It has been a chaotic start to the 2023/24 Serie B season, largely due to the delayed inclusions of Lecco and Brescia, but all 20 teams were in action for the second week in a row on Matchday 5, and Parma have emerged as outright leaders in the second tier after an emphatic victory against Catanzaro.
Before Matchday 5 commenced, Parma and Catanzaro shared first place on top of the Serie B, but the Calabrian side suffered an absolute capitulation at home, losing 5-0 to the Crociati.
Parma run riot in Calabria
Dennis Man opened the scoring for Parma after 18 minutes from close range, then Adrian Benedyczak made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Ange-Yoan Bonny was fouled by Catanzaro defender Stefano Scognamillo. Benedyczak scored his second and the Ducali’s third five minutes before half-time with the Aquile defence looking static once again.
Crociati coach Fabio Pecchia took off his goalscorers at half-time, but Anthony Partipilo and Antonio Colak added to Parma’s tally in the second half. It was a night to forget for Catanzaro, who earned promotion last season after dominating Serie C Girone C. The Calabrians have played some swashbuckling football on their return to Serie B, but coach Vincenzo Vivarini needs to rectify the issues in defence.
Parma are now sitting two points clear of Venezia with 13 points whereas Catanzaro are equal third with Palermo and Modena on 10 points, albeit having played one match more than the other two clubs.
Feralpisalo write history against high-flying Canarini of Modena
Serie B debutants Feralpisalo had endured great difficulty in the opening four matchdays of the season, but they were able to earn their first point for the campaign and in their second-tier history by drawing 1-1 against Modena.
The Lombard club had earned promotion after finishing on top of Serie C Girone A in 2022/23, but they had lost their first four matches in Serie B and had failed to score a goal.
It seemed that nightmare start to the campaign would continue after Diego Falcinelli opened the scoring for the Canarini in the second minute, but Davide Balestrero equalised seven minutes later to become the first-ever scorer for Feralpisalo in Serie B with an excellent volley. Feralpisalo winger Mattia Felici was sent off in the second half for diving but the Lombards held on for the point.
Serie B 2023/24: Matchday 5 results
| Date | Fixtures/Results |
| Fri, Sept 15 | Venezia 1-0 Spezia |
| Sat, Sept 16 | Cosenza 2-2 Sudtirol |
| Sat, Sept 16 | Lecco 0-2 Brescia |
| Sat, Sept 16 | Ascoli 0-1 Palermo |
| Sat, Sept 16 | Pisa 1-1 Bari |
| Sat, Sept 16 | Feralpisalo 1-1 Modena |
| Sat, Sept 16 | Reggiana 2-2 Cremonese |
| Sun, Sept 17 | Como 2-1 Ternana |
| Sun, Sept 17 | Catanzaro 0-5 Parma |
| Mon, Sept 18 | Sampdoria 1-2 Cittadella |
Serie B 2023/24: Table after Matchday 5
| Pos | Club | MP | Pts |
| 1 | Parma | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | Venezia | 5 | 11 |
| 3 | Palermo | 4 | 10 |
| 4 | Modena | 4 | 10 |
| 5 | Catanzaro | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | Sudtirol | 4 | 8 |
| 7 | Cittadella | 5 | 8 |
| 8 | Como | 4 | 7 |
| 9 | Bari | 5 | 7 |
| 10 | Brescia | 2 | 6 |
| 11 | Cremonese | 5 | 6 |
| 12 | Cosenza | 5 | 5 |
| 13 | Pisa | 4 | 4 |
| 14 | Reggiana | 5 | 3 |
| 15 | Ascoli | 5 | 3 |
| 16 | Sampdoria | 5 | 2 |
| 17 | Spezia | 4 | 1 |
| 18 | Ternana | 5 | 1 |
| 19 | Feralpisalo | 5 | 1 |
| 20 | Lecco | 2 | 0 |
