Serie B Matchday 4 Talking Points: Pisa joint leaders, Sampdoria still winless, Cosenza deducted four points
Serie B Matchday 4 saw another change at the top of the table, and in what seems to be custom in the Cadetti each season, a club has received a points penalty for financial irregularities.
Pisa, Juve Stabia, and Spezia have eight points each, and the trio are the only clubs not to have suffered a defeat yet in the 2024/25 campaign. Towards the bottom of the table, Sampdoria played out a scoreless draw against Bari, continuing their winless streak.
Meanwhile, Cosenza received a points penalty for unpaid taxes, which meant that they started with zero points before their match against Palermo on Sunday evening.
Pisa break Reggiana's unbeaten run
Pisa were able to climb to the top of the Serie B table after their 2-1 victory at home to Reggiana, who were unbeaten prior to the weekend.
The Granata would usually hit on the break in previous games, but the Nerazzurri were happy to give the Emilians the ball this time, which suited the hosts perfectly. Matteo Tramoni opened the scoring in the first half after counter-attack, then Nicholas Bonfanti doubled the lead after Reggiana goalkeeper Francesco Bardi failed to hold his shot.
Alessandro Sersanti pulled one back with less than 15 minutes remaining, but proved to be nothing more than a consolation. Pisa remain unbeaten under Filippo Inzaghi and handed their opponents their first defeat of the campaign.
Cremonese squash Sassuolo
During their decade-long spell in Serie A, Sassuolo had a reputation for being one of the most entertaining teams in the competition. The Neroverdi were capable of scoring goals for fun, but there were matches where opponents could score freely against them.
In their Serie B Matchday 4 clash against Cremonese, it was the Grigiorossi that had a night out, defeating the Emilians 4-1 at the Stadio Mapei. Marco Nasti scored for the Lombard side after 20 minutes before the Luca Moro equalised with a penalty. Cremonese would go into the break with a 3-1 lead thanks to goals from Michele Collocolo and Dennis Johnsen.
Leonardo Sernicola added a late goal to add further gloss on the win. The Grigiorossi are seventh after winning twice and losing twice, while Sassuolo are 13th and suffered their first defeat of the season under Fabio Grosso.
Vismara redeems himself in Sottil debut
Paolo Vismara was one of the worst performers in Sampdoria's 3-2 defeat to Salernitana on Matchday 3, especially because of an error he committed, resulting in one of the Granata goals. The 21-year-old atoned against Bari though, saving a penalty in the 0-0 draw against the Galletti.
It was the debut of Andrea Sottil on the Blucerchiati bench, just a day after he was appointed as the replacement for Andrea Pirlo as coach, and it had the makings of a potential disaster.
New Sampdoria defender Stipe Vulikic was sent off after 15 minutes when he was adjudged to have fouled Bari striker Kevin Lasagna. Then, in the 34th minute, Bartosz Bereszynski was adjudged to have committed a handball after a VAR review. Lasagna went up to take the penalty, but Vismara kept his cool and dived to his left to save the penalty.
It was a great way for the young goalkeeper to redeem himself after his mistake in the previous game. With the arrival of experienced shot-stopper Marco Silvestri from Udinese, Vismara needed to elevate his game to another level immediately.
Meanwhile, Sottil earned a point on debut despite his team being down to 10 men for 75 minutes. Sampdoria still remain without a victory after four matches, but the international break will allow the new coach additional time to work with his squad.
Cosenza receive points deduction
Prior to a ball being kicked on the weekend, Cosenza received news from the FIGC that they were to receive a four-point penalty for administrative violations during the tenure of Roberta Anania as Managing Director.
A statement released by the Italian federation via TuttoMercatoWeb said, "As part of two different proceedings, the National Federal Tribunal, chaired by Carlo Sica, has sanctioned Cosenza (Serie B) with four penalty points in the standings to be served in the current football season and a fine of €10,000.
"The TFN also sanctioned Roberta Anania, at the time of the facts pro tempore legal representative of the club, with a total of 18 months of inhibition."
The former director failed to pay the club's taxes before July 1, which prompted club patron Eugenio Guarascio to sack her. Cosenza were able to register a 1-1 draw against Palermo on the weekend, even taking the lead in Sicily thanks to a goal from Tommaso Fumagalli. However, the points penalty leaves them at the bottom of the table with the solitary point.
Serie B 2024/25: Matchday 4 results
| Date | Serie B Results |
|---|---|
| Sat, Aug 31 | Sampdoria 0-0 Bari |
| Sat, Aug 31 | Modena 0-1 Cittadella |
| Sat, Aug 31 | Pisa 2-1 Reggiana |
| Sat, Aug 31 | Sassuolo 1-4 Cremonese |
| Sat, Aug 31 | Sudtirol 1-2 Brescia |
| Sun, Sep 1 | Catanzaro 3-1 Carrarese |
| Sun, Sep 1 | Frosinone 0-0 Juve Stabia |
| Sun, Sep 1 | Mantovia 1-0 Salernitana |
| Sun, Sep 1 | Palermo 1-1 Cosenza |
| Sun, Sep 1 | Spezia 2-1 Cesena |
Serie B 2024/25: Table after Matchday 4
| Pos | Club | MP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pisa | 4 | 8 |
| 2 | Juve Stabia | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | Spezia | 4 | 8 |
| 4 | Reggiana | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | Mantova | 4 | 7 |
| 6 | Cittadella | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Cremonese | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | Cesena | 4 | 6 |
| 9 | Salernitana | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | Sudtirol | 4 | 6 |
| 11 | Brescia | 4 | 6 |
| 12 | Catanzaro | 4 | 5 |
| 13 | Sassuolo | 4 | 5 |
| 14 | Modena | 4 | 4 |
| 15 | Palermo | 4 | 4 |
| 16 | Frosinone | 4 | 3 |
| 17 | Carrarese | 4 | 3 |
| 18 | Sampdoria | 4 | 2 |
| 19 | Bari | 4 | 2 |
| 20 | Cosenza | 4 | 1 |