Saturday 1 May 2010

Serie B - Week 38: Weekend Review

Friday 30 April
Ancona 1-1 Grosseto
Grosseto remain in the push for a play-off place after a last-gasp draw at the Stadio Del Duca. Ancona thought they had the three points necessary to mathematically secure their safety when Gerardi finalised Zavagno's move. The visitors went close to equalising through Turati, Job and then Vitiello was only denied by the crossbar. However, four minutes from time a Carobbio shot was deflected into the path of substitute Pichlmann.


Saturday 1 May
Lecce 2-1 Albinoleffe
Lecce had a six-point lead going into this weekend and could taste Serie A football. However, Albinoleffe surprisingly took first blood at the Stadio Via del Mare with Bombardini’s daisy-cutter set up by Foglio. The home side poured forward and, after tough saves on Corvia’s volley and a Marilungo header, Layeni completely missed a corner kick and allowed Marilungo to tap in. After the restart Corvia twice threatened and eventually turned the game around by bursting through the centre.

Frosinone 0-2 Cesena
Cesena climb back into joint second place with this comfortable victory, as Coach Guido Carboni's debut on the Frosinone bench showed little improvement. Giaccherini's angled drive opened the scoring and after an attempt at a fightback in the second half, Malonga struck on the counter.

Padova 1-1 Sassuolo
Sassuolo dropped two points in stoppages that allow Cesena to catch them in second place, as Padova hang on to the hope of staying in Serie B. Rabito, Di Nardi, Martinetti and Bianco went close before Noselli was allowed a free header from a corner. Sassuolo seemed content to protect that lead and it proved a mistake, as in injury time Di Nardo sprung the offside trap to meet Bonaventura's cross.

Modena 2-1 Cittadella
Modena fought back from a goal down to earn a precious victory over high-flying promotion contenders Cittadella. Volpi had smashed in from the edge of the box, but within minutes Diagouraga had equalised by reacting quickly to a corner kick. Before the break Bruno turned the game around completely when he sprung the offside trap to beat the goalkeeper one-on-one.

Torino 2-0 Gallipoli
Toro were eager to get back on track and continue their promotion push after some disappointing recent results. Salgado was aggressive from the start and he broke through when redirecting Ogbonna’s effort from the edge of the box. He had another couple of chances before Rubin chested down the ball to smash into the top corner of the net. Gallipoli tried to fight back, but rarely threatened the goalkeeper. In fact, Salgado scored a second only for it to be ruled offside.

Crotone 2-0 Triestina
Crotone are still in the play-off hunt thanks to this hard-fought victory. Only great saves prevented Nef and Testini from giving Triestina the lead early on, so when Viviani broke the deadlock against the run of play, it was a heavy blow for the visitors. Calderoni had done well to parry Abruzzese's header, but could do nothing on the follow-up. Triestina continued to have the better chances, but towards the end Gabionetta secured the points with an angled drive, then saw red for a second bookable offence.

Reggina 1-2 Ascoli
Reggina’s hopes of avoiding the drop took a heavy blow with this heart-breaking home defeat. They had dominated the first half with saves on Guarna and Brienza, then broke through after the restart with a Brienza angled drive. However, 15 minutes later Valdez brought down Lupoli for a red card and Antenucci penalty. Reduced to 10 men, Reggina clung to the point and even forced a goalline clearance from Brienza. At the last minute Antenucci snatched the victory for Ascoli.

Salernitana 1-3 Mantova
Salernitana are mathematically relegated, although it was something the team and its fans had known for some time. Mantova needed a boost to avoid the same fate, although it might not matter considering four of their players are suing the club for unpaid wages. Fusco brought down Pellicori for a Caridi penalty and soon after Dionisi equalised with a splendid curler. However, it all went wrong when Tricarico saw red for a last man foul on Locatelli, who then scored from the resulting free kick. Merino reduced Salernitana to nine men for a reaction foul and Pellicori pounced on the rebound from a parried Locatelli effort.

Piacenza 1-1 Vicenza
Both teams were eager to consolidate their mid-table status and a point apiece effectively does that. Parfait released Cani to set up Moscardelli for Piacenza's opener after 36 minutes, somewhat against the run of play. Vicenza managed to draw level straight after the break thanks to Botta's absolute screamer from distance that slammed in off the upright.

Monday 3 May
Empoli 1-2 Brescia
Brescia ended Empoli’s unbeaten home record to take a giant leap towards promotion, as they are now clear in second place. The Castellani had not been conquered for 13 months and the Tuscans were confident of getting themselves back into the play-off race, but Brescia had four good chances before Possanzini finally broke through by nodding in Budel’s free kick. Rispoli failed to make the most of a Bassi error moments later, so Empoli equalised through Eder’s screamer of a set piece. However, Caracciolo snatched the win seven minutes from time with a trademark looping header, again from Budel’s assist. Coralli thought he had earned a point in stoppages, but the goal was correctly ruled offside.

Source: Football-Italia

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