The recent 3-2 triumph over Sampdoria boosted lingering beliefs that Cremonese could yet perform a true miracle, and overhaul a 10-point deficit in their remaining nine fixtures to secure top-flight safety.
Cyriel Dessers’ opener inside just four minutes served only to amplify that feeling amongst the Grigiorossi faithful, as a well-placed pass over the top caught Empoli’s Koni De Winter on his heels.
Ever the predator, Dessers excellently brought the ball under his control in the six-yard box and tucked through Samuele Perisan’s legs to send the Stadio Giovanni Zini wild.
Cremonese's early goal firmly bucked the usual trend of La Cremo starting slowly, having conceded 18 goals inside the opening 30 minutes this campaign. Once they had reached that point unscathed, all signs were pointing towards a defensive masterclass.
Marco Carnesecchi had conceded twice in each of the last three H2Hs, but this time he looked thoroughly composed between the sticks, as he was able to comfortably deny Francesco Caputo from a tight angle before the break, rendering Empoli’s 64% majority of the first half’s possession utterly pointless.
The onslaught continued into the second half, but still the leakiest defence in Serie A stood firm under pressure.
That said, they were not without a stroke of fortune, as an awful miss by Jacopo Fazzini with the goal at his mercy kept Cremonese’s lead intact.
Fabiano Parisi initially did well to shrug off a challenge before getting his cross away from the byline, only to see it deflected high into the air.
Carnesecchi was left scrambling as the ball arrived onto Fazzini’s head, but instead of ending up in the back of the net, the ball was mishit by the midfielder and eventually cleared.
Davide Ballardini’s side would also waste opportunities of their own in the second half, most notably from Frank Tsadjout, who saw his strike on the counter tipped over the bar.
Substitute Marco Benassi also spurned a great opportunity to kill the game, but his acrobatic volley weakly rolled into the hands of Perisan.
Gradually Empoli’s chances began to fizzle out, and with a victory they just about deserved, Cremonese move to within seven points of safety, as their still faint hopes of a great escape stayed alive for another week.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cyriel Dessers (Cremonese)
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