Manuel De Luca had a rough day.

In the playoffs: Manuel De Luca loses his nerve

Manuel De Luca is currently fighting with Cremonese in the playoffs for promotion to Serie A. The South Tyrolean striker had a rough day in the first leg of the semi-final.

21 May 2025

From: dl

Cremonese lost 1-2 to Juve Stabia on Wednesday evening. De Luca missed a penalty with the score at 0-2. The striker from Pfatten, who had scored eight goals this season, shot over the bar. In the end, Cremonese still managed to score 1-2, meaning everything is still up for grabs in Sunday's home semifinal second leg.

In any case, De Luca was substituted after his missed penalty. For Juve Stabia, Lorenzo Sgarbi from Bolzano came on with ten minutes left. For the newly promoted team from southern Italy, reaching the final would be a sensation.

In the second semifinal of the Serie B playoffs, Spezia won the first leg in Catanzaro 2-0. The Ligurian team now has one foot in the promotion final.

Serie B: Playoff semifinals

Juventus Stabia 2-1 Cremonese
1:0 Pierobon (34th), 2:0 Adorante (58th), 2:1 Johnsen (77th)

Catanzaro – Spezia 0:2
0:1 Di Serio (49th), 0:2 Francisco Pio Esposito (61st)

Return matches on Sunday, May 25th.