Cremonese continue great escape with win over relegation rival Spezia
This match felt like a must-win for the 19th-placed hosts, who face Juventus, Bologna and Lazio in their next three outings before a final-day meeting with Salernitana.
Grigiorossi goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi made two vital interventions early on, pawing Kelvin Amian’s strike behind before displaying cat-like reflexes to deny Przemyslaw Wisniewski from the resulting corner.
At the other end, Cremonese wasted a glorious counterattacking opportunity shortly after the half-hour mark as Pablo Galdames’ delayed pass intended for David Okereke was cut out by Wisniewski.
However, they unexpectedly took the lead in the 41st minute when Daniel Ciofani’s loose touch ricocheted off both Wisniewski and Chelsea loanee Ethan Ampadu before fortuitously falling to the 37-year-old striker, who gleefully finished past Bartlomiej Dragowski.
Spezia would have been livid to be trailing at the break having enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, and made a fast start to the second period, with Eldor Shomurodov rattling the bar for Leonardo Semplici’s men.
The latter soon made a double substitution, with leading marksman M’Bala Nzola, returning from injury, entering the fray alongside left-back Arkadiusz Reca.
Nzola curled over from close range not long after his introduction, and Luka Lochoshvili put in an excellent block to thwart Albin Ekdal as the north-western Italians continued to largely dictate proceedings without making a breakthrough.
Davide Ballardini’s heart must have been racing as his side struggled to relieve the pressure, but a second goal arrived with just under 15 minutes left on the clock, once more against the run of play.
On this occasion, Galdames’ delivery - following the award of a debatable free-kick - was powered in at the back post by Johan Vasquez.
It is the first time Cremonese have gone three home games unbeaten this season and, after having looked dead and buried for large portions of the campaign, they remain in with a chance of beating the drop.
The Aquilotti, meanwhile, must now regroup ahead of the visit of AC Milan to the Stadio Alberto Picco next Saturday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese)