Serie B: Cremonese Reigns Supreme
MD31: Seven rounds to go. Three points separate the Top 4 clubs in Serie B
Welcome to the Serie B roundup as Cremonese leads at the international break, Como and Ternana secure safety and we review the Derby di Calabria.
Golazzo!
Before we begin, let’s appreciate this rocket from Alessandro Celli. These are 27-seconds of Serie B calcio that every football fan should see.
And how about Amato Ciciretti’s juggle and volley combo for Como - that’s also coming your way.
Queen of The South: Reggina wins the Derby
Late drama at the Stadio Oreste Granillo as the Lupi hit the woodwork twice and were denied a penalty.
Cosenza showed intent as Daniele Liotti struck the crossbar with a ferocious set-piece from 22-yards. Reggina looked dangerous with Alessandro Cortinovis running onto Gianluca Di Chiara’s look-away-pass to extract a reaction-save from Kristjan Matosevic.
The Goal: Amaranto midfielder, Tomasz Kupisz, won a penalty after being sandwiched between Andrea Vallocchia and Michael Venturi. Michael Folorunsho — on loan from Napoli — then stepped up to beat Matosevic’s outstretched arm and send the home fans into delirium.
The spot-kick proved to be the difference, as Reggina’s Rigoberto Rivas was put through by a delicious Cortinovis through-ball, however, the Honduran’s superb run and finish was ruled offside by a bee’s appendage.
Joaquin Larrivey smashed the crossbar late, denying Cosenza a point. The Wolves have a game in hand but Vicenza has leaped above them after a shock win over Ascoli.
The Top 8
Fabio Grosso and Frosinone triumphed 2–0 in the crucial Top 8 six-pointer with Benevento in front of a boisterous crowd at the Benito Stirpe.
Luigi Canotto was brought down by Alberto Paleari and Matteo Ricci was on spot-kick duty. The Ex-Spezia midfielder struck the upright as Benevento defenders encroached the area so Ricci was gifted a second-chance, atoning by sending the keeper the wrong way.
The tense affair ended with a bizarre Alessandro Vogliacco own-goal — his second in the Canaries’ last three games — and Fabio Grosso took the points, ending Benevento’s run of six undefeated and reinforcing Frosinone’s top 8 status. The pair occupy 6th and 7th positions with 51 points.
The Top 4: Three Points Separates 1st and 4th
Monza kept a third successive clean sheet and temporarily held first place thanks to Andrea Barberis’ 95th-minute winner that sank Crotone at the Brianteo on Saturday.
With the Brianzoli in scintillating form — winning the last four — the international break has come too soon for Giovanni Stroppa as his side remains unbeaten in their last five.
Pisa fans are forever thankful for the January signing of Ernesto Torregrossa from Sampdoria. The Sicilian notched up his sixth goal since arriving in Tuscany — heading home a fierce Nicholas Siega cross to beat Cittadella’s Elhan Kastrati at the near post — as the Nerazzurri won 1–0 at the Garibaldi Arena.
Click Here to see why Serie B has a Top 8
Fabio Pecchia is leading the Peloton
I hope you’ve imagined Pecchia in bike pants contesting the Giro d’Italia.
With seven rounds to go, Cremonese deservedly leads Serie B. The GrigioRossi have only lost twice in their past 17 outings, winning 11 of those, including Sunday’s away trip against Spal in Ferrara.
The afternoon belonged to Luca Zanimacchia, who won a penalty for Daniel Ciofani to bury, before touching deftly past Enrico Alfonso to slot into an open goal, sealing an all-important 2–0 result as Fabio Pecchia aims to lead the club back to Serie A for the first time since 1996.
Spal — who has only won twice in their past fifteen contests — sits comfortably above the PlayOut Zone, leading Vicenza and Cosenza by 7 points. The BiancAzzurri must face the latter on April 5th at the Paolo Mazza.
Lecce: From league-leaders to 4th in three weeks
Many would have penned in Lecce and Parma for automatic promotion. In a match with chances and saves aplenty, the creativity of Franco Vazquez kept the Ducali on the front foot at the Tardini.
The Giallorossi’s big chance came when Gabriel Streffezza extracted a double-save from Parma’s reserve goalkeeper, Martin Turk. The 18-year-old Slovenian, selected in Gianluigi Buffon’s absence, got his right fist to Mario Gargiulo’s Zola-like strike at the death to keep a clean sheet.
Alessandro Circati — another 18-year-old — went close to winning it for the Crociati with a powerful header from a set-piece. It concluded nil-all but the highlights are well worth a watch.
Click here to read my interview with Australian defender, Alessandro Circati.
Lecce has drawn the most matches (14) of any team in the Top 8, and their inability to take maximum points in their past four has seen the Salentini slip to 4th after leading Serie B as recently as Matchday 28.
The PlayOut and Relegation
It all happened late at the Stadio Romeo Menti as Vicenza poached a vital 2–0 win over Ascoli, hoisting the Biancorossi from the relegation zone and into the PlayOut placings.
