Ahead of today’s Serie B fixtures, leaders Carpi knew that if they beat Bari they could increase their lead at the top of the table to four points.
Frosinone had the chance to leapfrog Carpi last night, but the Ciociari were surprisingly defeated 1-0 by Ternana.
The Biancorossi duly took their chance to take their lead at the top of the table to four points as they beat Bari 1-0 at the Stadio San Nicola.
A strike from the club’s top scorer Jerry Mbakogu at the start of the second half was enough for the away side.
Bari were also reduced to ten men in the final ten minutes as Stefano Sabelli received his second yellow card.
There was also a clash between two teams that were relegated from Serie A at the Stadio Angelo Massimino as Catania faced Bologna.
Third placed Bologna had the chance to go level with Frosinone in second place with a win and had the perfect start after four minutes when Franco Zuculini put the Rossublu in front.
The second half didn’t start off well for the home side either as Robert Acquafresca doubled Bologna’s lead. Minutes later Catania pulled one back through Albanian forward Edgar Cani.
Twelve minutes from time the comeback was complete for the Elefanti as Emanuele Calaio calmly dispatched a penalty.
There was a shock result in the game between Pro Vercelli and Pescara with the Delfini inflicting a 4-0 demolition job.
Just after the half-hour mark, Birkir Bjarnasson put the away side in front but it took a while for the next goal to go in.
Matteo Politano made it two for the away side in the 75th minute before a brace from Victor da Silva completed the rout in the last ten minutes.
Elsewhere, Crotone lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a surprising 2-1 away win at promotion-chasers Avellino.
Camilo Ciano put the Rossoblu in front in the first ten minutes but Avellino put themselves on level terms in the 25th through Gianmario Comi.
In the 79th minute Crotone went back in front and this time it was Aniello Salzano. The Lupi had a chance to equalise for the second time in the match when they were awarded a penalty, but the usually reliable Luigi Castaldo missed from the spot and Crotone took the three points.
There were two 2-2 draws in the matches between Varese and Virtus Entella and Virtus Lanciano and Trapani.
Entella raced into a 2-0 lead away at Varese in the opening 20 minutes as Simone Iacoponi and Michele Russo scored for the Diavoli Neri, but a penalty from Luigi Falcone made it game on for Varese.
In the 78th minute, Neto Pereira got on the scoresheet to complete the comeback for the Leopardi.
In the match between Lanciano and Trapani, it was the latter that started off the brightest as an own goal from Stefano Ferrario put Trapani in front in six minutes.
Then, a brace from Mame Thiam just before the break turned the game on its head and put Lanciano in front at half-time.
Cristian Terlizzi got his second goal in as many weeks in the 75th minute to earn a point for his side.
To wrap up the week 17 round up there was also two stalemates between Spezia and Cittadella and also Perugia and Latina.
That means that Latina stay bottom of the league follwing the win for Crotone whilst Perugia stay just outside the play-off positions.
Spezia stay in fourth position and Cittadella remain a place above Latina in 21st place.
