Cesena secured a 2-1 victory over Virtus Entella in Serie B's second round at the Stadio Comunale di Chiavari on Friday. The visitors took control after trailing early, with two second-half goals turning the tie around. Entella had led at the break but could not hold on when the game opened up.
A. Fiori gave the hosts the lead in the twenty-fifth minute, finding the net from open play. Cesena responded through C. Shpendi in the thirty-sixth, levelling the score before the interval. A. Tiritiello then restored the visitors' advantage in the forty-second, and Entella had to chase the game for the remainder.
The match saw a series of tactical adjustments from both benches. M. Tirelli came on for Entella at the restart, while A. Fiori was withdrawn after his goal in the fifty-third minute. Cesena made their changes later, bringing on L. Vignali and N. Squizzato in the sixty-ninth, followed by X. Druiventak in the seventieth.
And here's the thing about the statistics — Entella dominated possession at 59 per cent and registered 123 attacks compared to Cesena's 49. Yet the visitors were more efficient, converting three shots on target from only five attempts, while the hosts managed just one goal from three attempts on target. Cesena made 36 clearances and won ten of twenty-two aerial duels, showing they felt the pressure and dealt with it.
Discipline was tested throughout, with Cristian Shpendi receiving a yellow card in the forty-fifth minute and Matteo Guidi booked in the fiftieth. Luca Parodi went off the pitch for a caution in the eighty-fifth, and C. Shpendi was substituted in the eighty-sixth as Cesena managed the final minutes.
The result moves Cesena into fifth place with four points from two matches, one victory and one draw. Entella remain rooted at nineteenth, having lost both games so far without scoring a point. To be fair, the visitors did not travel to make up the numbers — they came for a result and took it.