With Cosenza losing the Calabrian Derby to Reggina, Vicenza overcame a first-half penalty-miss to win it late. Loris Zonta rammed home a loose ball from close-range in 85th, the Inter-youth midfielder claiming his first of the campaign.
Ascoli shot themselves in the foot, conceding twice in four minutes as Nicola Leali fumbled and the ball ricocheted in off teammate Giuseppe Bellusci.
Pordenone vs Brescia at the Lignano Sabbiadoro ends 1–1
It’s inevitable that clubs must go down to Lega Pro (Serie C), and it’s with a heavy heart that I must concede that the Neroverdi have already been relegated — at least psychologically.
Brescia captain, Dimitri Bisoli, provided Florian Aye with a delightful ball, the Frenchman tucking away goal #4 for the term. Then the game turned on its head as the Ramarri went for it.
Pordenone then leveled proceedings when Nicolo Cambiaghi — recently called up by Paolo Nicolati for Italy U21 duties — fired low under Jesse Joronen. Bottling the opportunity to win it, Alessandro Lovisa won, took and telegraphed a 41st-minute penalty, the home-side now winless in 11.
Lovisa was denied his first goal in the second division while Cambiaghi notched up his sixth. Therefore, the juxtaposition-of-the-round belongs to the Pordenone youngsters.
Brescia resumes after the break with an intriguing match at home to Vicenza, the Leonessa aims to snap a four-game winless streak—the worst form of all Top 8 clubs.
Mid-Table Magic
Amato Ciciretti volleyed in his first goal in a year as Como broke a six-game winless-run at Perugia. Failing to score during his spell at Pordenone earlier this season, the Napoli-owned attacker last appeared on the score-sheet status at now-defunct Chievo Verona back in March, 2021.
I’ve cued the Ciciretti stunner for you. You’re welcome.
With PlayOffs in mind, Ninth-placed Perugia can take consolation knowing that Ascoli (8th) and Cittadella (10th) also suffered defeats.
As for the Lariani, the three points all-but-secures Serie B status for another campaign, alongside Ternana who dispatched with Alessandria 3–0.
Ternana Alessandria
Alessandro Celli’s glorious hit from 30 metres after 11 minutes surely deserves Goal-Of-The-Round accolades. What a way to score your first goal in Serie B, Figlio Mio.
To their credit, Alessandria pushed for the equaliser but was repeatedly denied by Antoni Iannarilli’s heroics, the Rossoverdi keeper attaining a third consecutive clean-sheet at the Stadio Libero Liberati.
Simone Mazzocchi and Bruno Martella capped off a big afternoon for Cristiano Lucarelli with 79th and 91st-minute goals respectively.
Seven points adrift of Spal, Moreno Longo has a lot of work to do if his Grigi are going to avoid the PlayOut.
All the Matchday 31 Results
Matchday 31 was a round of winners and losers, with just two draws. Four Top 8 clubs were victorious as 8th, 9th and 10th all suffered defeats and a relegation-struggler caused a huge upset.
The Serie B Table on MD31
Playoffs: Frosinone re-asserted themselves and have the psychological advantage over Benevento should the pair meet again. Lecce and Brescia must pick up their form to have a chance of direct promotion. Ascoli can sleep easy thanks to the losses suffered by Cittadella and Perugia.
PlayOuts and Relegation: Vicenza has boosted it’s chances of survival. The only other bottom-six club that acquired a point was Pordenone, the Ramarri have anchored themselves to the bottom of the Adriatic Sea.
Top Scorers: After 30 Rounds
None of the Top 10 goalscorers added to their tallies. Massimo Coda (18) is way ahead of his teammate Gabriel Streffezza (12). If Ernesto Torregrossa (6) continues his good form then he should finish in double figures before the campaign is over.
Remaining Highlights from MD31
Pisa Cittadella, Pordenone Brescia, Perugia Como, Reggina Cosenza, Parma Lecce
Next Games on Matchday 32
Top 8 sides: Lecce vs Frosinone, Benevento vs Pisa. Will Alessandria vs SPAL end in a PlayOut Miracle?
The Serie B Playoff dates have been announced
Play Off First Round
Friday, 13th May 6 v 7 (X), Saturday 14th May, 5 v 8 (Y).
PlayOut Dates
16th vs 17th of Serie B will be contested on Thursday, 12th of May and Friday, 20th of May (Home and Away).
Play Off Semifinal
Tuesday, 17th May. (X v 3) Wednesday, 18th May. (Y v 4) Saturday, 21st May. (3 v X) Sunday, 22nd May. (4 v Y)
Play Off Final
Thursday, May 26th and Sunday, May 29th.
Serie B Season 2022–2023 Calendar
Next season’s calendar is confirmed. The championship starts on Saturday 13 August and ends on Friday 19 May 2023. There will be a break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with the 15th round taking place on November 12th and the resumption on boxing day, Monday December 26th.
READ MORE FROM DAVID
MD30: Monza Dreaming of Serie A
Maradona: 7 Goals in 7 Years at Napoli
Parma’s Alessandro Circati Interview
