Cremonese: Pecchia Makes a Winning Return; Padova Defeated
The third matchday of Serie B delivered key results and a standings table that remains very tight, as teams await Monday’s late match between Palermo and Sampdoria. Mantova squandered the chance to secure its third straight win and was caught by Cesena at the Manuzzi Stadium. With Italian national team head coach Roberto Mancini watching from the stands, Modesto’s team took the lead thanks to the ever-reliable Ruocco, who scored his third goal in the first three matchdays. In the second half, however, the home team struck back: Shpendi tied the game at 1-1, also notching his third goal of the season.
Meanwhile, Modena’s winning streak—coming off two consecutive victories—came to an end. Nesta’s Avellino came away with the three points at the Braglia Stadium thanks to a great long-range shot by Besaggio, who found the net as early as the 8th minute. The Biancoverdi held on until the final whistle and secured a hard-fought victory. Virtus Entella earned its first point of the season with a 2-2 draw against Vicenza at the Comunale. The visitors opened the scoring with Moncini, then Alborghetti headed home the equalizer. In the second half, Merkaj put Vicenza back in front in his first appearance in his new jersey, but Corona scored the equalizer in the 86th minute.
It was a tense afternoon at the Menti Stadium in Castellammare. In the 40th minute, the match between Juve Stabia and Pisa was halted after Bulgarian defender Rosen Bozhinov fell ill; he was taken to the hospital for evaluation. After more than half an hour of stoppage, play resumed. Pisa took the lead through captain Arturo Calabresi, who celebrated by holding up his teammate’s jersey. The Tuscan side had a chance to double their lead, but Petagna’s penalty kick was saved by Boer. On the rebound, Leris found the net, but the referee disallowed the goal. In the second half, Bianco’s men pulled away with goals from Tramoni and Coppola, sealing the 0-3 final score.
Hellas Verona also secured its first win of the season, defeating Arezzo 5-0. The turning point came just before halftime, when the visitors were reduced to ten men following Illanes’s ejection. In the second half, the Gialloblù ran riot: Zappa opened the scoring in the 50th minute, then Mulattieri doubled the lead. However, the star of the show was Salvatore Cerbone, born in 2007, who scored a brace before Iannoni sealed the 5-0 victory. Verona now has 4 points.
In Sunday’s final match, Fabio Pecchia made a winning debut on the Cremonese bench. The Grigiorossi defeated Padova 3-1 and earned their first three points of the season. The match got off to a flying start: Bonazzoli scored after just one minute, then Licina doubled the lead in the 5th minute. Padova pulled one back through Pompetti in stoppage time of the first half, but in the second half, Bonazzoli completed his brace to seal the victory.
