The rain lashes down from the blackness of the night sky as a group of men gather atop the Stadio Armando Picchi. There club is in trouble and they are in desperate need of a hero, a tarp is pulled off the giant spotlight and the switch is flicked.
A beam of light shoots up into the night sky making its mark on the rain clouds. Instead of the bat signal though something entirely different appears. It is the silhouette of a man, a man with the number 99 on his back, his left arm is raised high and the fist is clenched closed in salute.
In the distance the sound of La Bandiera Rossa can be heard ringing out, he is on his way to save the day as he did so many times before.
Sadly, for the Livorno faithful this is all just a fairy tale, Cristiano Lucarelli is not coming back. The Amaranto have to face this alone and for now it looks as if they don’t have the wherewithal to escape the crisis around them.
This weekend saw defeat number 17 of the season for the Tuscans, only Modena have lost more. What’s worse for the second week in a row it came against a direct relegation rival this time in the shape of Vicenza.
In the end the Biancorossi would come away with a 2-0 win at the Romeo Menti. Cristian Galano opening the scoring for the hosts on 32 minutes with a screamer into the top left corner from the edge of the area.
The all crucial second would come bang on the hour mark when Filip Raicevic stooped low to sending a beautiful diving header into the far left corner of the goal after a cross from the right side. The win for Vicenza moves them up to 18 place on 37 points, as for Livorno they are now three adrift of safety and dreaming of a hero.
Elsewhere in the battle to avoid the drop Salernitana picked up a late point away to a play-off chasing Novara. While the manner of the draw is sure to have pleased the Granata they will be more aware than anyone that they will have to start winning sooner rather than later if they are to avoid slipping back into Lega Pro.
Andrej Galabinov had given the Biancoazzurri the lead on 61 minutes after he casually controlled a cross from the left on his chest in the box before tidily putting it in the back of the net. However, with the 94 minutes on the clock a long throw-in from the left was not dealt with by the Novara defence and the ball was played across the six-yard box where it was bundled home by Leonardo Gatto. 1-1 it finished.
Also battling towards the bottom are Latina, who faced Avellino at the weekend. In the end it proved a very good day for the Leonialti as they would beat the Lupi 3-0 at home. Former Inter and Parma man Macdonald Marigia would give them the lead with a rocket of a free kick from just inside the D on the edge of the area.
Richard Boayke would make it two in the fourth minute of added time at the end of the first half, turning home a low cross from the right at the near post. Luigi Scaglia would round off the win just past the hour with a delectable curling effort into the top left corner from outside the box. A big three points for Latina.
Ascoli were another of the basement dwellers to pick up a big three points this weekend as they beat Perugia 0-2 at the Renato Curi. Goals from Jakub Jankto and Bright Addae doing it for the Picchio, Jankto’s 45-minute effort coming from miles out after a poor clearance from the keeper at the edge of his box let the goal totally unguarded.
As for Modena post Crespo they threw away all three points for the second week in a row against relegation rivals Pro Vercelli. Again like last week Luca Belingheri gave the Gialloblu the lead this time on 53 minutes with perhaps the goal of the weekend, a thunderbolt from over 25 yards out into the top right, has to be seen to do it full justice.
But with only four minutes left on the clock Dominique Malonga rose highest to head home from only yards out.
Up towards the top of the division Cagaliari continue their best Jekyll and Hyde impression as they went down 1-2 at home to Spezia. Emanuele Calaio and Antonio Piccolo with the goals for the Aquilotti in this one.
That result means Crotone moved back to the top of the table after they beat Virtus Lanciano 1-0 at the Scida. Ante Budimir with his 14th of the season this time from the spot doing the damage. Pescara rediscovered that winning feeling at home to bottom side Como. Gianluca Lapadula with his 19th and 20th goals of the season for the Delfini in a 2-1 win.
Trapani move up into a play-off spot after they thrashed Brescia 3-0 in Sicily, while Virtus Entella drew 2-2 at home to Ternana.
The final match of the weekend saw 30,000 turn up to watch Bari and Cesena play out a 0-0 draw at the San Nicola.
View Table HERE.
Week 34 Results:
Crotone 1-0 Virtus Lanciano, Cagliari 1-2 Spezia, Latina 3-0 Avellino, Perugia 0-2 Ascoli, Pescara 2-1 Como, Pro Vercelli 1-1 Modena, Trapani 3-0 Brescia, Vicenza 2-0 Livorno, Virtus Entella 2-2 Ternana, Novara 1-1 Salernitana, Bari 0-0 Cesena.
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