Cesena

    Cesena

    SOCCER

      Torino 5-0 Cesena

      Torino put in a five-star display against Cesena on Sunday evening to finish the season in ninth place in Serie A and pile on the agony for their already-relegated opponents. Goals from Josef Martinez, Maxi Lopez and Marco Benassi saw the hosts race into a 3-0 lead after just 31 minutes. But things got worse still for Cesena as Emiliano Moretti added a fourth four minutes into the second half and Lopez capped a wonderful evening for the Granata in the 70th minute. The 5-0 defeat was Cesena's 22nd loss of their cameo year in Serie A and they finished second bottom. Toro at one point this season looked like they had the makings of a team that would qualify for the Europa League before they suffered a dip in form. They went into the contest looking to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat at AC Milan and needed only 10 minutes to move in front. Cesena goalkeeper Walter Bressan was unable to hold onto Giuseppe Vives' left-footed shot and Martinez headed in from close range for his first goal since February 7. Toro struck again six minutes later when Martinez's powerful header from Matteo Darmian's cross hit the underside of the crossbar and Lopez tapped in the rebound. The Granata made it 3-0 shortly after when Benassi got past his marker and drilled a right-footed strike from 25 yards to beat Bressan, who was rooted to the spot. The visitors gave away another goal early in the second half when they failed to clear Vives' cross, leaving Moretti to head the ball past Bressan. Cesena had their first chance of the game in the 51st minute when Franco Brienza struck the ball on target from 20 yards but Torino goalkeeper Salvador Ichazo came up with the save. With 20 minutes remaining, Lopez got his second goal when Cesena defender Luka Krajnc's poor clearance from Bruno Peres' pass left the Argentinian with an easy tap-in. ends
      • 9Y
      • PA Sport

        Cesena 0-1 Cagliari

        A last-gasp winner from substitute Marco Sau lifted Cagliari to a 1-0 victory at Cesena on Sunday in a battle of teams that have already been relegated from Serie A.With the game goalless in the 90th minute, Sau silenced the home crowd when he got behind Albin Ekdal's pass and drilled a right-footed shot past Cesena goalkeeper Federico Agliardi.The win, their seventh of the campaign, came a week too late for Cagliari.The Sardinian outfit lost 1-0 at Palermo in the previous round to bring a halt to its 11-year run in Italy's top flight.Cesena fell for the ninth time at the Dino Manuzzi stadium, their 21st defeat overall.Cagliari went into the contest in 18th place and four points clear of Cesena.Franco Brienza had the first opportunity of the game in the seventh minute but his left-footed attempt from 10 yards went just wide of the far post.Cesena wasted another good chance shortly after when Luka Krajnc got his header on Brienza's dangerous cross, only to see his powerful attempt fly over the bar.Cagliari almost made Cesena pay for their missed chances in the 25th minute.Albin Ekdal spotted an unmarked Joao Pedro in the box and his left-footed shot was saved by Agliardi.Cagliari pushed forward and in the 27th minute, Duje Cop fed Diego Farias in the area only for his first touch to go wide.Before the break, Cesena's Gregoire Defrel almost stunned Zeljko Brkic with a hard drive from 30 yards but the Cagliari keeper did well to save.Cagliari looked more dangerous after the re-start and almost broke the deadlock in the 54th minute.Farias' central strike from 12 yards was kept out by Agliardi.The teams began showing signs of tiredness and struggled in attack.In the 80th minute, Cagliari's Nicolo Barella tried his luck from distance and his 25-yard strike was kept out by Agliardi.With seconds remaining, Sau scored for Cagliari, beating Agliardi from the heart of the area.Cesena finish the season next weekend at Torino while Cagliari host Udinese.ends
        • 9Y
        • PA Sport

