Chievo vs. Bari

These were two of the surprise outfits of the season so far, as Chievo were in sixth and Bari had already held Inter and Milan at San Siro. The home side missed Luca Rigoni and Fabio Moro, while the visitors had Alessandro Parisi, Matteo Paro, Mariano Donda, Yago, Ferdinando Sforzini and Emanuel Rivas sidelined.

This was the first ever Serie A meeting between the clubs, but in Serie B Bari had never won here with one 2-2 draw and one 3-2 defeat.

They hoped to change that when they took the lead after two minutes and 30 seconds. Salvatore Masiello curled the free kick to the near post, where Sergio Almiron's looping header slotted into the top corner. Bari hadn't scored in 302 minutes of football.

Michele Marcolini had a strike from 25 metres and Chievo had a decent penalty shout rejected for Massimo Donati's handling offence.

Riccardo Meggiorini's downward header was cleared practically off the line and Stefano Sorrentino had to rush out to clear from Meggiorini again.

Chievo had a great chance of equalising on 62 minutes, but Jean-Francois Gillet showed cat-like reflexes to bat a diving Pellissier header off the line.

Instead, Bari doubled their lead at the Bentegodi. Andrea Ranocchia soared above the crowd to reach Donati's cross for a perfect looping header into the far top corner that left Sorrentino stranded. It was the Under-21 international's debut Serie A goal.

Edgar Alvarez flashed a strike over from distance and Gillet was again alert with a desperate save on Mario Yepes from point-blank range.

Chievo got back into it when Yepes curled a cross from the left for Erjon Bogdani's header from six yards.

Meggiorini should have secured it for Bari, but turned a free header over from a perfect position. In stoppages the Flying Donkeys had a succession of chances from the corner kick, as at least half a dozen shots were charged down a yard before the goalline.