Serie B: Parma take huge step towards Serie A with dramatic late win over Venezia
Parma maintained their lead at the top of the Serie B table after the conclusion of Matchday 23 with a dramatic late win at home to Venezia. The Crociati defeated the Arancioneroverdi 2-1 on Saturday, remaining four points clear of Cremonese, and the win crucially pulled them seven points clear of Venetians.
Meanwhile, Palermo continue to rise up the Serie B table, and they earned a convincing 3-0 victory against Bari. New signing Filippo Ranocchia scored the first goal for the Rosanero, but the standout performer in midfield in recent months has been Jacopo Segre, who is scoring like a forward.
Drissa Camara scores stunning late winner for Parma against Venezia
Parma and Venezia came into this fixture with contrasting form. The Gialloblu had suffered a 3-0 defeat to local rivals Modena on Matchday 22 whereas a solitary goal from Gianluca Busio was enough for Venezia to defeat Ternana in the fog.
Valentin Mihaila gave the Crociati the lead after 21 minutes after being put through on goal by Hernani. Joel Pohjanpalo equalised for the Arancioneroverdi five minutes later from close range, taking his tally to nine goals for this Serie B campaign and he is just three goals behind Daniele Casiraghi from Sudtirol in the capocannoniere race.
Both sides had their chances to win the match, but Parma had to wait until 10 minutes into stoppage time to secure victory. The Venezia defence had trouble clearing a corner, and Drissa Camara unleashed a powerful volley from outside of the penalty area, giving Jesse Joronen in the Lagunari goal little hope of saving it.
Parma now have 48 points whereas Venezia are on 41 and have lost four out their last eight matches in the Cadetti.
Palermo demolish Bari by sharing the goals around
Palermo won comprehensively against Bari in the opening game of Matchday 23, finding the back of the net three times and keeping a clean sheet in the process. However, none of their goals came from their forwards.
Ranocchia gave the Rosanero the lead a minute before half-time with a stupendous volley in just his second appearance for the club. The central midfielder started the season on loan at Empoli in Serie A, but the Sicilians purchased him from his parent club Juventus for €4 million, and he is already making an impact.
Palermo doubled their lead in the 71st minute when centre-back Pietro Ceccaroni headed in a free-kick, then Segre sealed the win 10 minutes from time with a header of his own. It was his third goal in as many games and he has now scored six goals in his last eight matches.
The victory takes the Rosanero to fifth with 39 points, whereas Bari are equal 12th with three other clubs on 27 points, and they have won just once in the last seven rounds.
Serie B 2023/24: Matchday 23 results
| Date | Serie B Fixtures/Results |
|---|---|
| Fri, Feb 2 | Palermo 3-0 Pisa |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Brescia 2-0 Cittadella |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Cosenza 1-1 Pisa |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Parma 2-1 Venezia |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Reggiana 1-1 Feralpisalo |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Spezia 1-1 Catanzaro |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Lecco 0-1 Cremonese |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Sampdoria 2-2 Modena |
| Sat, Feb 3 | Ternana 0-1 Como |
| Sun, Feb 4 | Ascoli 1-2 Sudtirol |
Serie B 2023/24: Table after Matchday 23
| Pos | Club | MP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parma | 23 | 48 |
| 2 | Cremonese | 23 | 44 |
| 3 | Como | 23 | 42 |
| 4 | Venezia | 23 | 41 |
| 5 | Palermo | 23 | 39 |
| 6 | Cittadella | 23 | 36 |
| 7 | Catanzaro | 23 | 35 |
| 8 | Brescia | 23 | 32 |
| 9 | Modena | 23 | 32 |
| 10 | Reggiana | 23 | 29 |
| 11 | Cosenza | 23 | 28 |
| 12 | Pisa | 23 | 27 |
| 13 | Bari | 23 | 27 |
| 14 | Sudtirol | 23 | 27 |
| 15 | Sampdoria | 23 | 27 |
| 16 | Ascoli | 23 | 22 |
| 17 | Ternana | 23 | 21 |
| 18 | Spezia | 23 | 21 |
| 19 | Feralpisalo | 23 | 21 |
| 20 | Lecco | 23 | 20 |