Potenza Holds Five-Point Lead Over Bari After Stalemates in Serie C

Potenza and Bari both settled for away draws in Friday's eleventh round of Serie C Group C action, preserving the five-point cushion separating the league-leading Lucanians from their Apulian pursuers. Potenza rallied twice to secure a 2-2 draw against Team Altamura, while Bari battled to a 1-1 stalemate on the road against Casertana. The twin results prevented Potenza from pulling further away while ensuring Bari kept pace in the promotion battle.

At Altamura, the contest pitted the division's most prolific attack against its lowest-scoring offense, yet the home side struck early. In the fourth minute, Bocic delivered a pass to Rosafio, who curled a left-footed strike into the top corner to give Altamura the lead, handing manager Raffaele an early celebration against his former club. Potenza responded in the nineteenth minute when a cross by D'Auria resulted in a handball by Zazza inside the box. Castorani converted the subsequent penalty kick to pull the league leaders level.

Altamura pushed forward again after halftime, forcing an impressive save from Potenza goalkeeper Cucchietti on a curling free kick by Curcio. In the sixtieth minute, Mogentale controlled the ball in the penalty area and beat Cucchietti with an accurate finish to put the hosts back in front 2-1. Facing what would have been their second defeat of the campaign, Potenza answered in the eighty-third minute when Murano set up Petrungaro, who turned sharply and struck a low left-footed shot inside the near post to secure a 2-2 draw.

Meanwhile, Bari faced a challenging test at Casertana following a scoreless home draw against Crotone. Entering the match with the league's top defense, having conceded only six goals all season, the Biancorossi had to contend with Casertana striker Manconi, the division's leading scorer. After threatening Cerofolini in the first half, Manconi broke the deadlock in the forty-seventh minute with a powerful volley from the edge of the area, tallying his eighth league goal.

Casertana nearly doubled their advantage in the sixty-fifth minute when a drive from Castelli struck the crossbar. Bari quickly capitalized on the missed chance. Just two minutes later, Anzolin delivered an accurate cross into the penalty area, where Gomez connected with a well-placed header to level the match at 1-1. The single point lifted manager Rastelli's Bari squad to 21 points on the season.

The pair of draws snapped Potenza's five-game winning streak under manager Tisci, leaving the Rossoblu atop Group C with a five-point margin over second-place Bari. Bari's second-place position remained vulnerable, however, as a victory by Sorrento over Inter U23 could move Sorrento into the runner-up spot. The matchday slate also scheduled Barletta to play away against Scafatese, a playoff-position derby between Monopoli and Audace Cerignola, and Foggia hosting Cavese.

Action in Group B also produced notable movements on Friday. Pescara rallied from an early deficit to defeat Perugia 2-1 at the Renato Curi stadium, as a quick second-half brace by Merola—including a penalty kick—answered an opening-minute goal by Carriero and lifted Pescara to fourth place with 18 points. Elsewhere, Vado claimed a 2-1 away victory over Ostiamare through goals from Di Munno and Ferro, while Pineto defeated Gubbio 1-0 on a first-half strike from Pellegrino.

Potenza and Bari will soon cross paths on the pitch again. The two clubs are scheduled to meet directly in a Coppa Italia Serie C knockout match on Tuesday, October 27, at 8:30 p.m., setting up an immediate rematch between the division's top-scoring attack and its most resilient defense.