        Cesena

        SOCCER

          Cesena 2-3 Sassuolo

          Cesena's relegation from Serie A was confirmed as they let a two-goal lead slip to lose 3-2 at home to Sassuolo.The team nicknamed the Seahorses would have been condemned to an instant return to the second tier even if they had held to win at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi, given 17th-placed Atalanta beat Palermo by the same scoreline on Sunday afternoon.But the manner of their second-half capitulation to Sassuolo, which saw goals from Simone Zaza, Saphir Taider and Simone Missiroli cancel out earlier strikes from Gregoire Defrel and Franco Brienza - who had clearly taken notes from Barcelona's Lionel Messi this week - meant their displacement from the top flight will be harder to take. After a tentative opening the game sparked into life when Taider produced the first shot of the game, Sassuolo's Algeria international blasting over the crossbar from just outside the area.Cesena responded instantly, grabbing the opener in the 15th minute as Defrel used a burst of speed to dash between two defenders and latch onto Emmanuel Cascione's aerial through-ball to convert.The visitors were rattled and struggled to respond, with Zaza whipping well wide before Taider drew an easy save from Federico Agliardi.Their frustration deepened in the 29th minute as Brienza doubled Cesena's lead in sensational style.The former Palermo midfielder emulated Messi's stunning second Champions League strike against Bayern Munich by bursting into the box from the right, twisting his body twice to put Federico Peluso on the ground before rifling the ball beyond a helpless Andrea Consigli.Nicola Sansone did carve out two half-chances for Sassuolo before the break, but the Neroverde were destined to spend the interval soul-searching.And whatever words of motivation coach Eusebio Di Francesco shared with his players, they most certainly had the desired effect.Three minutes into the second half Zaza halved the deficit by collecting Domenico Berardi's pass before dancing past two opponents and beating Agliardi with a fierce right-footed drive.Then, improbably, Sassuolo drew level in the 51st minute.Berardi once again provided a killer assist, this time freeing up Taider for an easy finish against Agliardi.Cesena did manage to emerge briefly from their shell-shock, threatening to restore their lead through Cascione, but the long-haired midfielder would head Francesco Renzetti's cross over the bar just before the hour mark.Sassuolo's unlikely comeback was complete in the 70th minute, when Missiroli stole the ball from substitute Andrea Tabanelli and gladly picked his spot from the D.Cesena looked shot from that point forward but had one last opportunity to level.With six minutes remaining Tabanelli created a one-on-one with Consigli, only to fire wide, and it was then that Cesena's return to Serie B was finally rubber-stamped.ends
          • 9Y
          • PA Sport

            Fiorentina 3-1 Cesena

            Josip Ilicic struck twice in the first half as Fiorentina halted a four-match losing streak in Serie A with a 3-1 home victory over strugglers Cesena.The Slovenian forward opened the scoring in the 31st minute from the penalty spot after Cesena's Gaby Mudingayi brought down Borja Valero and then added his second of the afternoon four minutes later.Alberto Gilardino made it 3-0 nine minutes after half-time before Cesena forward Alejandro Rodriguez reduced the arrears before the hour.The outcome in Florence has lifted Fiorentina above Sampdoria and into fifth place in the standings.The defeat, Cesena's 18th of the campaign, has left them in 19th position, nine points adrift of safety with just four games remaining.Cesena went into the contest looking for their first win since March 1 but it was the Viola that had the first sight at goal.Fiorentina, who had fallen 3-2 at Juventus in midweek, sent in a 17th-minute warning when Juan Vargas' long-range attempt forced Cesena goalkeeper Federico Agliardi to make his first save of the day.Shortly after, Agliardi had to stretch to clear Milan Badelj's 30-yard strike towards the far post.On 30 minutes, the referee pointed to the spot when Valero drew contact from Mudingayi.Ilicic made no mistake and struck a diagonal shot past a helpless Agliardi to put Fiorentina in front.Fiorentina doubled their lead when Ilicic got past his marker and drilled a right-footed shot from the heart of the area towards the bottom right corner of goal to beat Agliardi.On the stroke of half-time, Agliardi denied Fiorentina their third when he kept out Mohamed Salah's powerful 15-yard volley.Salah proved dangerous once again when play resumed with his left-footed attempt from 12 yards kept out with a fine save from Agliardi.Agliardi, though, could do nothing shortly after when Jasmin Kurtic's cross found Gilardino in the box and the veteran striker's right-footed shot found the bottom right corner of goal.Cesena pulled one back three minutes later.Rodriguez got past his marker and drilled a right-footed shot from 25 yards to stun Fiorentina goalkeeper Norberto Neto.Cesena continued to fight but failed to test Neto for the rest of the match.ends
            • 9Y
            • PA Sport

