Serie B Matchday 2 Talking Points: Sudtirol outright leaders, Palermo performing below expectations

There were a few intriguing results on Matchday 2 of the 2024/25 Serie B season, which resulted in a highly-fancied Palermo sitting on the bottom of the table with newcomers Carrarese, and Sampdoria are not too far behind after their defeat to Reggiana.

Sudtirol have emerged as a surprise leader in Italy's second division after their dramatic victory against Salernitana. Despite being known to be a conservative team in previous seasons, the Tyrolese side have become more efficient in front of goal.

Cremonese, meanwhile, won a tight affair against the aforementioned Carrarese in match filled with late drama and chaos.

Sudtirol leave it late in thriller against Salernitana

Competing in just their third Serie B campaign in history, Sudtirol incredibly find themselves as cadetti leaders after their 3-2 victory at home to Salernitana.

Biancorossi talisman Daniele Casiraghi was instrumental in the first half, converting a penalty and playing a part in his team's second goal, which Salvatore Molina scored. Franco Tongya and Jayden Braaf found the back of the net for the Granata, but Matteo Rover, who came on in the 76th minute for Casiraghi, won it for the Tyrolese club six minutes into injury time with an excellent volley.

Rover came off the bench on Matchday 1 to score the winner against Modena and he repeated the trick against Salernitana. After failing to score in 19 matches throughout the 2023/24 season, the 25-year-old has emerged as the unlikeliest of impact players off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Southern Italian club could not repeat their opening day success, when they defeated Cittadella 2-1. The Granata do possess some decent attacking weapons in Simy and Daniele Verde, but coach Giovanni Martusciello will need to tighten up the defence to avoid squandering points.

Palermo suffer consecutive defeats on the road

One of the strongest teams on paper, Palermo have failed to impress in the opening rounds of this season. After losing to Brescia by a solitary goal, the Rosanero were defeated 2-0 away to Pisa thanks to a comical own goal from Ionut Nedelcearu and a Nicholas Bonfanti strike.

The Tuscans are now under the guidance of Filippo Inzaghi, who earned promotion with Benevento in 2019/20, and after a disappointing spell with Salernitana in Serie A last season, he will be eager to prove his worth as a coach. His team did not control the play, but the Nerazzurri were dangerous on the counter-attack, and Adrian Semper, who arrived from Como, provides a safe pair of hands in goal.

Although this was their second match in a row away from home, that should not be an excuse for how toothless Palermo have been in attack. With an attacking trident consisting of Federico Di Francesco, Roberto Insigne, and Matteo Brunori, and the creativity of Filippo Ranocchia in midfield, new coach Alessio Dionisi should have this team scoring goals for fun.

Vieira gifts Reggiana victory against Sampdoria

It was a night to forget for Sampdoria midfielder Ronaldo Vieira, whose calamitous error resulted in Reggiana earning a 1-0 victory against the Blucerchiati. An errant pass in midfield was easily intercepted by Luca Vido, who surged forward and passed to Antonio Vergara, who sprinted into the box and finished with aplomb.

Vieira had come on in the 80th minute for striker Gennaro Tutino, and completed 12 out of 13 passes, but the one inaccurate pass he made cost his team the game. However, his error should not be the sole reason for the defeat as Il Doria had just one shot on target all game. With an abundance of new signings to work with, Samp coach Andrea Pirlo needs them to gel quickly.

Meanwhile, Vergara has made a bright start to the season, having scored in the draw against Mantova in this previous round. His 2023/24 campaign was an abrupt one, playing just nine games after he was sidelined with a serious knee injury. The 21-year-old could have a breakthrough year with Reggiana if he can remain fit.

Cremonese encounter with Carrarese ends in fiery fashion

Cremonese's clash with newly-promoted Carrarese was not a classic by any means, but it certainly ended in dramatic fashion. The Tuscan club were close to securing a point until Julian Illanes had blatantly brought down Grigiorossi forward Dennis Johnsen and he was rightly sent off.

Former Palermo and Parma forward Franco Vazquez kept his cool and dispatched the penalty two minutes from time. That was not the end of the drama as Cremonese midfielder Charles Pickel was bizarrely sent off after the whistle was blown for excessive celebrating.

It was an important three points for the Lombard team after they had lost 1-0 to Cosenza in the opening round of Serie B action. After losing narrowly to Venezia in the playoffs at the end of the 2023/24 season, Giovanni Stroppa and his men will be eager to make a stronger push for promotion this time around.

Meanwhile, Carrarese are rooted to the bottom of the table with Palermo and Bari. For the Rosanero and Galletti, they are performing below their standards, whereas the Giallazzurri are in the Cadetti for the first time in 76 years, so expectations are lower.

Serie B 2024/25: Matchday 2 results

DateSerie B Results
Fri, Aug 23Modena 2-1 Bari
Sat, Aug 24Sudtirol 3-2 Salernitana
Sat, Aug 24Brescia 0-1 Cittadella
Sat, Aug 24Cremonese 1-0 Carrarese
Sat, Aug 24Pisa 2-0 Palermo
Sat, Aug 24Sampdoria 0-1 Reggiana
Sat, Aug 24Sassuolo 2-1 Cesena
Sat, Aug 24Spezia 2-1 Frosinone
Sun, Aug 25Catanzaro 0-0 Juve Stabia
Sun, Aug 25Mantova 3-2 Cosenza

Serie B 2024/25: Table after Matchday 2

PosClubMPPts
1Sudtirol26
2Pisa24
3Juve Stabia24
4Mantova24
5Spezia24
6Reggiana24
7Sassuolo24
8Salernitana23
9Cesena23
10Cosenza23
11Modena23
12Cittadella23
13Brescia23
14Cremonese23
15Catanzaro22
16Frosinone21
17Sampdoria21
18Carrarese20
19Bari20
20Palermo20