Serie B Review - Week 25: Pescara beat the big freeze to reach pole position

Serie B Review – Week 25: Pescara beat the big freeze to reach Pole Position

Posted on Thursday, 2nd February 2012 by Kevin Tarbuck

Pescara and Zdenek Zemen are looking hot favourites for long awaited return to Serie A as their fine form continued with a win over Crotone. Sassuolo’s fairy tale season stumbled with a goalless draw at Cittadella, while Verona and Torino both returned to winning ways with respective victories over Grosseto and Vicenza.

With large parts of the peninsula battling blizzards this week, two fixtures with a direct impact on the relegation scrap unfortunately fell foul of the weather; Modena-Albinoleffe and Sampdoria-Empoli.

Tuesday 31^st January

Ascoli 1 – 0 Nocerina

Federico Gerardi’s winner five minutes from time gave Ascoli the points in this battle between the league’s bottom two.

In a first half dominated by the home side, Papa Waigo tested visiting keeper Emanuele Concetti with a long range strike, before Nocerina’s Luigi Castaldo struck a poor effort wide of Enrico Guarna’s post.

Waigo appeared to have given Ascoli a first half lead with a superb volley from the edge of the box, but he was adjudged to have been offside when played in by Matteo Ciofani.

Vito Falconieri then went close, forcing a good save from Concetti with a long range strike, with Waigo again in offside position as he looked to poke home the rebound.

Second half substitute Gerardi went close to breaking the deadlock with a powerful long range drive that Concetti pushed past the post. Meanwhile, Nocerina’s best effort of the half came via Maikol Negro’s ambitious overhead kick, which was comfortably saved.

With time running out, Gerardi struck home the winner from close range after Nocerina failed to clear their lines following a set piece, keeping alive the Bianconeri’s hopes of beating the drop. Nocerina meanwhile stay rock bottom, and look increasingly doomed with each passing result.

Bari 3 – 1 Padova

Padova’s push for promotion took a hit with a comprehensive defeat to Bari at the Stadio San Nicola.

Fernando Martin Forestieri should have broken the deadlock early on, blasting the ball over the bar from close range whilst completely unmarked.

However, Bari did take the lead in the seventh minute, when Adran Stoian’s strike from just outside the box took a cruel deflection off the thigh of Trevor Trevisan, and looped into the net over a stranded Ivan Pelizzoli.

Linus Hallenius restored parity five minutes before the break, when Dejan Lazarevic controlled with his chest on the edge of the box before squaring the ball into the path of the Swede, who struck home with aplomb.

Bari thought they had retaken the lead shortly after the restart, when Pelizzoli fumbled Forestieri’s speculative long range effort into the path of Francesco Caputo, who tapped in from close range only to be denied by the offside flag.

However, Bari’s second did arrive in the 55^th minutes. Forestieri squared the ball to Caputo on the edge of the box, who then cut a swathe through the Padova defence before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.

The points were made safe five minutes later, with Caputo latching onto a loose ball on the edge of the area before firing low and hard into the bottom corner.

Caputo wasted a glorious opportunity to claim his hat trick, whilst at the other end Hallenius struck the post with a powerful effort, but the home side held on the deservedly claim the points.

Brescia 0 – 0 Juve Stabia

Brescia dropped points for the first time under new coach Alessandro Calori with a disappointing stalemate at home to Juve Stabia.

On a snow covered pitch, the home side produced the better chances of the first half, with Omar El Kaddouri firing an early shot just over, before Juve Stabia’s Tomas Danilevicius saw an effort cleared off the line.

Brescia’s Brazilian forward Jonathas struck agonisingly wide of the post with an effort from just inside the box following a superb drag back. He then forced a good low save from Juve Stabia keeper Andrea Seculin, as the score stayed level at the break.

In the second half, El Kaddouri saw a long range free kick whistle just past the post, before substitute Salvatore Foti’s shot from the edge of the box was comfortably saved by Seculin.

At the other end, Mezavilla tried his luck from 25 yards out, but Michele Arcari dived low to push the ball out. Arcari then had to be alert to push Horacio Nicolas Erpen’s teasing free kick just over the bar as the visitors began to assert themselves, but the deadlock could not be broken.

Cittadella 0 – 0 Sassuolo

Sassuolo dropped to second in the table following a disappointing goalless draw at Cittadella that undermines their unlikely promotion push.

Simone Missiroli went close to giving the visitors the lead in only the second minute, forcing a fine low save from Cittadella keeper Alex Cordaz having cut inside from the left flank.

At the other end, Nunzio Di Roberto struck a weak effort straight at Sassuolo keeper Alberto Pomini, before Gianluca Sansone saw a long range free kick sail just over for the visitors.

In a game typified by poor finishing, the best chances in the second half came from set pieces, as Sassuolo’s Francesco Magnanelli saw his stinging long range free kick well saved, before Pomini repeated the feat to keep out Di Roberto’s dead ball.

Magnanelli then fired over wildly from distance as a disappointing performance from both sides ended in a stalemate.

Crotone 1 – 2 Pescara

Emmanuel Cascione struck eight minutes from time to send Pescara soaring to the top of the table.

This season’s current Serie B top scorer Ciro Immobile went close to breaking the deadlock early on, forcing a smart save from Crotone keeper Vid Belec with a volley from the edge of the box.

On the half hour mark, Crotone’s Massimo Loviso was fortunate to escape a red card after raking his studs down the back of Matti Lund Nielsen’s leg; a challenge that brought the Dane’s evening to a premature end.

Nicola Domenico Sansone went close with a curling effort from the edge of the Pescara box, before Immobile rifled an effort against the crossbar from distance.

