Frosinone temporarily delayed Carpi’s celebration to the top flight by defeating the Biancorossi 1-0 at the Stadio Matusa on Saturday afternoon in one of nine Serie B matches.
Canarini defender Leonardo Blanchard’s bullet header in the 10th minute was enough to stave off a determined Carpi side who need only one more point to guarantee promotion and play in Serie A for the first time in club history.
The lead came early when Robert Gucher drove in a hard corner to the six-yard area where Blanchard evaded Aljaz Struna and drilled his header past a hapless Gabriel. Carpi nearly provided an immediate answer as Lorenzo Lollo cut a pass back to Jerry Mbakogu but the Nigerian couldn’t add to his 13 goal tally as his right-footed shot barely avoided Massimo Zappino’s far post.
Carpi wouldn’t seriously threaten again until late in the contest when the ball bounced around in the box but solid contact could not be made by either side until Zappino finally stuck a fork in the ball and nullified the threat sending Frosinone into third place with a clear opportunity to avoid the roulette of the playoffs and gain automatic promotion with a second place finish.
Vicenza sit a solitary point above Frosinone thanks to a 1-0 victory over Varese at the Stadio Romeo Menti where Nicolo Brighenti scored his third goal early in the second half from a corner kick as the right back was unmarked in the area on a corner kick. The Leopardi were never in the match and were fortunate to not lose by a wider margin.
Berici coach Pasquale Marino has performed a miraculous turnaround for the Veneto club since taking over Vicenza in October when the squad had only secured two victories in their first 11 matches. The 52-year old has guided the club to a massive 52 points in their last 26 matches and are a lock for a playoff spot but have their sights set on automatic promotion.
Spezia launched themselves into a playoff spot by winning their first in four matches as they thrashed a helpless Trapani 3-0 at the Stadio Alberto Picchi.
Modena created some distance from a play-out position by handing Crotone their first loss in seven matches, a heavy 3-0 defeat which leaves the Squali firmly in danger of being relegated despite their recent form.
Pescara picked up the only win for a traveling side on Saturday as the Delfini played Virtus Lanciano in an Abruzzo derby defeating the Frentani 1-0 on captain Birkir Bjarnason’s second half strike. Lanciano had the bulk of the chances on the day but were unable to make good on the final touch while Bjarnason cashed in when his run into the area went unchecked and the Icelandic midfielder ran onto the path of a low cross for a simple finish.
