Di Carmine 2 (G), De Gasperi 92 (C), Bellazzini 94 (C)
Gallipoli: Koprivec, Daino, Viana, Pallante, Tagliani, Sosa, Scaglia, Filkor, Mounard (Grandoni 72), Paez (Mancini 61), Di Carmine (Artistico 67)
Cittadella: Pierobon, Nocentini, Cherubin, Marchesan, Manucci, Magallanes (Pettinari 58), Bellazzini, Carteri, Dalla Bona, Ardemagni (Curiale 68), Iunco (De Gasperi 80)
Ref: Pierpaoli
Attendance: To follow

Padova 1-1 Lecce
Leaders Lecce only managed a point at the Euganeo. The Salentini went into this game with a huge seven-point lead at the top of the Serie B table, while Padova were a point above the drop zone. Nonetheless, after five minutes Rabito confused defenders to chop a cross for Cuffa's free header. Moments later Rosati denied Di Nardo from point-blank range and another Cuffa header was wide, while Di Michele's strike was parried and Corvia nodded inches past the post. Lecce drew level when Angelo set up Marilungo's close-range header.
Scorers: Cuffa 5 (P), Marilungo 67 (L)
Padova: Cano, Trevisan, Faisca, Petrassi, Cesar, Bovo, Cuffa, Rabito (Soncin 82), Patrascu (Jidayi 93), Vantaggiato (Bonaventura 63), Di Nardo
Lecce: Rosati, Di Michele, Angelo, Mazzotta (Defendi 62), Fabiano, Ferrario, Belleri, Vives, Giacomazzi, Corvia, Marilungo (Loviso 80)
Ref: Banti
Attendance: To follow

Sassuolo 0-1 Reggina
A last-gasp goal from Brienza caused a huge upset. Joint second welcomed a Reggina side desperate to avoid relegation. It was a relatively even first half, as Martinetti's header and a Tedesco left-foot screamer whistled just wide of the woodwork. After the break Fusani scraped a coat of paint off the upright. There was a huge upset at the death, as Reggina took a shock lead with Brienza's daisy-cutter.
Scorers: Brienza 90 (R)
Sassuolo: Bressan, Bianco (Donazzan 78), Consolini, Gorzegno (Masucci 62), Minelli, Rossini, Salvetti, Magnanelli, Fusani, Noselli, Martinetti (Zampagna 65)
Reggina: Marino, Lanzaro (Costa 34), Valdez Suarez, Carmona, Barillà (Vigiani 83), Tedesco, Adejo, Cascione, Missiroli, Rizzato (Brienza 67), Pagano
Ref: De Marco
Attendance: To follow

Torino 1-1 Piacenza
Toro needed a boost after their defeat to Lecce at the weekend, but were pegged back in stoppages. Guerra and Loria had early chances, but Bianchi broke the deadlock after 25 minutes when rising to nod a Gasbarroni cross at the back post. Sereni was called into a series of tough saves on Moscardelli, but after the break Torino should've extended their advantage when Inacio Pia trapped a Gasbarroni cross to thump the upright. Instead Moscardelli snatched Piacenza's equaliser in the final minute by smashing in at the near post.
Scorers: Bianchi 25 (T), Moscardelli 90 (P)
Torino: Sereni, Rivalta, Loria, Ogbonna, Rubin (D’Ambrosio 65), León (Coppola 71), Barusso, Genevier, Gasbarroni, Pià (Scaglia 83), Bianchi
Piacenza: Puggioni, Melinte, Rincon De Castro, Iorio, Avogadri, Amodio (Parfait 83), Greco (Sambugaro 63), Sivakov, Guerra (Guzman 65), Cani, Moscardelli
Ref: Tommasi
Attendance: To follow

