Empoli Pull Off A Great Escape In Serie A As Frosinone Faces Relegation

Empoli pulled off a dramatic escape from the Serie A relegation zone on the final day with a 2-1 victory over Roma, ensuring their place in the top flight as Frosinone was relegated to Serie B.

Davide Nicola, already known for his survival miracles with Crotone, Torino, and Salernitana, saw M’Baye Niang score a last-minute goal following earlier strikes from Matteo Cancellieri and Houssem Aouar, securing Empoli’s fourth consecutive season in Serie A.

With moments remaining in the season, Frosinone—who lost 1-0 to fellow relegation rivals Udinese—seemed safe, but Niang’s late goal sent the Canaries back to the second tier alongside Salernitana and Sassuolo.

Starting the evening in the relegation zone with 33 points from 37 fixtures, one point below the safety line, Empoli controlled their fate on the final day.

Given that 17th-placed Udinese (34 points) and 16th-placed Frosinone (35 points) were playing each other, Nicola’s team knew that a win would secure their survival regardless of the outcome at Stadio Benito Stirpe.

A draw would have sufficed for Empoli if Udinese had lost to Frosinone, but finishing level on points with Udinese would have resulted in a two-legged relegation playoff.

Niang’s injury-time heroics kept Empoli in Serie A.

Empoli’s quest to stun Roma and climb above the relegation line began perfectly, with Matteo Cancellieri coolly side-footing home the opening goal in the 13th minute, taking advantage of Roma’s defensive disarray.

Bryan Cristante appeared to equalize for Roma in the 21st minute after a chaotic scramble in the box, but his effort was disallowed for offside following a lengthy VAR review, giving Empoli a crucial reprieve.

However, Daniele de Rossi’s side equalized just before halftime. Angelino’s precise delivery from the left found an unmarked Houssem Aouar, who headed home from close range in the 45th minute.

Despite the setback, Empoli’s confidence remained intact, and they nearly retook the lead in the 69th minute when Razvan Marin’s powerful 25-yard shot struck the crossbar.

As news came in that Udinese had taken the lead against Frosinone, increasing Empoli’s need for a win, Roma’s Stephan El Shaarawy had a goal disallowed for offside in the 84th minute. Just four minutes later, Cancellieri missed a golden opportunity, sending a header wide from inside the six-yard box.

However, Cancellieri redeemed himself in the third minute of added time, setting up M’Baye Niang to calmly slot home and ignite wild celebrations among the Azzurri faithful.