Tuesday 13 March
Juventus 1-0 Treviso
Juventus made up for their shock loss at Brescia by extending their lead at the top of Serie B by disposing of Treviso. A Raffaele Palladino goal in the 71st minute was enough for the Old Lady to move three points clear of Napoli after their draw against Vicenza.
Didier Deschamps’ boys were hardly on fire in the opening period as they struggled to break down a tactically aware Treviso rearguard. Saying that, the Turin giants went close in the 17th minute when a Pavel Nedved free-kick was tipped on to the post by Avramov. Juve’s only other notable effort before the break fell to a wasteful Palladino, while the away side responded with a Camorani shot which went well over the bar.
The Bianconeri took on a more attacking shape in the second period as Valeri Bojinov replaced a quiet Marco Marchionni. That change woke up Juventus and they should have taken the lead in minute 58 only for Alex Del Piero to be stopped by the impressive Avramov.
However, they eventually took the lead with 20 minutes left. Del Piero surprised their opponents with a quick free-kick and Palladino made no mistake. Juve failed to increase their lead despite numerous late efforts, while Treviso never looked like bothering Gigi Buffon at the other end.
Bari 0-2 Cesena
Cesena kept their faint promotion hopes alive as they heaped more misery on struggling Bari at the San Nicola. The away side netted goals at both ends of the tie to collect a 2-0 victory which sees them move on to 38 points for the season. Pellicori got the ball rolling with a 12th minute strike and key hitman Papa Waigo made the game safe with a net-buster three minutes from time. Bari are now hovering just above the danger zone.
Frosinone 0-0 Pescara
A dull Frosinone-Pescara tie finished as it started in a game which produced a dire opening 45 minutes where neither side threatened to break the deadlock. The home side did try to change things after the half-time oranges as they brought on a lively Dedic, but it made very little difference to a game which will not be remembered fondly. In a bid to liven things up, Pescara were reduced to 10 men after Moscardi saw red in minute 85.
Genoa 3-0 Brescia
Genoa got back on the promotion path by bringing an end to Serse Cosmi’s fairytale start on the Brescia bench. Fresh from beating Juventus 3-1, the Rondinelle came crashing back to earth against a rampant second half display from the Grifoni outfit. Cosmi, a former Genoa boss, would have been happy with their first period as Serafini and Lima threatened. However, it was all change after Brescia lost star man Hamsik to injury and Genoa took off an invisible Marco Di Vaio in favour of bringing on Gasparetto. The latter made an instant impact by heading his side in front. The home boys increased their advantage with a Greco wonder strike from distance, while they added a third as defender Gaetano De Rosa grabbed his seventh of the season with a trademark header. Genoa are now third, three points adrift of Napoli.
Mantova 0-0 Spezia
Mantova and Spezia played out a 0-0 draw in a game which was tinged with fear rather than flair. Neither side really made enough of an impression to deserve the three points and the game basically had 0-0 written all over it from the start. Spezia threatened early on with a Colombo shot which was saved by Brivio, while Godeas’ long-ranger sailed over the bar. After the break, the Gigliati pushed on but Santoni was alert to the danger, while Colomba should have done better from close range in minute 65.
Modena 1-1 Bologna
Bologna failed to win their third consecutive match and are now in fourth position after being leapfrogged by Genoa, following the 1-1 draw at the Stadio Braglia. The first half ended goalless after Modena went close to scoring with Bruno, but Bologna broke the deadlock immediately after the break with Danilevicius, who hit the woodwork with a header before sending the ball behind Frezzolini’s shoulders. The Rossoblu counter-attack was dangerous on more than one occasion, but Bortolo Mutti’s decision to field three strikers proved to be the right move as Modena equalised thanks to a penalty converted by Longo. The second half ended with several yellow cards and two red, as Centurioni and Bologna Coach Renzo Ulivieri were both dismissed. Modena remain fourth from bottom with 26 points, two points behind Verona.
Napoli 0-0 Vicenza
Napoli dropped two precious points in the race to catch leaders Juventus after being held to a goalless draw at the Stadio San Paolo. The Azzurri extended their unbeaten run to 18 games, but were unable to break the deadlock against a Vicenza side who dominated in the first half. Paonessa proved to be the danger man for the away side before he was substituted after the break. Napoli Coach Edy Reja also made some changes to his formation, but neither one of the two sides was able to create many clear scoring opportunities in what was a fairly nervous match. Vicenza have moved one point further from the play-out zone and are now in 13th, whereas the gap between Napoli and Juve has increased to three points.
Rimini 1-0 Lecce
The excitement from Lecce’s 5-0 drubbing of Frosinone at the weekend has already dissipated with this slender defeat, as Rimini remain unbeaten at the Stadio Neri. Diamoutene’s header and a Tiribocchi counter-attack had almost put the visitors ahead after five minutes, but Moscardelli wasted a good chance created by Regonesi’s free kick before Porchia rose to nod in a corner. Lecce were furious soon after, as Porchia stopped a Valdes move with a handball and was only booked, but the side demanded a dismissal. In the second half Porchia continued to provide an aerial threat and Jeda had a penalty should for Schiavi’s challenge. It remained a relatively balanced encounter, with Cottafava’s volley on to the side-netting and a fierce Jeda strike parried off the line. Giuseppe Papadopulo’s men staged a late fightback with Tiribocchi failing to make the most of a lucky ricochet off Zanchetta, but Rimini held out for all three points.
Triestina 2-0 Arezzo
Triestina earned an important win over bottom club Arezzo by defeating the Tuscan side 2-0 at the Stadio Nereo Rocco. Home striker Graffiedi was one of the protagonists of the first half, but the deadlock was broken by Allegretti who converted a penalty assigned after a foul on Piovaccari. Marchesetti went close to equalising before the interval but his shot was saved expertly by Bremec. Arezzo reacted after the break, but Bricca’s sending off for a double booking made the guests’ life even more difficult. Triestina almost increased their lead with Pesaresi and Piovaccari, who amazingly failed to score in front of an empty net, while Bremec was decisive with his save from Allegretti. But the home side continued to attack until the end and scored a second goal in the 97th minute with Piovaccari.
Verona 3-1 Piacenza
Verona’s hopes of securing their Serie B status have increased after their third consecutive win thanks to a convincing performance against Piacenza, who remain in fifth place, one point shy of Bologna. Hellas broke the deadlock with Iunco in the first half, finalising the only clear scoring opportunity, and the striker increased the lead immediately after the break. Piacenza got back into the game thanks to Lazzari, but an injury time penalty converted by Cutolo secured Verona’s win. However, there was still time for Piacenza man Gemiti to see red before the final whistle.
Wednesday 14 March
Albinoleffe 2-1 Crotone
Albinoleffe ended a run of three straight defeats to climb into eighth place. Emiliano Mondonico’s men comfortably dominated the game, as Ruopolo wasted a good chance before breaking through moments later. Pagotto kept the scoreline down from Cellini, but could do nothing on Innocenti’s thunderbolt. Another goal was disallowed for offside and, when Crotone finally did come out of their shell with Sedivec’s delicate finish, it was too late.
Source: C4 Football Italia
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