Serie B - Week 27: Weekend Review

Saturday 21 February
Grosseto 2-3 Livorno
Livorno were caught by Bari at the top last week and drew the head-to-head, so this local derby with fellow promotion hopefuls Grosseto had far more than mere pride at stake. They got off to a terrible start as Perticone accidentally turned Gessa's cross into his own net with a diving header. Just five minutes later Candreva flicked on a corner for Abruzzese's tap-in and it was 2-0. However, before the break Diamanti hit one of his trademark screamers into the top corner from a good 40 metres and after the restart Tavano chested down a poor clearance to sweep in the equaliser. It was wide open now as Cordova's free kick and a Volpe diving header went close, though Bergvold completed an inspirational comeback with a left-foot cracker into the top corner.


Bari 2-2 Ascoli
Bari fought back valiantly from 2-0 down in stoppages, but it was not enough to keep the top spot, as they have drawn four on the bounce. Things were looking decidedly bad for the Pugliesi when Pesce's free kick and a Giorgi counter-attack put Ascoli in a commanding position. Guberti's volley against his former club got them back in the game and deep into stoppages Nastos was harshly judged to have brought down Kamata for Parisi's last-gasp penalty.

Sassuolo 1-0 Rimini
Sassuolo received a much-needed boost with this difficult victory over troubled Rimini. They risked going behind in the first half when Paponi at full stretch turned Ricchiuti's cross on to the upright, while there were penalty appeals for an Andreolli handling offence and Paraschiv nodded off target. Those proved costly errors, as a poorly cleared corner allowed Zampagna to pounce from six yards and give Sassuolo the lead. Zampagna and Cipriani both wanted penalties, the former taking his protests too far.

Empoli 0-1 Cittadella
Empoli's dismal form continues with another shock home defeat, as Cittadella soar up the standings and the Tuscans plummet. Meggiorini decided the match with a splendid overhead kick from almost the edge of the box, but in fact the visitors could've scored more with Meggiorini's counter-attacks, as Vannucchi, Corvia and Saudati were wasteful.

Mantova 0-1 Triestina
Mario Somma's honeymoon didn't last long, as he fell to his second consecutive defeat on the Mantova bench. Princivalli's free kick proved decisive with the aid of a deflection off Gorgone in the wall. If Mantova are in dire straits, then Triestina are soaring, as they enter the play-off spots despite Rullo's late dismissal.

Piacenza 1-2 Albinoleffe
Leffe managed a surprise win at the Garilli thanks to Madonna's brace. It took him just 50 seconds to open his account with a lob and within five minutes Ferraro's header had equalised, but Piacenza's strong run ground to a halt when Madonna was allowed a free header that looped over the goalkeeper. Guzman went close to picking up a point, but only skimmed the woodwork.

Avellino 1-0 Vicenza
Avellino's first victory in seven rounds lifts them off the foot of the table, as they leapfrog defeated Treviso. Pepe scored the only goal of the game with a right-footed volley to bring down a Vicenza side in crisis despite Mesbah's dismissal.

Treviso 0-1 Modena
This bottom-of-the-table showdown could be a crossroads in the relegation battle, as Modena continue their upturn in form and leave Treviso propping up the standings. Pinardi converted an early penalty with a cheeky Francesco Totti-style chip and that proved enough following Moro's foul on the goalscorer.

Sunday 22 February
Parma 1-0 Brescia
Paloschi’s lone strike in this head-to-head propelled Parma into joint second place alongside Bari. The Gialloblu were missing several stars, but still opted to bench Cristiano Lucarelli. Okaka wasted a golden opportunity for Brescia early on and it proved costly, as Paloschi sprung the offside trap and spun round to beat Viviano with a real poacher’s goal. The Rondinelle had the better of the second half with Zambrella only booked for simulation when he sought a penalty and goalkeeper Pavarini keeping out Zoboli and Nassi, but Parma held on for the victory.

Monday 23 February
Ancona 1-4 Frosinone
Frosinone surprisingly hammered Ancona in this mid-table battle at the Stadio Del Conero. Cariello opened the scoring as his header exposed some sloppy defence and the Ancona back line was again picked apart as a Bocchetti ball left Eder with the simple task of beating the 'keeper for 2-0. A minute later Ancona were back in the game as Scarlato put a comic own goal past Frattali but he attoned for his error when he netted with a header from a corner after the break. Cariello rubbed salt in Ancona's wounds with a neat right-footed strike.

Pisa 0-0 Salernitana
Salernitana will be happier after they fought a numerical disadvantage to secure a stalemate with Pisa in this flaccid affair. The best action of a miserable encounter came in the opening stages when Pisa striker Degano forced a smart save from Berni with a long-range free-kick and Di Napoli stung Morello's palms at the other end. Peccarisi was sent off after 70 minutes for a second bookable offence, leaving Salernitana with 10 men, but Pisa applied no pressure.

Source: C4 Football Italia