Vicenza 2-2 Ancona
Ancona threw away a 2-0 lead at the Stadio Menti. Colacone had a brace in the first half and thought he had secured the spoils with two right-foot strikes, one rising and the other into the bottom corner, from Surraco assists. Straight after the restart Margiotta redirected a free kick from eight yards, quickly followed by Bjelanovic's equaliser.
Scorers: Colacone 26, 44 (A), Margiotta 46 (V), Bjelanovic 56 (V)
Vicenza: Russo, Huth Manzur, Martinelli, Minieri, Di Cesare, Madonna, Rigoni (Gavazzi 72), Braiati (Botta 55), Litteri (Margiotta 50), Sgrigna, Bjelanovic
Ancona: Da Costa, Milani, Pisacane, Cristante, Zavagno, Camillucci, De Falco, Piccoli (Schiattarella 83), Surraco (Thackray 73), Colacone (Gerardi 90), Mastronunzio
Ref: Candussio
Attendance: To follow

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/breps35.html

[Messinterista]

Week 36 - Reports


Ancona 1-2 Ascoli
To call this game ill-tempered would be an understatement, as there were five red cards and a dramatic stoppage-time winner for little Ascoli. Antenucci had put the visitors in front with a right-foot shot from Pesce’s assist, but in the second half this match exploded. Zavagno left Ancona with 10 men for his second bookable offence, then Cosenza and Micolucci both saw red for a brawl. The situation deteriorated even further as D’Agostino went for an early shower. With nine men against nine, Ancona thought they had snatched a last-gasp point through Cristante nodding in a corner. However, 120 seconds later Giorgi’s left-foot strike secured the spoils for Ascoli. The tension got to Cristante, who left Ancona to end the game with eight players on the field.
Scorers: Antenucci 26 (As), Cristante 90 (An), Giorgi 92 (As)
Sent off: Zavagno 49 (An), Cosenza 60 (An), Micolucci 60 (As), D’Agostino 77 (As), Cristante 94 (An)
Ancona: Da Costa, Catinali, Cristante, Cosenza, Zavagno, Miramontes (Pisacane 54), De Falco, Schiattarella (Mustacchio 90), Surraco (Gerardi 81), Colacone, Mastronunzio
Ascoli: Guarna, Gazzola, Giallombardo, Silvestri, Micolucci, Pesce (Giorgi 79), Luci, Amoroso (Marino 63), Di Donato, Antenucci, Lupoli (D’Agostino 58)
Ref: Trefoloni
Attendance: 8,021

Cittadella 2-0 Triestina
Cittadella remain in the play-off battle with this victory. Triestina had the first real chance when Pasquato's free kick thumped the upright, but Bellazzini broke through with a left-foot strike from the edge of the box that settled into the top corner. Pettinari put the result under lock and key after Calderoni had parried his first attempt.
Scorers: Bellazzini 26 (C), Pettinari 62 (C)
Cittadella: Pierobon, Cherubin, Marchesan, Pisani, Nocentini, Dalla Bona, Bellazzini (De Gasperi 76), Carteri (Volpe 70), Ardemagni, Magallanes, Pettinari
Triestina: Calderoni, Sabato, Scurto, Nef, Cottafava, Testini, D’Ambrosio, Princivalli (Pani 63), Gorgone (Sedivec 79), Dei, Pasquato
Ref: Stefanini
Attendance: 2,640

