Serie B Week 23: Review

Saturday 2 February
Bologna 3-2 Spezia
Bologna went clear at the top of the table, but were almost stunned by a late comeback. Terzi opened the scoring in this entertaining encounter by nodding in Daino’s free kick to the back post and less than 60 seconds later Marazzina had met Lavecchia’s cross to double the advantage. Bucchi continued his fine form since the January move to the Rossoblu with a close-range volley and could have had a second had the crossbar not stopped his spectacular overhead kick. However, Spezia did not give in and staged a plucky fightback. Di Vicino clipped the frame of the goal from distance before Millesi skipped past both Bonetto and goalkeeper Antonioli. Guidetti gave Bologna a scare as he ran on to a searching pass to leave Terzi stranded. It was 3-2 and the tension rose, but the home side wasted the chance to put the game beyond doubt when Tedeschi brought down Bombardini and Dazzi saved Carrus’ penalty.


Frosinone 1-5 Pisa
A five-star Pisa performance sends Frosinone into a deep crisis with a third consecutive defeat. It was already 4-0 in the first half-hour, as Cerci provided assists for three of them. His cross was met by Kutuzov’s angled drive, then Zavagno’s looping header, a deflected D’Anna strike from the D and Curci’s effort parried into the path of Kutuzov thumped the Matusa side. Lodi slammed in one of his trademark free kicks, but former Frosinone striker Castillo netted on the counter to complete the rout. This was Pisa’s ninth victory in 13 away games.

Triestina 1-1 Chievo
Chievo drop off the top of the table after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser in Trieste, but it was no less than the home side deserved. Squizzi single-handedly kept the Flying Donkeys in the game with a series of at least four crucial saves on Testini, Princivalli and Sgrigna. Luciano put Chievo ahead against the run of play with a glancing header from a corner kick, but in the final minute Minelli redirected Allegretti’s free kick to earn a point.

Treviso 0-0 Lecce
Lecce drop points, but can be content with the result considering they played the final 35 minutes with 10 men. January signing Giunti made his debut, but within four minutes threatened to hand the visitors a goal with his poor pass intercepted for an Abbruscato counter. Cottafava foolishly picked up two bookable offences, but the Salentini held on and even risked a winner through Tiribocchi, Valdes and a Zanchetta free kick. Treviso had the best chance of the game nine minutes from time, as Quadrini’s thunderbolt cracked against the crossbar and former Arsenal youngster Lupoli’s rebound was offside.

Brescia 4-1 Grosseto
Brescia struggled more than they expected to, but crushed Grosseto in the final 15 minutes for a flattering scoreline. The visitors had taken the lead just three minutes in thanks to Lazzari’s effort and the Rondinelle only equalised through Tacchinardi’s penalty for a foul on new signing De Zerbi. Another debutant proved decisive, as Caracciolo’s spendid volley started the final rout, followed by another Tacchinardi strike and an unfortunate Filkor own goal.

Albinoleffe 0-0 Vicenza
Albinoleffe failed to make an impact on relegation strugglers Vicenza in this very disappointing match. There were few real chances from either side, who did well enough in midfield before discovering their forwards were ineffective. The Biancorossi seemed content to sit back and soak up pressure, coming home with a point.

Mantova 2-0 Avellino
Mantova got back on track following their humiliating 5-2 defeat at Ravenna last week, but it was still far from a glittering performance. Doga broke through with a fierce strike from outside the box and, after his dismissal for a second bookable offence and Mengoni's last man foul, the home side doubled their lead with a goalkeeping howler on Do Prado.

Bari 0-1 Rimini
Bari slide into the play-out zone as Rimini stay in the play-off hunt. Regonesi decided the match with a fantastic curling free kick into the top corner. Despite Stellini’s dismissal for dissent, 10-man Bari could have snatched a point at the death when Consigli brought down Santoruvo. However, Donda saw his penalty saved.

Modena 2-0 Piacenza
Modena extend their unbeaten run to six games in this Emilia derby. Antonazzo’s towering header converted Pinardi’s free kick and on 25 minutes his cross was fumbled by Cassano into the path of a grateful Okaka. Piacenza’s best opportunity fell to Nef, but the header was denied by Narciso.

Ascoli 5-0 Ravenna
A week is a long time in Serie B, as seven days after demolishing Mantova 5-2, Ravenna found themselves on the other end of a hammering. Sommese’s lob paved the way for Bernacci’s hat-trick. The striker took advantage of a misunderstanding between Marruocco and Cosenza, but the goalkeeper was sent off for taking his protests too far. Ascoli had it all in the second half and Bernacci made the most of it with two tap-ins set up by Sommese. Maniero came off the bench to make it 5-0 on the counter.

Cesena 1-0 Messina
Cesena took the lead after just three minutes and clung on to it until the bitter end for a surprise victory. Former Cesena man Pestrin brought down Moscardelli for the decisive penalty and Croce wasted a good chance to double their advantage. The rest was mostly Messina, but Foti, Degano and Lazzarri failed to find a way past new Brazilian goalkeeper Artur.

Source: C4 Football Italia