Match report
Mantova rally past Empoli with three second-half goals
Mantova came from behind to beat Empoli 3-1 in a Serie B round two fixture at Stadio Danilo Martelli, overturning a goalless first half with a burst of second-half scoring. The result lifted Modesto's side to second in the table on six points, while Pagliuca's Empoli remained on three points after two rounds.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Edoardo Saporiti finished off an assist from M. Egan to put Empoli 1-0 up. Mantova responded quickly, with Francesco Ruocco levelling in the 58th minute after a pass from Alessio Castellini, before Vanja Vlahović turned the game around three minutes later, converting a Stefano Cella assist to make it 2-1. Fahem Benaissa-Yahia added a third deep into stoppage time, finishing an assist from Vlahović to complete the scoring at 3-1.
Mantova dominated the second half territorially despite seeing less of the ball overall, managing 13 shots to Empoli's five and forcing seven efforts on target compared to the visitors' two. Empoli committed 18 fouls to Mantova's 13 and picked up five yellow cards against Mantova's two, a disciplinary gap that shaped the closing stages as the hosts pressed for a third goal.
Vanja Vlahović scored Mantova's decisive second goal and later teed up Benaissa-Yahia for the third, earning the highest rating on the pitch at 7.9.
Mantova's 1.14 expected goals total against Empoli's 0.43 reflected the home side's greater threat in front of goal across the match.
Mantova beat Empoli 3–1 (half-time 0–0).
Mantova met Empoli in the Serie B (Regular Season - 2). Kick-off was Sunday, 30 August 2026, 17:00 UTC at Stadio Danilo Martelli. Referee: Andrea Colombo.
Key moments
- 51' Goal: Edoardo Saporiti (assist: M. Egan) — 0–1
- 58' Goal: Francesco Ruocco (assist: Alessio Castellini) — 1–1
- 61' Goal: Vanja Vlahović (assist: Stefano Cella) — 2–1
- 90' Goal: Fahem Benaissa-Yahia (assist: Vanja Vlahović) — 3–1
Starting line-ups
Mantova (3-4-2-1)
Empoli (3-4-2-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Mantova 39%, the draw 37%, Empoli 24%. It finished Mantova 3–1 Empoli.
Level sides, Mantova's control of the ball swings it — Nothing separates them on our strength rating, and Mantova's control of the ball gives Mantova the lean. The draw at 37% is helped by a draw-heavy league.
Why Mantova in front?
Almost nothing between them on our strength rating — 1485 to 1462. Sides this close won 45.6% of 14,515 home games (draw 26.5%, visitors 27.9%). Mantova hold 9 more possession points (53 to 44 in recent games) — and between equals, control has been worth something. Between evenly-matched sides, home teams with this control edge won 47.9% of 5,191 games, vs 44.0% when styles were level.
Why only 39%?
Because on our strength rating there is nothing in it. Empoli sit -0.42 goals per game below chance-quality — cold streaks like this have bounced back. Visitors this cold went on to win 32.5% of 1,331 games, vs 29.0% for visitors finishing normally. Serie B home sides under-perform the global norm — and the difference mostly flows to draws (32.2% vs 24.9% norm) and away wins (26.1% vs 30.2%). Serie B homes won 41.7% of 4,028 games vs 44.9% across all 99,542 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly.
Why is the draw second, ahead of the Empoli win?
Between sides this level the draw starts at 26.5%. These teams' recent games average 2.5 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 26.2% of 27,699. Serie B runs draw-heavy, adding 7.3 points. Early-season fixtures add 2.0 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
Mantova have gained 94 strength-rating points over their last 10 games. Momentum is measured but not yet proven: climbing sides won 41.4% of 12,267 such games vs 40.7% class-expected — inside the noise band, so it stays at 0 points until the receipt clears its evidence bar.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Mantova vs Empoli final score and result, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Serie B fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
The full match report above covers the goals, key moments and stats. Explore more on the Mantova and Empoli team pages or the Serie B page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Mantova vs Empoli?
Mantova beat Empoli 3–1 (half-time 0–0).
›Who scored in Mantova vs Empoli?
Edoardo Saporiti (51') for Empoli; Francesco Ruocco (58') for Mantova; Vanja Vlahović (61') for Mantova; Fahem Benaissa-Yahia (90') for Mantova.
›Where can I watch Mantova vs Empoli highlights?
This page carries the full match report, stats and lineups for Mantova vs Empoli; goal clips are added as soon as official highlights are available.
›What is the head-to-head record between Mantova and Empoli?
Mantova and Empoli have met 2 times — 0 wins for Mantova, 1 win for Empoli and 1 draw.