Serie B promotion play-off semi final: Spezia and Juve Stabia victories

Spezia have one foot in the Final after their comfortable 2-0 victory away to Catanzaro.

They came out fighting in the second half, as Francesco Pio Esposito sparked the rapid counter-attack so Giuseppe Aurelio set up Giuseppe Di Sergio’s tap-in, then Esposito got his own name on the scoresheet with a splendid free kick.

Catanzaro 0-2 Spezia

Di Serio 49 (S), Pio Esposito 61 (S)

21-05-2025 19:30 1/2 Final Stadio Nicola Ceravolo

Catanzaro

Spezia Live 0 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

		18'		Salvatore Elia
		22'		Giuseppe Aurelio
Giacomo Quagliata		26'
Nicolò Brighenti		40'

Catanzaro Spezia

Starting lineups

22 Mirko Pigliacelli Goalkeeper 6 Federico Bonini Defender 3 Giacomo Quagliata Defender 23

Nicolò Brighenti Defender 14 Stefano Scognamillo Defender 84 Tommaso Cassandro Defender 10

Jacopo Petriccione Midfielder 20

Simone Pontisso Midfielder 9 Pietro Iemmello Attacker 8 Rares Ilie Attacker 28 Tommaso Biasci Attacker 66 Stefano Gori Goalkeeper 55 Petko Hristov Defender 37

Ales Mateju Defender 2 Przemyslaw Wisniewski Defender 8

Ádám Nagy Midfielder 29

Francesco Cassata Midfielder 31 Giuseppe Aurelio Midfielder 80 Rachid Kouda Midfielder 9 Francesco Pio Esposito Attacker 20 Giuseppe Di Serio Attacker 7 Salvatore Elia Attacker

Substitutes

19 Andrea La Mantia Attacker 80

Mamadou Coulibaly Midfielder 70

Marco D’Alessandro Attacker 25 Ludovico Gelmi Goalkeeper 21 Marco Pompetti Midfielder 90 Filippo Pittarello Attacker 99 Edoardo Borrelli Goalkeeper 45 Nicolò Buso Attacker 82 Christian Corradi Defender 24 Riccardo Pagano Midfielder 4 Matias Antonini Defender 25 Filippo Bandinelli Midfielder 11

Diego Falcinelli Attacker 13

Arkadiusz Reca Midfielder 4

Salva Ferrer Defender 32

Luca Vignali Defender 23

Leandro Chichizola Goalkeeper 17

Antonio Colak Attacker 65 Simone Giorgeschi Defender 12 Diego Mascardi Goalkeeper 36 Pietro Candelari Midfielder 44 Mattia Benvenuto Defender 82 Halid Djankpata Midfielder

The other semi-final is a little more in the balance, as Juve Stabia have a slender 2-1 advantage over Cremonese after the first leg.

The hosts dominated the opening stages, eventually making it count with Christian Pierobon ready to pounce on the deflected Andrea Adorante cross.

They should’ve had more with Romano Floriani Mussolini thumping the crossbar, then did double their lead when Andrea Fulignati fingertipped a Leonardo Candellone header into the path of Adorante.

Cremonese had the opportunity to get back into it moments later only for Manuel De Luca to blast his penalty into the stands.

They did get one back in the end with Dennis Johnsen meeting the Tommaso Barbieri low cross.

Juve Stabia 2-1 Cremonese

Pierobon 34 (JS), Adorante 58 (JS), Johnsen 77 (C)

Missed penalty: De Luca 63 (C)

21-05-2025 19:30 1/2 Final Stadio Romeo Menti

Juve Stabia

Cremonese Live 1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Christian Pierobon

34'     Nicola Mosti

38'     Juve Stabia Cremonese

Starting lineups

20

Demba Thiam Goalkeeper 28 Cristian Andreoni Defender 6 Marco Bellich Defender 4 Marco Ruggero Defender 45 Patryk Peda Defender 15 Romano Floriani Mussolini Defender 10 Christian Pierobon Midfielder 98 Nicola Mosti Midfielder 9

Andrea Adorante Attacker 11 Kevin Piscopo Attacker 27 Leonardo Candellone Attacker 1

Andrea Fulignati Goalkeeper 23

Federico Ceccherini Defender 55 Francesco Folino Defender 15 Matteo Bianchetti Defender 4 Tommaso Barbieri Defender 27 Jari Vandeputte Midfielder 19 Michele Castagnetti Midfielder 18 Michele Collocolo Midfielder 11

Dennis Johnsen Attacker 9 Manuel De Luca Attacker 7 Paulo Azzi Attacker

Substitutes

37 Fabio Maistro Midfielder 1 Kristjan Matosevic Goalkeeper 2 Danilo Quaranta Defender 24

Marco Varnier Defender 7

Edgaras Dubickas Attacker 17 Gregorio Morachioli Attacker 3 Yuri Rocchetti Defender 18 Lorenzo Sgarbi Attacker 13 Matteo Baldi Defender 55 Giuseppe Leone Midfielder 14 Marco Meli Midfielder 80 Alessandro Louati Midfielder 90

Federico Bonazzoli Attacker 20

Franco Vázquez Midfielder 37

Zan Majer Midfielder 8

Mattia Valoti Midfielder 42 Lorenzo Moretti Defender 99 Marco Nasti Attacker 30 Jakob Tannander Goalkeeper 14 Francesco Gelli Midfielder 12 Giacomo Drago Goalkeeper 25

Daniele Triacca Defender