Match report
Empoli edge Carrarese thanks to late Popov strike
Empoli claimed a 1-0 win away at Carrarese in a Serie B round three fixture at Stadio dei Marmi, moving further clear of their hosts in the table. The only goal arrived deep into the second half, but the visitors had already begun to dominate proceedings by then, controlling much of the ball and creating the more clear-cut openings.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
The breakthrough came in the 74th minute when Bohdan Popov converted an assist from Luca Magnino to put Empoli ahead, a lead they would not relinquish. Carrarese, already struggling near the foot of the division, could not muster a response despite pushing men forward in search of an equaliser.
Empoli finished the match having enjoyed 60 percent of possession and registered 16 shots to Carrarese's nine, though the home side were sharper when it mattered, forcing five saves compared to Empoli's two shots on target. Carrarese also picked up both yellow cards shown in the match, adding to the sense of a frustrating afternoon for Cioffi's side.
Jacopo Seghetti was rated the top performer of the match with an 8.16 rating despite not scoring, while goalscorer Bohdan Popov also impressed with a mark of 7.8 after netting the decisive goal.
Empoli's dominance in possession, at 60 percent to Carrarese's 40, underlined their control for much of the contest.
Empoli won 1–0 away against Carrarese (half-time 0–0).
Carrarese met Empoli in the Serie B (Regular Season - 3). Kick-off was Saturday, 5 September 2026, 17:30 UTC at Stadio dei Marmi. Referee: Giuseppe Mucera.
Key moments
- 74' Goal: Bohdan Popov (assist: Luca Magnino) — 0–1
Starting line-ups
Carrarese (3-5-2)
Empoli (3-1-4-2)
- 12 Jacopo Seghetti
- 8 Luca Magnino (c)
- 33 Cristian Cauz
- 25 Marco Curto
- 21 Gerard Yepes
- 91 Niccolò Corrado
- 10 Edoardo Saporiti
- 39 E. Biondini
- 35 M. Egan
- 15 Joseph Ceesay
- 11 Stiven Shpendi
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Carrarese 33%, the draw 38%, Empoli 29%. It finished Carrarese 0–1 Empoli.
Level sides, home ground holds off Empoli's cold finishing due to recover — Nothing separates them on our strength rating, and Carrarese's 33% is home ground and little else. The draw at 38% is the likeliest single result, helped by a draw-heavy league.
Why Carrarese in front?
Home ground, and little else. Almost nothing between them on our strength rating — 1404 to 1448. Sides this close won 43.1% of 15,887 home games (draw 26.7%, visitors 30.2%).
Why only 33%?
Because on our strength rating there is nothing in it. Empoli sit -0.33 goals per game below chance-quality — cold streaks like this have bounced back. Visitors this cold went on to win 32.5% of 1,343 games, vs 29.1% 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 4,032 games vs 44.9% across all 99,727 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly.
Why is the draw the likeliest result?
Between sides this level the draw starts at 26.7%. These teams' recent games average 2.5 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 26.2% of 27,731. 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?
Empoli are winless in their last 11 league games away from home (3 draws, 8 defeats), a run going back to January 2026. A long road winless run reads like a warning, but the receipts don't treat it as one: visitors on a 6+ league run without an away win won 25.7% of 13,621 games vs 24.9% class-expected — slightly more, not fewer. Empoli come into this after a busy window — 24 arrivals and 41 departures over the summer. Squad turnover reads dramatic but hasn't moved results once the rating is controlled: the busiest windows landed within noise across 5,368 games, rebuilt elevens likewise across 5,446, and even losing the most regular starters showed nothing (5,336). The other measured facts on this page scored nothing either.
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 Carrarese 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 Carrarese and Empoli team pages or the Serie B page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Carrarese vs Empoli?
Empoli won 1–0 away against Carrarese (half-time 0–0).
›Who scored in Carrarese vs Empoli?
Bohdan Popov (74') for Empoli.
›Where can I watch Carrarese vs Empoli highlights?
This page carries the full match report, stats and lineups for Carrarese vs Empoli; goal clips are added as soon as official highlights are available.
›What is the head-to-head record between Carrarese and Empoli?
Carrarese and Empoli have met 2 times — 1 win for Carrarese, 0 wins for Empoli and 1 draw.