Empoli 4-0 Padova
Empoli crushed Padova in an eventful match that saw four goals, a missed penalty and three red cards. Eder is on stunning form and took his tally to six in the last two games, 22 for the season, by bagging a first half brace. Marianini brought down Cuffa to give Padova a chance, but Bassi saved Soncin's spot-kick. The referee rather lost control of the game late on, as Petrassi received two yellow cards, then Saudati followed for a bizarre sending off. He was on the touchline warming up and rushed to help Iacoponi with his cramp, earning a booking and another card for continuing his protests. Trevisano also saw red for Coralli's penalty and Musacci completed the rout from distance.
Scorers: Eder 20, 41 (E), Coralli pen 82 (E), Musacci 89 (E)
Missed penalty: Soncin 44 (P)
Sent off: Petrassi 70 (P), Saudati 77 (E), Trevisan 81 (P)
Empoli: Bassi, D’Amico, Valdifiori, Eder (Fabbrini 64), Marianini, Antonazzo, Vannucchi (Musacci 73), Angella, Iacoponi (Kokoszka 33), Stovini, Coralli
Padova: Cano, Petrassi, Trevisan, Faisca, Rabito (Di Nardo 53), Bovo, Vantaggiato, Morosini, Cesar, Cuffa (Jidayi 65), Soncin (Bonaventura 53)
Ref: Ciampi
Attendance: 2,964

Frosinone 0-1 Vicenza
Vicenza snatched a late surprise winner in this relegation tussle, a terrible result for Frosinone. The home side had dominated the first half and failed to make the most of it with Santoruvo, Basso and a Di Cesare goalline clearance to deny Basha. The Biancorossi came out of their shells after the break and Sgrigna let a goal kick bounce before thumping it past Frattali with his right foot.
Scorers: Sgrigna 78 (V)
Frosinone: Frattali, Bocchetti (Del Prete 70), Giubilato, Maietta, Semenzato, Bolzoni, Basha, Basso, Calil Caetano (Mazzeo 81), Troianello, Santoruvo
Vicenza: Russo, Minieri, Di Cesare, Giani, Brivio, Rigoni (Ferri 88), Botta, Braiati, Madonna (Gavazzi 20), Sgrigna, Bjelanovic (Margiotta 58)
Ref: De Marco
Attendance: 4,041

Lecce 2-2 Brescia
This promotion head-to-head certainly lived up to expectations. Lecce aimed to extend their five-point lead at the top of the table and came flying out of the blocks for two goals in the opening eight minutes. First Marilungo nodded in a corner 120 seconds in, then Corvia pounced on a poor clearance from Mesbah’s cross. It could’ve been more had Arcari not denied Corvia’s header, but Brescia suddenly burst to life. Rosati only flapped at a ball, allowing Taddei to tap into an empty net, then Possanzini smashed in his right-foot screamer from the edge of the box. In the second half the Rondinelle thought they had gone 3-2 up, but Kozak was incorrectly flagged offside. Moments later Di Michele’s dummy sent Angelo clear to force Arcari into a save with his feet. It was a thrilling encounter and Rosati needed great reflexes to stop Possanzini.
Scorers: Marilungo 2 (L), Corvia 8 (L), Taddei 31 (B), Possanzini 42 (B)
Lecce: Rosati, Angelo, Ferrario (Terranova 85), Fabiano, Mesbah, Munari, Vives (Bertolacci 81), Giacomazzi, Di Michele (Defendi 75), Marilungo, Corvia
Brescia: Arcari, Martinez Vidal, Mareco, Berardi, Zambelli (Rispoli 72), Saumel, Budel, Dallamano, Baiocco (Manzoni 86), Taddei (Kozak 53), Possanzini
Ref: Russo
Attendance: 8,951

Mantova 1-0 Gallipoli
A single goal made the difference in this relegation dogfight against an increasingly desperate Gallipoli. Mounard had a good early chance for the visitors, but Mantova soon took control. Nassi cracked an effort against the crossbar before Pettinari nodded in a Carrus cross for the win.
Scorers: Pellicori 62 (M)
Mantova: Bellodi, Gervasoni, Lambrughi, Notari, Lanzoni, Spinale, Caridi, Carrus (Ronaldo 66), Locatelli (Salviato 80), Tarana, Nassi (Pellicori 59)
Gallipoli: Koprivec, Sosa, Tagliani, Viana, Daino, Pallante, Pederzoli (Della Penna 74), Mounard (Mancini 52), Filkor, Di Carmine, Artistico (Paez 62)
Ref: Brighi
Attendance: 5,685

