Serie B - Week 13: Weekend Review

Friday 6 November
Empoli 2-0 Reggina
Reggina's honeymoon period under Ivo Iaconi is already over, as Empoli comfortably won this battle of the big clubs. The Amaranto thought they had broken through their crisis last week, but just before the interval Marianini was allowed a free header. Coralli made the points safe on the hour mark with a smart lob from the edge of the box, while Eder could've added to the tally with a free kick that hit the bar. Reggina had the chance to at least score a consolation goal in stoppages when Antonazzo brought down Cascione, but Bassi saved Brienza's penalty.


Saturday 7 November
Crotone 2-1 Ancona
Leaders Ancona suffered a shock defeat against little Crotone. Bonvissuto broke the deadlock by nodding in De Martino's assist and before the break Schiattarella combined with Colacone to draw level. It remained an open game until the very end, when Zito sent Mazzarani clear on goal. Curiously, Ancona have lost all six of their trips to the Scida.

Gallipoli 2-1 Frosinone
Frosinone wasted the opportunity to close back on the leaders and instead tumble further down the standings. This game was delayed by 20 minutes because of a freak thunderstorm over the stadium. The pitch remained soggy and all the goals came in an intense five-minute spell. Scaglia made the most of a defensive error and Calil's header drew level almost immediately, but Pederzoli thumped in the winner for Gallipoli.

Padova 3-1 Salernitana
Padova move into fourth place, but Salernitana shot themselves in the foot on new Coach Grassadonia's debut. Ferraro had given the visitors a shock lead just eight minutes in on Jadid's assist, but Di Nardo nodded in Petrassi's cross to equalise. The turning point came on the hour mark, as the referee awarded a soft penalty for Soncin's challenge on Galasso. Fava took his protests too far and was sent off as Soncin converted. Jadid had the chance to make it 2-2 anyway with a free kick that thumped the post, but Bovo made the points safe in stoppages.

Brescia 2-2 Triestina
Brescia completed an impressive comeback after trailing 2-0 in front of their concerned fans, grabbing a point out of this four-goal thriller. Triestina were clinical in pouncing on two defensive errors either side of the half-time break, as Testini sprung the offside trap and Volpe went clear on goal following Berardi's fresh-air clearance. Caracciolo came to the rescue with a decisive brace of headers, both from Baiocco assists. Brescia nearly won it at the death after Gorgone's dismissal, but Agazzi palmed away a Zambelli snapshot.

Sassuolo 0-0 Modena
The local derby ended in an ill-tempered stalemate that prevented both sides from closing in on the promotion places. Modena player Napoli had two promising opportunities at the dawn of the second half, but teammate Tamburini received a second booking. Sassuolo threatened with Zampagna, but the advantage did not last long as Gorzegno also saw red.

Vicenza 0-0 Grosseto
Vicenza will have to wait even longer for their first home win of the season, as the two sides cancelled each other out. Bjelanovic and Sgrigna wasted early chances, but the goalkeepers were only really made to work in the final minutes. Acerbis flew to palm away a Paonessa free kick, then Fortin parried Vitofrancesco's strike.

Piacenza 0-2 Mantova
Piacenza plummet into the relegation zone after this embarrassing home defeat. The two goals arrived in eight minutes, as Carrus was left unmarked for an angled drive and the defence again allowed Spinale far too much space to combine with Nassi.

Cesena 0-0 Albinoleffe
Cesena do not take the chance to climb up the standings in a weird weekend, as despite Do Prado's best efforts, they failed to break down the Albinoleffe defence.

Ascoli 1-1 Cittadella
Ascoli took their winless streak to eight games, as Cittadella snatched a late point. Both teams had chances in the first half with a save on Cherubin and Antenucci free kick thumping the woodwork. Antenucci broke through in the second half with a classic counter sparked by Marchesan's error, but Cherubin soared above the crowd for a precise header. Giallombardo saw red for dissent in stoppages.

Monday 9 November
Torino 2-2 Lecce
Lecce salvaged a point to go clear at the top of the table after leaving it late to net a 2-2 draw at Torino. The visitors took the lead in Turin through Corvia, but fell behind after the break. Firstly Bianchi blasted home a penalty after Di Michele was brought down before the same player grabbed what looked liked the winner in the 90th minute. But Lecce fought back with a goal from substitute Baclet.

Source: Football-Italia