Matchday 24 in Serie B kicked off on Friday with an intriguing contest between the league’s best attack and its stingiest defense. Offense won on the day as hat-trick hero Francesco Caputo propelled Empoli to an emphatic 4-0 victory against Palermo, moving them level on points in the process.
Saturday’s fixtures featured several upsets and comeback wins. Frosinone avoided such a fate as they blanked Pescara in a 3-0 home win and obtained the top spot in the league as a result. Camillo Ciano, Emanuele Terranova, and Raman Chibsah all got on the scoresheet in the impressive display.
Parma were looking to move up the table but instead fell in a disappointing 2-1 defeat at 19th-place Brescia. Fabio Ceravolo found an equalizer for Parma in the 58th, but Ernesto Torregrossa restored Brescia’s lead shortly thereafter (64’) with his second of the day.
Bari traveled to Venezia to take on Pippo Inzaghi’s men and were undone by three first-half goals. Gianluca Litteri was at the double and later made his side’s task trickier by receiving a second yellow in the 66th, but Venezia were able to hold on for a 3-1 win, their second on the bounce.
Cittadella were big winners on the day as their 3-1 win at Perugia moved them into fourth place at the expense of Parma, Bari, and Cremonese. The score was level at the half at 1-1, but Cittadella outclassed the home side the rest of the way with goals from Andrea Schenetti and Luca Strizzolo. To make matters worse, Perugia finished the match with nine men.
Cremonese were shocked at home by bottom-dwellers Pro Vercelli in the highest scoring match of the weekend. Stefano Scappini got Cremonese on the board first in the 16th minute, but three unanswered goals from the visitors were enough to ultimately land a 3-2 victory.
Carpi took on Campanian side Salernitana and notched a gritty 2-1 win. Two goals on the brink of halftime had the game all square at 1-1, but Luca Verna’s finish in the 73rd was enough to see Carpi take the spoils.
Avellino secured a winless day for Campanian outfits with a 2-1 loss at Foggia. The visitors found the back of the net first through Raul Asencio in the 10th, but a goal in each half gave Foggia a 2-1 comeback win. Angelo D’Angelo’s dismissal in the 43rd helped Foggia dominate possession for the remainder of the match.
Ascoli remain in the relegation zone despite a come-from-behind win against Novara. Two goals in quick succession (33’, 37’) were enough for a 2-1 result at the Stadio Silvio Piola.
Cesena host Ternana on Sunday and Spezia travel to Virtus Entella on Monday to wrap up the weekend’s action.