Modena 1-1 Albinoleffe
Albinoleffe confirmed their excellent record at the Stadio Braglia, emerging unbeaten for the last six seasons. Garlini had in fact given them the lead when he rose to get his head to Previtali's corner kick. Bruno drew Modena level with a wonderful shot on the bounce from the edge of the box, but Pinardi wasted the chance to secure victory. Piccinni saw red for bringing down Bruno only for Pinardi to drill the penalty off target. 10-man Leffe avoided their capitulation thanks to the crossbar, which denied Troiano.
Scorers: Garlini 24 (A), Bruno 65 (M)
Missed penalty: Pinardi 73 (M)
Sent off: Piccinni 72 (A)
Modena: Napoli, Girardi, Tamburini, Notari (Colucci 54), Daminuta (Ricchi 70), Koffi, Perna, Belfasti, Troiano, Bianco, Carini
Albinoleffe: Pelizzoli, Foglio (Cristiano 78), Cioffi, Piccinni, Garlini, Hetemaj, Laner, Passoni, Previtali (Sala 89), Ruopolo, Cellini (Cia 68)
Ref: Nasca
Attendance: 4,974

Piacenza 1-3 Sassuolo
Sassuolo still chase the play-offs as they bagged a fundamental win in Piacenza. The visitors found the lead early in the first half thanks to a header from Martinetti following a cross from Riccio. Piacenza didn't give though and found the equaliser thanks to Cani after a corner from Melinte. The locals looked determined and kept the ball possession in the first half. However, Sassuolo walked in much more motivated and in the second proved to be the better team. Top-scorer Zampagna was brought on and in less than 60 seconds took advantage of an error from Puggioni and made it 2-1. Piacenza were unable to react and in injury time Salvetti's tap in finished them off.
Scorers: Martinetti 9 (S), Cani 24 (P), Zampagna 54 (S), Salvetti 95 (S)
Piacenza: Puggioni; Rincón, Melinte, Avogadri, Iorio; Essengue (Zammuto
61), Sambugaro (Sivakov 71), Greco; Cani, Moscardelli, Guerra (Guzman 59)
Sassuolo: Bressan; Bianco, Polenghi, Minelli, Rossini; Riccio, Valeri,
Magnanelli, Quadrini (Salvetti 80); Martinetti, Titone (Zampagna 54)
Ref: Giannoccaro
Attendance: To follow

Reggina 1-0 Crotone
Both sides needed to win this Calabria derby but it was Reggina who got all three points. The Amaranto followed up their positive run with another impressive result moving away from the drop zone. Once again it was Brienza to hand them the win as he broke the dreadlock after 61 minutes. Crotone simply didn't look at their best even though they did well in the first half and were unlucky to hit the post with Ginestra. The visitors were also reduced to 10 men in the late minutes as they were trying to get back in the game. Reggina had their usual problems to create openings but this time around they did not concede. The Amaranto also hit the woodwork with Costa and they were rewarded by the winning touch from the best player on the pitch - Brienza.
Scorers: Brienza 61 (R)
Red card: Viviani 87 (C)
Reggina: Marino, Adejo, Valdez, Costa, Barillà (Vigiani 40), Tedesco,
Cascione, Missiroli, Rizzato; Pagano (Rizzo 71), Brienza (Bonazzoli 75)
Crotone: Concetti; Legati, Viviani, Abruzzese, Morleo (Zito 84); Beati,
Galardo; Gabionetta, Mazzarani (Russotto 66), Cutolo (Mendicino 80);
Ginestra
Ref: Mazzoleni
Attendance: To follow

