Serie B: Vicenza Wins at Empoli

Vicenza wins at Empoli in the early match of the eighth round of Serie B, securing its first victory since August. The Biancorossi prevailed 2-0 with goals from Rauti in the 20th minute off a layup by Papetti and from Pellizzari in the 85th minute on a counterattack: thanks to this win, they climb back up to 11th place in the standings with 9 points.

Empoli is in serious trouble: this is their fourth home loss and their fifth straight game without a win, having earned just one point in their last five matches. In the standings, the Azzurri are in 15th place with 7 points, just one step away from the relegation zone.

Complicating the evening for Andreoletti’s men was Curto’s careless red card in the 55th minute, which left the home team down to 10 men for almost the entire second half. A goal by Cauz was disallowed for offside.

Andreoletti commented on the loss as follows: “It’s a loss in which we played a leading role—but a negative one. I think we lose either because the other team is better or because we contribute to their success; today, we contributed to our own downfall. We did everything we could to avoid winning—not so much because of our attitude—the guys are always commendable in terms of their willingness—but because conceding a goal on a set piece with a defensive formation we’ve seen time and time again creates the ideal conditions for Vicenza, who prefer a deep-lying style and counterattacks.”

“I won’t accept talk of a lack of commitment or effort. Commitment is the foundation in Serie B. The problem in the first half wasn’t attitude or physicality, but rather this frenzy to play the ball forward due to an overwhelming desire to win. The guys care deeply about this and want to win the game, but constantly forcing the ball forward when the opponent is defending deep is the best way to make their job easier. We need to be patient and keep a clear head.”