Cremonese can continue to dream of a great escape from the relegation zone after picking up all three points in a tight 1-0 win over Empoli.
The Lombardy outfit entered the 30th matchday of the season sat with 16 points in the Serie A table, leaving them 19th, 10 points behind 17th place Spezia. Every point is vital for Davide Ballardini’s side at this stage of the season and their 3-2 win away to fellow strugglers Sampdoria earlier this month was an important confidence boost.
Things have been tough for Empoli in the last few months, with the Tuscan outfit only picking up one win in their last 10 outings prior to their trip to Cremona. Despite this, the team do have a comfortable gap to the relegation zone, removing a little pressure.
Cremonese got off to a flying start at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, taking the lead after just four minutes. A beautiful long ball from Leonardo Sernicola in the midfield was deftly controlled by Cyriel Dessers, who chested the ball down before smashing it past Samuele Perisan, giving his team an early advantage.
Empoli grew into the match and began to see more of the ball, but they struggled to translate this possession into strong chances, taking just one shot on target in the first half. Cremonese made the most of their chances, producing an xG of 0.52 despite seeing just 36% of the ball.
The Tuscan outfit continued to fight in the second half, having a few more close chances and continuing to have the lion’s share of possession.
Despite the pressure, Cremonese held out tight to their 1-0 lead and managed to see out the match, picking up a vitally important three points in a mature and focused display.
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