Salernitana 3-4 Grosseto
The Stadio Arechi crowd was certainly kept entertained in this seven-goal fireworks display, even if Salernitana are practically relegated already. Pichlmann broke through straight away with a free header in off the underside of the bar, then Vitiello was also unmarked to meet Job's cross. The home side got back into it through Dionisi and Tricarico thumped the woodwork. After the break Caputo managed two goals in seven minutes to turn the situation around completely and give Salernitana the lead, firing in from the edge of the box and scoring with a header. However, 60 seconds later Vitiello's angled drive had equalised and Pichlmann completed his brace from yet another Job assist. Dionisi could've made it 4-4, but skimmed the target late on.
Scorers: Pichlmann 4, 77 (G), Vitiello 16, 66 (G), Dionisi 18 (S), Caputo 58, 65 (S)
Salernitana: Robertiello, Pippa, Bastrini, Stendardo (Agresta 70), Balestri, Tricarico, V Pepe, Capone (Merino 56), Soligo, Caputo (Orlando 88), Dionisi
Grosseto: Caparco, Esposito (Alfageme 73), Federici, Turati, Conteh, Melucci, Job, Consonni, Vitiello, Vitofrancesco (D’Alessandro 66), Pichlmann (Asante 84)
Ref: Gallione
Attendance: 4,111

Torino 1-1 Cesena
This was a head-to-head for promotion, as second-placed Cesena visited a Toro side fresh from defeat against Lecce. Inacio Pia only grazed a Leon cross from a promising position, while Sereni palmed a Giaccherini free kick out for a corner. The Granata broke through straight after the restart when Ogbonna rose above the crowd to nod in Leon’s corner. Colucci, Leon and Ceccarelli had attempts, while Bianchi wasted his free header. Torino were made to pay for that error, as moments later Volta knocked down Giaccherini’s corner for Ceccarelli to equalise. Cesena nearly took the lead 120 seconds later, but Sereni parried a Djuric header.
Scorers: Ogbonna 48 (T), Ceccarelli 76 (C)
Torino: Sereni; Rivalta, Loria, Ogbonna, D’Ambrosio; Leon (Rubin 72), Barusso, Génévier (Coppola 84), Gasbarroni; Pià (Salgado 80), Bianchi
Cesena: Tardioli; Ceccarelli, Biasi, Volta, Lauro; De Feudis, Parolo (Djuric 58); Schelotto, Colucci (Franceschini 86), Giaccherini; Greco (Malonga 70)
Ref: Valeri
Attendance: 16,658

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/breps36.html

[RomaShield27]

[San Paolo]

[Messinterista]

Blog: B is Beautiful
Giancarlo Rinaldi finds romance and unpredictability in the final throes of the season down in Serie B

If there is one thing followers of Serie A have pined for in recent years, it is a bit of unpredictability. Inter's domination may have been awe-inspiring, but it has not done much for those who like a surprise outcome to their season. At least the Second Division still has the power to produce a few shocks.

At the start of the campaign most pundits would have indicated Torino as the outstanding favourites for promotion with Lecce and Brescia their most likely rivals. Instead, two of them missed out on automatic places and face the lottery of the play-offs. They were stunned to see second spot pinched by a real outsider.

Pierpaolo Bisoli crafted a mini-masterpiece at Cesena. It is nearly 20 years since the club last enjoyed the delights of Serie A and few believed at the outset of this season they could turn that dream into reality. However, a last day victory over Piacenza produced rapturous scenes among nearly 8,000 fans who had travelled to support the club.

Calcio followers of a certain vintage will remember well the days when the Condor, Massimo Agostini, used to find the net with surprising regularity for the Emilia-Romagna club. They will need to find another hero of such stature if they hope to survive for very long this time around. Their manager is already expected to be poached by Cagliari for the season to come.

Nonetheless, it is confirmation of the particular difficulties and opportunities which Serie B presents. Cesena were only promoted from the Lega Pro last year and their main target was survival this campaign. However, they underlined that a solid season can still produce the goods with a stout defence which proved to be the toughest to break down in the whole division.

