Month: October 2023

Third Division – Girone B. Similarly to Girone A, a few teams had a chance to win, but eventually two teams pulled a bit ahead of the others.
Rimini – hopeless outsider. Last with 15 points and relegated.
Vis Pesaro – 17th with 26 points and relegated.
Frosinone – 16th with 30 points. Relegated.
The next 4 teams finished with the same points and again the rules worked their strange magic: the best two were decided on head-to-head records, but the other two went to relegation play-off. Monopoli won over Campobasso 4-1.
Campobasso after losing the play-off against Monopoli took 15th place with 31 points and was relegated.
After beating Campobasso in the play-off, Monopoli survived – 14th with 31 points.
Francavilla – 13th with 31 points. Having better head-to-head record, they escaped relegation without having to fret over play-off.
Ischia Isolaverde – 12th with 31 points. Having the best head-to-head record, they finished above the other teams with 31 points.
Salernitana – 11th with 32 points.
Catania – 10th with 34 points. In midtable, where was nothing to gain or lose, standard rule decided who is above or bellow: goal-difference. Catania had worse goal-difference than Giarre.

Giarre – 9th with 34 points. Ahead of Catania on better goal-difference.
Perugia – 8th with 36 points.
Casarano – 7th with 37 points.
Casertana – 6th with 39 points.
Brindisi – 5th with 39 points.
Torres – 4th with 39 points. Ahead of Brindisi and Casertana on better head-to-head record.
Palermo – 3rd with 40 points.
Foggia – 2nd with 42 points and promoted to Second Division.
Cagliari – 1st with 45 points after 16 wins, 13 ties, 5 losses. 37-21 goal-difference. Like Foggia, eager to climb back to Second Division and achieving it by winning this championship.

Third Division – Serie C/1. Two group of 18 teams, the top 2 teams in each group were promoted to Second Division and last 4 – relegated to forth level.
Girone A. Four teams competed for the top position, which was interesting.
Pro Livorno finished last with 20 points and was relegated.
SPAL – 17th and relegated with 24 points.
Centese – 16th with 28 points and relegated.
Virescit Bergamo – 15th with 30 points. Relegated.
Derthona – 14th with 31 points.

Lanerossi Vicenza – 13th with 31 point.
Trento – 12th with 31 points.
Arezzo – 11th with 32 points.
Venezia-Mestre – 10th with 33 points.
Mantova – 9th with 33 points.
Montevarchi – 8th with 34 points.
Carrarese – 7th with 36 points.
Lucchese – 6th with 37 points.
Modena – 5th with 38 points.
Prato – 4th with 42 points. Tried hard to go up, but lost.

Spezia – 3rd with 42 points. Ahead of Prato, but unable to get promotion.
Triestina – 2nd with 44 points and promoted. Well done.
Reggiana won the championship with 46 points: 18 wins, 10 ties, 6 losses, 36-14 goal-difference. Difficult victory, but they prevailed and climbed up.

Italy – ranked number 1. And rightly so. Yet the most attractive to players club championship suffered from its old, ancient by now, habits: draws. Only 12 of the 146 teams, playing in the top 4 divisions, finished the season with less than 10 ties. In Serie A only the champion had less than 10. The rest were in 3rd and 4th division. Second Division was the champion of ties: no team with less than 10 and Ancona had the record of all 4 divisions: they tied 23 of total 38 matches they played. Winning was a joke, as always: only 8 teams ended with more than 50% of games won – 2 in Serie A and 6 in 3rd and 4th divisions. Scoring was naturally low – no team in the four divisions achieved 2-goals-per-game average. More ‘natural’ was to score fewer goals than the games played – and the Serie B champion distinguished itself with scoring measly 35 goals in their 38 championship games. Finally, it was a bit odd, but the country attracting the best foreign players and now taking advantage of permitted 3 foreigners on the field had imports only in Serie A. There have been foreigners in the Second Division before, but not now.
IV Division – Serie C/2 – the biggest championship, where 72 teams played divided in 4 groups. The top 2 teams in each group were promoted to third level. A mere glimpse of this vast championship:
Girone A. The weakest team in all divisions played here: Sorso won only 1 match, tied 6, and lost all th e rest. Not much at the top – two teams dominated.
Alessandria finished 2nd with 47 points – 7 points ahead of the next pursuer – and earned promotion.
Casale won the group with 48 points: 16 wins, 16 ties, 2 losses, 33-13 goal-difference. Promoted, naturally.
Girone B.
Treviso finished 12th with 31 points.

Sassuolo – 5th with 39 points.
Legnano was 3rd with 40 points.
Carpi was comfortably 2nd with 45 points and promoted.
Chievo won the championship and was promoted with 48 points: 18 wins, 12 ties, 4 losses, 41-15.
Girone C. Dramatic championship – 3 teams finished with 48 points and intricacy of the rules followed: the number on team was decided on head-to-head record against direct opponents, but second place required a play-off.
Potenza finished 14th with 29 points.
Lanciano was 12th with 31 points.
Chieti, Ternana, and Fidelis Andria finished with 48 points each. As already mentioned, head-to-head record decided the champion. Chieti and Ternana went to a play-off for second place. The match ended 0-0 and only penalty shoot-out broke the iron scoreless tie – Chieti lost 1-3 and took 3rd place.
Ternana clinched 2nd place and promotion after the decisive play-off.
Fidelis Andria won the group thanks to better head-to-head record against its challengers. There 48 points came from 21 wins, 6 ties, 7 losses, 42-19 goal-difference. Promoted.
Girone D.
Sorrento took 5th place with 36 points.
Siracusa clinched 2nd place, a point ahead of Cavese – 44 points vs 43 – and was promoted.
Campania Puteolana was first with 49 points: 19 wins, 11 ties, 4 losses, 44-13. Promoted up as group champion.