Paolo Zanetti’s Empoli fought hard to pick up all three points in a physical battle against relegation candidates Cremonese.
Both sides were left languishing in the lower parts of the Serie A table entering the final round of fixtures before the World Cup break, with Empoli sat at 14th with 14 points and Cremonese down in 18th with only seven. The two teams were both desperate for a win in order to start distancing themselves from a possible relegation battle in the second half of the season.
It was a fairly balanced match at the Stadio Carlo Castellani, with Empoli seeing more of the ball but have slightly less dangerous chances than Cremonese in the first half. Both sides entered the half time break with five shots apiece, setting up a tense 45 minutes in Tuscany.
Zanetti switched out Sam Lammers for Nicolo Cambiaghi at half time and this had an instant impact; the 21-year-old Italian forward immediately broke the deadlock in the second half, scoring in the 46th minute to put Empoli 1-0 up.
Cremonese pushed hard for an equaliser as Empoli set up to see out their 1-0 lead and they dominated the ball, desperately working to try and find a breakthrough in the final third.
Unfortunately for Massimiliano Alvini and his squad, they failed to find that magic and Empoli escaped unscathed, confirming their victory with a late goal from Fabiano Parisi in the 88th minute.