The side crowned champions, Lecce, were less surprising. They have only been away for a year and really should have clinched promotion much sooner. After a series of near misses they finally played out a draw which suited themselves and Sassuolo to get the job done. Cue a good soaking for former QPR boss, Gigi De Canio.

The boys from the Via Del Mare are a more free-flowing side than their fellow promotion winners. They conceded a lot more goals but thanks to the potent threat of Daniele Corvia (ex-Roma) and Guido Marilungo (ex-Samp) they usually managed to outscore their rivals. Nonetheless, Serie A survival will be a testing target next year.

It leaves four sides to go into the play-offs for the final berth in the top division. Two of them, Torino and Brescia, will feel they belong among Italy's elite. The other pair, Sassuolo and Cittadella, once again sum up the delights of the division. Not many would have put them in the running for a lucrative leap up the leagues this year. But God bless Serie B for showing that part of the beauty of football is the fact that not everything goes according to script.

Source: http://football-italia.net/blogs/gr90.html

[RomaShield27]

Play-Off: Brescia back in Serie A!
- Sunday 13 June, 2010

Brescia beat Torino 2-1 in the promotion Play-Off to secure their return to Serie A after five years. The 0-0 first leg draw meant that Toro had to win at the Stadio Rigamonti to gain promotion. This is because away goals do not count in the Play-Offs, only the team that finished higher up the standings.

The atmosphere surrounding this tie was electric and often spilled over into ugly scenes, as the Granata accused Brescia players of threatening them, while Bianchi’s ban for uttering a blasphemous phrase was quashed on appeal.

In the opening minute Bianchi’s diving header had turned a Gasbarroni cross over the bar, while Salgado also nodded meekly at the goalkeeper from a promising position.

Arma replaced the injured Salgado, but Brescia slowly took control. First Cordova’s free kick cracked the crossbar, then three minutes later Possanzini curled a right-foot finish to the left of goalkeeper Morello.

It was nearly 2-0, but Morello got down to parry Rispoli’s daisy-cutter in a one-on-one.

At the other end just before half-time, D’Ambrosio blasted wide of an open goal after a poor clearance.

In the second half Rubin’s angled drive was deflected wide, while Rispoli and Loria skimmed the woodwork.

Ogbonna dragged back Possanzini by the jersey and the Caracciolo penalty – which he hit into the top corner – was inevitable.

At 2-0 down and needing two goals in 20 minutes to force extra time, the tension got to Torino.

D’Ambrosio had just been substituted when he clashed with Hetemaj on the touchline, earning both a red card. It did not affect the teams on the field, who remained XI against XI.

Caracciolo went on the counter only to fire straight at Morello, then Arcari fingertipped Gasbarroni’s cross-shot out from under the bar.

Torino did get one back with substitute Arma bundling it between Arcari’s legs after a lucky ricochet.

An equaliser now would force extra time, but it was too little, too late for the Granata. In fact, Barusso saw red for a tackle through the back of Possanzini in stoppages.

Brescia return to Serie A for the first time since 2004-05.

Brescia 2-1 Torino (2-1 agg)
Scorers: Possanzini 34 (B), Caracciolo pen 68 (B), Arma 86 (T)
Sent off: D’Ambrosio 69 (T – bench), Hetemaj 69 (B – bench), Barusso 95 (T)
Brescia: Arcari; De Maio, Bega, Martinez; Rispoli, Vass, Cordova (Lopez 81), Baiocco, Zambelli (Berardi 72); Possanzini, Caracciolo (Kozak 85)
Torino: Morello; D'Aiello, Loria, Ogbonna; D'Ambrosio (Scaglia 68), Génévier, Pestrin (Barusso 45), Rubin; Gasbarroni; Salgado (Arma 25), Bianchi
Ref: Rizzoli

[San Paolo]

[Messinterista]

Your parents from their San?

[San Paolo]

no but my grandfather lived there after his national service was up in the Lido of Venezia