Gabionetta then almost put the home side ahead in sensational style with a left foot strike from distance that was destined for the top corner before Pescara keeper Luca Anania leapt to push to the ball to safety.

The breakthrough came moments before the break, when Alessandro Florenzi shifted the ball onto his right foot, before unleashing a curling effort beyond the reach of Anania.

Loviso then struck the bar with a long range free kick, before Immobile brought a pulsating first half to a close by capitalising on poor Crotone defending to hammer home from close range and level the scores.

In the second half, Caetano should have restored the home side’s lead, but a heavy touch when one on one with Anania saw the keeper smother the ball easily. Meanwhile, Florenzi whipped a dangerous ball across the face of the Pescara net, but Caetano was not close enough to connect.

An end to end encounter was settled in the 82^nd minute, when Damiano Zanon launched a looping cross into the Crotone box, and Cascione powerfully headed home from six yards out to send Zdenek Zemen’s men to the Serie B summit.

Verona 2 – 0 Grosseto

A first half brace from Matthias Lepiller saw Verona return to winning ways, keeping them in touch with the league’s pace setters.

Lepiller opened the scoring in sensational fashion inside the opening two minutes, cutting inside from the left flank before unleashing a superb dipping drive beyond the reach of Grosseto keeper Antonio Narciso and into the top corner.

The visitors rallied, with Martin Petras firing just over the bar, before Gaetano Caridi struck the post with an effort from just outside the area.

However, Lepiller doubled the advantage five minutes before the break with a strike every bit as impressive as his opener, controlling the ball with his left foot outside the box before crashing a powerful effort into the top left corner.

In the second half, Ferdinando Sforzini perhaps should have been awarded a penalty when dragged down in the box, but his theatrical fall arguably didn’t help his cause.

Nicola Farrari saw an effort pushed just wide of the post, before Panagiotis Tachtsidis struck a shot just wide as the hosts pushed the increase their advantage.

Grosseto’s best chance of the second half fell to substitute Arturo Lupoli, but his strike was saved at point blank range by Verona keeper Rafael, and the Gialloblu held on for the win.

Livorno 1 – 3 Varese

Varese kept up their push for a play-off place with a dominant performance in Tuscany, as Livorno continue to flirt with relegation.

The visitors looked the livelier of the two sides in the opening exchanges, and Livorno keeper Francesco Bardi had to be alert to keep out Giuseppe De Luca’s effort.

However, against the run of play, Livorno were gifted a penalty in the 20^th minute, when Raffaele Pucino was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area under pressure from Pasquale Schiattarella. Paulinho stepped up to stroke the ball into the bottom corner, and put the home side into the lead.

Parity was restored just a minute later, when Gianpietro Zecchin met Enis Nadarevic’s deep cross into the box before smashing the ball home in emphatic style.

De Luca then went agonisingly close to giving Varese the lead, with Bardi snuffing out his close range shot with an impressive save.

The lead did come in the 37^th minute however, when Livorno failed to clear their lines from Zecchin’s corner, and Magnus Troest stole in at the back post to head the ball home.

The home side were reduced to ten men early in the second half, Schiattarella picking up his second booking of the match, and the visitors almost took immediate advantage when Zecchin’s powerful free kick was pushed just wide by Bardi.

In worsening conditions, Troest made the points safe with just over five minutes remaining, poking the ball home from close range amidst a crowd of defenders.

Modena P – P Albinoleffe

Fixture postponed.

Reggina 3 – 1 Gubbio

Reggina kept up their pursuit of the play-off pack with a convincing home victory over relegation threatened Gubbio.

The home side should have taken an early lead, but Alessio Campagnacci failed to connect with a deep corner having been completely unmarked at the back post, and the ball rolled harmlessly away.

However, Campagnacci atoned for his error just moments later, when Emilano Bonazzoli deflected Antonio Barilla’s cross into his path on the edge of the six-yard box, and he stroked the ball home.

The Amaranto were gifted an opportunity to double the lead on the half hour mark when a poor challenge saw Bonazzoli hacked down in the area. The forward stepped up to power home the penalty, though Gubbio keeper Antonio Donnarumma managed to get his palms to the ball.

The result was put beyond doubt in the 58^th minute when Gianluca Freddi volleyed home a corner from close range, with Donnarumma adamant that he had been fouled in the build-up to the goal.

The visitors were on the score sheet just three minutes later, Mario Rui firing in a superb left footed free kick that nestled into the bottom corner.

Salvatore Mastronunzio forced Reggina keeper Giovanni Zandrini into a fine double save as the visitors looked to find a foothold back into the game, but the hosts held on for three deserved points.

Sampdoria P –P Empoli

Fixture postponed.

Torino 1 – 0 Vicenza

Denis Tonucci’s second half own goal gave the Granata the points as they push to reclaim top spot.

In an open ended first half, Elvis Abbruscato should have put the visitors ahead, but his shot from six yards was straight at Torino keeper Francesco Benussi, who saved easily.

At the other end, Nnamdi Oduamadi’s fierce effort was well saved by Alberto Frison, before Alessandro Parisi struck an effort just wide of the post.

In the second half, Riccardo Meggiorini found himself just inside the box with only Frison to beat, but the Vicenza keeper produced a miraculous save to keep the scores level.

The breakthrough came in the 64^th minute, when Juan Ignacio Surraco latched onto Giuseppe Vives’ hopeful punt forward, before driving the ball across the face of the Vicenza goal line, where the unfortunate Tonucci was waiting to unwittingly steer the ball home.

Abbruscato went close to an equaliser with a looping header that sailed just over, before Vives struck an effort inches wide of the Vicenza post.

Frison then made a string of fine saves as the hosts went in search of a second, but it was not needed, and the Granata took home three vital points in their quest for a return to Serie A.

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