              Cesena 2-2 Atalanta

              Mauricio Pinilla equalised eight minutes from time as Atalanta drew 2-2 at Cesena to clinch a vital point to boost their survival bid.Pinilla, returning after serving a three-match suspension, had put Atalanta ahead in the 50th minute.Cesena midfielder Franco Brienza equalised six minutes later from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Atalanta defender Yohan Benalouane.Carlos Carbonero put Cesena in front in the 70th minute but the hosts could not hold on to their lead and gave away a late goal.The outcome at the Dino Manuzzi stadium extended Atalanta's unbeaten run to four games and lifted the Bergamaschi, who hold the last position of safety, eight points clear of the drop zone with five games remaining.Cesena are 19th in the standings, level on 24 points with Cagliari, who are 18th.Atalanta went into the contest without their top scorer German Denis, who began serving a five-match ban on Wednesday.Denis was punished for punching Empoli defender Lorenzo Tonelli immediately after last weekend's match between the sides.Maximiliano Moralez was first to test Federico Agliardi with a 30-yard attempt which the Cesena goalkeeper kept out in the eighth minute.Cesena's Davide Succi then forced Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello into his first save with a hard drive from outside the area.Both sides were limited to long-distance shooting and on the stroke of half-time Carbonero got past his marker and drilled a right-footed attempt from 25 yards that was kept out by Sportiello.Atalanta looked more lively in the second half and broke the deadlock in the 50th minute.Agliardi failed to clear Luca Cigarini's free-kick and Pinilla was on hand to strike the ball from 12 yards into the back of the net.Atalanta's joy was short-lived as Cesena pulled level when Brienza struck a spot-kick towards the near post and out of Sportiello's reach.The goal inspired the hosts who went in front on 70 minutes.Sportiello could do nothing as Luigi Giorgi set up Carbonero just outside the area and his powerful right-footed shot found the top left corner of goal.The visitors continued to battle and were rewarded.Substitute Marco D'Alessandro's attempt was deflected into the path of Pinilla and the Chilean forward struck an overhead kick from 15 yards to beat Agliardi.ends
              • 9Y
              • PA Sport

                Genoa 3-1 Cesena

                Genoa resumed their late push for a place in the Europa League places by beating 10-man Cesena 3-1 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.Defeat at Palermo knocked the Rossoblu off their stride but goals from Andrea Bertolacci, Diego Perotti and Leonardo Pavoletti put them back in the race for a top-six finish.Cesena, who responded through Carlos Carbonero late on, lost Ze Eduardo to a red card at the death and now sit eight points behind 17th-placed Atalanta and safety with six games remaining.It would be a frenetic first half at the Marassi but the opener would not arrive until shortly before the interval.Genoa dominated the early exchanges with Federico Agliardi pulling off an amazing save against Iago Falque and Pavoletti blasting over the Cesena crossbar from close range.Falque shot just over before his team-mate Facundo Roncaglia missed the mark by mere inches in the 21st minute.Cesena bit back, Carbonero just missing Mattia Perin's far post from an excellent position, but Genoa resumed turning the screw following the half-hour mark.Agliardi made a fine block with his legs when Bertolacci tried his luck from distance but he could not keep the Italy midfielder out in the 38th minute.Perotti swung the assist in from the left wing and a thunderous header from Bertolacci gave Genoa the lead.Cesena could have levelled in the moments leading up to half-time with Carbonero pulling the strings and setting Milan Djuric up for a fierce effort.However, three minutes into stoppage time, Genoa doubled their lead when Perotti converted a penalty given when Constatin Nica impeded him in the box.Any motivational speech in the Cesena dressing room proved in vain as the Grifone pulled further out of sight eight minutes after the restart. With Genoa swarming the penalty area, Falque's shot took a huge deflection off Nica, allowing Pavoletti to steer the loose ball home.Cesena resisted two more Genoa raids before spoiling their hosts' clean sheet in the 69th minute. Carbonero had looked keen all afternoon and Perin could do nothing about his rocket from distance.The Rossoblu went looking for the fourth goal that would cement their victory as time ticked away and Juraj Kucka almost grabbed it when heading Falque's pass just wide of a post.Cesena were never likely to force the issue in the final exchanges and the expulsion of Ze Eduardo for a last-man foul on Falque rubber-stamped Genoa's triumph.ends
                • 9Y
                • PA Sport
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                2023-24 Italian Serie B Ladder

                TeamGPWDLGDP
                Parma3420104+2770
                Como331977+1464
                Venezia331878+2261
                Cremonese331788+1559
                Catanzaro3316710+1155
                Palermo34141010+1052
                Brescia33111210+345
                Sampdoria3313713-144
                Pisa33111012-143
                Cittadella33111012-343
                Suditrol3311913-142
                Reggiana3481610-840
                Modena3381510-739
                Cosenza3491213+139
                Ternana339915-736
                Bari3371412-1035
                Spezia3371412-1535
                Ascoli3371214-533
                FeralpiSalo338718-1631
                Lecco336819-2926