Late Bortolussi Strike Lifts Padova Past Empoli in Serie B

Padova Calcio edged Empoli FC 1–0 thanks to a late goal from Mattia Bortolussi, securing three important points on Serie B matchday 34.

In a tight contest with limited clear-cut chances reported in the data, the decisive moment arrived in the 84th minute. Bortolussi broke the deadlock for Padova with a regular-time strike, putting the hosts 1–0 up and ultimately sealing the result. No assist was recorded on the goal.

The match was competitive and at times tense, as reflected by the bookings. Empoli’s Gabriele Guarino received a yellow card in the 36th minute, while Padova collected three cautions after the break: Carlo Faedo on 63 minutes, Roberto Breda on 73, and Bortolussi himself shortly after his goal, in the 85th minute.

Both coaches turned to their benches in search of an edge. Padova introduced Carlo Faedo at half-time for Filippo Sgarbi, and later brought on Gianluca Caprari, Paolo Ghiglione and Luca Di Maggio in the second half, with Francesco Di Mariano, Alessandro Capelli and Pietro Fusi making way. Empoli responded with a flurry of substitutions around the 72nd minute, including Daniel Fila and Salvatore Elia, and later added Nosa Obaretin, Nicolas Haas and Marco Nasti in the closing stages.

Specific details such as full lineups, shot counts, and other in-depth statistics are not available in the provided data, but the late winner underscores Padova’s resilience in a finely balanced encounter.

The victory further strengthens Padova’s position in the Serie B table as the regular season heads into its final stretch, while Empoli leave empty-handed after being undone in the final minutes. Full match information is available at Ballaxy, with team pages for Padova Calcio and Empoli FC.

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Serie B Standings

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	Venezia FC	37	23	10	4	75	31	44	79	D W W D W
2	Frosinone Calcio	37	22	12	3	71	34	37	78	W W W D W
3	AC Monza	37	22	9	6	59	30	29	75	L W W W D
4	Palermo FC	37	20	12	5	61	31	30	72	W D W D W
5	US Catanzaro	37	15	14	8	60	48	12	59	L W D D D
6	Modena FC 2018	37	15	10	12	49	35	14	55	W L L D D
7	SS Juve Stabia	37	11	17	9	43	44	-1	50	L D D W L
8	Mantova 1911 SSD	37	13	7	17	45	52	-7	46	W W L W W
9	AC Cesena	37	12	10	15	42	52	-10	46	D D L L D
10	Calcio Avellino SSD	37	12	10	15	42	55	-13	46	L W W D L
11	Carrarese Calcio	37	10	14	13	46	50	-4	44	D L D L W
12	UC Sampdoria	37	11	11	15	35	47	-12	44	W D L W W
13	Padova Calcio	37	11	10	16	35	46	-11	43	W L W W L
14	Empoli FC	37	9	13	15	45	52	-7	40	W L D L L
15	FC Südtirol	37	8	16	13	37	47	-10	40	L L L D D
16	ACD Virtus Entella	37	9	12	16	34	50	-16	39	L W D D L
17	SSC Bari	37	9	10	18	35	58	-23	37	W L L L W
18	Delfino Pescara 1936	37	7	13	17	50	65	-15	34	L D D L W
19	Spezia Calcio	37	8	10	19	42	58	-16	34	D L W L L
20	AC Reggiana	37	8	10	19	35	56	-21	34	L D L W L