Serie B Wk 8: Juve wipe out 17-point penalty

Zanetti lifts 10-man Juve.

Friday 20 October
Rimini 2-0 Brescia
Brescia fell to their second consecutive defeat, as Rimini propel themselves into the promotion race, going three points clear of the Rondinelle. Jeda was on fine form and tested the goalkeeper with an overhead kick before Mannini thumped the woodwork for the visitors. Rimini eventually broke Brescia in the space of six minutes, as Jeda’s left-foot strike from the edge of the box was followed by Barusso firing under the bar.

Saturday 21 October
Triestina 0-1 Juventus
Juventus had Giorgio Chiellini sent off and thanked Gigi Buffon for some crucial saves, as they register their sixth straight win to wipe out the 17-point Calciopoli penalty.

Triestina had a very strong start and put the Bianconeri under pressure, but it was Cristiano Zanetti who broke through after 33 minutes with a low right-foot strike on Pavel Nedved’s cross. The home side had a Piovaccari goal controversially disallowed following Gigi Buffon’s fine save on Mignani’s header, while the Juventus goalkeeper was again tested by Kyriazis and Mattia Graffiedi.

David Trezeguet was denied by Rossi’s outstretched foot on the counter-attack, but Triestina thought they’d found a way back into the match when Giorgio Chiellini picked up a second yellow card for hacking down Kalambay. The Bianconeri battened down the hatches and held out, particularly after a harsh straight red card for Marchini’s tackle on Nedved. Kalambay still threatened an equaliser with a volley that struck the side-netting in the final minutes and Francesco Ruopolo wasted a couple of golden opportunities.

Arezzo 1-1 Spezia
Arezzo are still awaiting their first win of the season after the spoils were shared in this game of two penalties. There was little action in the first half as both sides struggled to play on a severely waterlogged pitch, but the rain stopped during the interval and the game came to life. The home side went close as a Bondi header grazed the post and Spezia ‘keeper Santoni did well to save from Floro Flores before they were awarded a controversial penalty. Young striker Rej Volpato saw his spot-kick saved by Santoni, but was able to tap in the rebound to give Arezzo the lead and end the Tuscan side’s run of over 500 minutes without a goal. However, Spezia levelled with a debatable penalty of their own, which Saverino coolly converted, and grabbed a crucial point to further increase the pressure on Arezzo boss Antonio Conte.

Bari 2-0 Treviso
Bari’s superb start to the campaign continues with victory over Treviso at the Stadio San Nicola. A bright start to the match saw ex-Lazio hitman Russotto force a great stop from Bari ‘keeper Gillet in the third minute and Scaglia clip the bar with a header at the other end. The home side went in front when Santoruvo latched onto a Ganci ball to beat Avramov after 20 minutes. Santoruvo nearly struck again just after the break before Gillet was called upon to rush out and deny Fava. The game was put beyond doubt when Carrus was brought down in the box by Valdez, who was dismissed for a professional foul. The ex-Cagliari man got up to convert the spot kick himself and seal three points for the Galletti.

Frosinone 0-1 Piacenza
Piacenza are back in the promotion race after labouring to victory over Frosinone. The first half-hour was a midfield stalemate before Degano fired the Biancorossi ahead from a free-kick move. Cacia missed a good chance to double the lead, but the second half was dominated by the home side with Di Nardo striking just wide in stoppages.

Genoa 4-3 Cesena
Genoa extended their lead at the top of the table after this thrilling encounter with second-placed Cesena. There were far too many chances to mention, with a goalline clearance on Papa Waigo and Adailton free kick tipped out from under the bar before Sculli put the home side ahead by tapping in Fabiano’s wayward shot. Moments later Greco smashed in a 30-yard screamer, but Cesena got back into it when Salvetti converted a penalty for Barasso’s foul on Piccoli.

Adailton restored the two-goal cushion before the break with a precise header and Turci denied Sculli with an outstretched foot. Papa Waigo set up Lazzari to make it 3-2, only for Adailton to complete his brace by picking up the loose ball from a parried Zeytulaev strike. It still wasn’t over, as Cesena kept the pressure up until the end with Papa Waigo firing home from eight yards to finish off surely the most entertaining game of the season so far.

Mantova 0-2 Bologna
Bologna get back into the promotion race with a second consecutive victory, and a very prestigious one at that. Mantova have made their home record their calling card, but Bellucci broke through with the first chance, a slightly deflected right-foot strike from distance. Amoroso was closed down soon after and Caridi went close to an equaliser before Doga’s free kick clipped the upright. However, Della Rocca dispossessed goalkeeper Brivio in the final stages to make the points safe.

Modena 2-0 Lecce
Lecce were running away at the top of the table a few weeks ago, but with their second straight defeat there are signs of a crisis. Once again, their disiplinary record needs to be looked at, as Rullo was sent off for a second bookable offence before the break. Campedelli went close to an opener with a strike that thumped the woodwork, but Modena also had Sforzini dismissed. Colacone was the decisive player with a brace, first scoring with a right-foot effort from distance, then taking advantage of Benussi’s error. Polenghi had Lecce’s best opportunity of the match saved by Frezzolini.

Napoli 1-0 Crotone
Napoli scraped a win, extending their unbeaten run to six games, with a new 3-4-3 system. The Crotone defence suffered under this attacking tactic, as they marked Bucchi after nine minutes, leaving Calaio unmarked to nod in De Zerbi’s cross from the left. Soviero blocked another Calaio header from a Garics centre and Inacio Pia’s attempt, while Dalla Bona drilled wide. Crotone had a few chances, most notably a save on Lopez’s solo effort.

Pescara 0-0 Vicenza
New Coaches Angelo Gregucci and Aldo Ammazzalorso shared the points after an even clash at the Stadio Adriatico. Paonessa nearly fired the visitors ahead towards the end of a quiet first half, but saw his shot smartly stopped by Spadavecchia. The ex-Bari ‘keeper was again alert to stop a Sgrigna effort at the start of the second period and Raimondi put the rebound over the bar. Pescara had chances to steal the points through a Martini effort and a Carozza free-kick which flashed wide.

Monday 23 October
Verona 0-1 Albinoleffe
Verona’s nightmare start to the season continues after the Scaligeri were sunk by a late Albinoleffe winner. A turgid first period saw precious little goalmouth incident with the only effort on goal coming from Belinghieri who failed to test Verona ‘keeper Pegolo. Teodorani impressed on the left wing for the home side and had their best chance shortly after the interval, but his shot was easily stopped by Acerbis in the Albinoleffe goal. Just when the game seemed to be set for stalemate, Roberto Bonazzi stole the three points for the visitors with a first time strike from a cross and piled the pressure on Verona Coach Massimo Ficcadenti whose side are still without a home win this term.


Source: C4 Football Italia