Serie C: Groups B and C in Action. Formisano (Livorno) at Risk, Cangelosi Sacked by Perugia. Ternana`s Rizzo Era Begins with a Draw in Sassari. Sorrento`s Regrets at Massimino. Cerignola and Foggia Play Out a Goalless Draw.
Ascoli made a strong statement, defeating Livorno in under 40 minutes to move within a point of the top. Goals from Curado, Gori (his second in a row), and D`Uffizi with a powerful right-footed shot sealed the victory. Notably, Tomei`s team (whose coach remained suspended) boasts the only unbeaten goal in Italian football, from Serie A to C. On the Livorno bench, Formisano is now under severe pressure after four consecutive defeats. A decision has already been made in Perugia, where Cangelosi was sacked; Braglia, Fontana, and Gorgone are among the names being considered as his successor. Also reaching 11 points, alongside Ascoli, is Mimmo Di Carlo`s Gubbio, who overcame Bra thanks to a corner goal from defender Di Bitonto, his first professional score.
Meanwhile, a magnificent, curving right-footed strike from Faticanti secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory for Juventus Next Gen against Pineto. In Sassari, Ternana`s new president, Claudia Rizzo, witnessed her team draw 1-1, with Dubickas scoring after missing a penalty, in response to Musso`s opener. Penalty errors were a theme of the day: Nicastro missed in the 96th minute of Vis Pesaro-Pianese (a very long added time due to FVS reviews), and in Group C, Sorrento`s D`Ursi also failed to convert, a miss that could have silenced the Massimino stadium (Dini saved, marking Sorrento`s second consecutive penalty error after Santini`s miss in Salerno).
Catania, despite the presence of over 16,000 spectators, left the field to jeers after a goalless draw, failing to bounce back (0-0) after their defeat to Cosenza (Toscano was sent off from the bench late in the game). The anticipated Cerignola-Foggia derby also ended without goals, while Crotone, playing their first match under judicial administration, inflicted a fifth consecutive defeat on Siracusa. In Latina, Monopoli emerged victorious despite playing over 80 minutes with ten men after Longo`s expulsion.
Match Results
Group B
- Gubbio-Bra 1-0 (Di Bitonto 12` 2nd half)
- Livorno-Ascoli 0-3 (Curado 5`, Gori 8`, D’Uffizi 38` 1st half)
- Pineto-Juventus Next Gen 2-3 (D’Andrea P. 10` 1st half; Puczka J. pen 32`, Okoro J. 35` 1st half; Bruzzaniti P. pen 10`, Faticanti J. 37` 2nd half)
- Sambenedettese-Carpi 0-1 (Cortesi 28` 2nd half)
- Torres-Ternana 1-1 (Musso To. 43` 1st half; Dubickas Te. 17` 2nd half)
- Vis Pesaro-Pianese 0-0
Group C
- Cerignola-Foggia 0-0
- Casertana-Cosenza 1-1 (Kallon Cas. 35` 1st half; Garritano Cos 16` 2nd half)
- Catania-Sorrento 0-0
- Crotone-Siracusa 2-0 (Cargnelutti 31`, Gomez 38` 2nd half)
- Latina-Monopoli 0-1 (Tirelli 40` 2nd half)
