Ternana continued their fast start by grabbing a crucial 1-0 road win on Sunday night thanks to a goal by Felipe Avenatti at the Stadio Romeo Menti against a hard luck Vicenza side rooted in a four-way tie at the foot of the Serie B table with a mere point through the first three matches.
The Uruguayan U20 international striker’s header at the death of the first half was enough to launch Ternana into second place as Vicenza played well but were reduced to 10 men when Salvatore D’Elia went down with an injury in the last 15 minutes after coach Giovanni Lopez had already used his three substitutes.
The match’s first chance fell to Vicenza in the opening minute but the opportunity was wasted and moments later Vicenza’s Nicolo Brighenti went down with an injury minutes later forcing a change which would come back to cost the Biancorossi dearly.
Ternana absorbed the home team’s pressure throughout the half without conceding and were rewarded for their hard work at the stroke of half time when Fabio Ceravolo whipped in a cross and Avenatti beat his defender to the spot for the breakthrough.
Lopez brought on newcomer Antonino Ragusa, freshly signed from Pescara, and switched to a 4-4-2 but it didn’t change the home side’s luck as Ternana refused to succumb and Sampdoria on-loan midfielder Mirko Eramo hit each post to nearly double their advantage.
The injury to D’Elia came minutes after Vicenza’s final substitution and Ternana played out their numerical advantage for the remainder of the match.
Elsewhere, a 10-man Livorno side left it late to draw 1-1 against Latina on Monday in a thriller at the Stadio Armando Picchi insuring both sides remain near the top of the Serie B standings with five points apiece.
Latina had the run of play for most of the first half but were unable to take the lead.
Moments into the second half Amaranto midfielder Damian Djokovic’s evening ended early when he picked up his second yellow card for his second tackle from behind, leaving the home side down a man.
Latina immediately capitalized on the advantage pressing Livorno and were rewarded when midfielder Marco Crimi’s looping header caught Luca Mazzoni flat-footed to give coach Mario Beretta’s men a virtual stranglehold on the match.
As the visitors were putting the match to bed, disaster struck when Marcello Cottafava needlessly slid in the box with his arms outstretched to block a cross and was given a yellow for a handball, gifting Livorno a penalty kick two minutes from the final whistle.
Substitute Aniello Cutolo buried his spot kick to level the match and it ended with Latina cursing their luck and ruing a pair of dropped points.
