Crotone promoted to Serie A for 1st time in its history
MODENA, Italy (AP) - Crotone secured promotion to Italy's top flight for the first time in its history Friday, drawing 1-1 at Modena in Serie B to spark scenes of celebration in the Calabrian city.
There are three rounds remaining but a point was enough to guarantee Ivan Juric's team will finish in the top two in the second division and earn automatic promotion to Serie A.
Cagliari is second, seven points behind Crotone, with Trapani eight points further back.
Davide Luppi gave Modena the lead in the 17th minute but former Juventus and Italy forward Raffaele Palladino leveled with a penalty on the stroke of halftime.
Around 1,200 fans had travelled to Modena, while thousands of people are celebrating in the streets of Crotone, where there were two giant screens set up for fans to watch the match.
It is Juric's first season in charge of Crotone. The former Croatia midfielder also spent five years as a player for Crotone, before moving to Genoa in 2006.
The Stadio Ezio Scida, where Crotone plays its home matches, holds less than 10,000 people.
Fellow minnows Carpi and Frosinone were promoted to Serie A for the first time in their history last season.
Carpi is currently three points above the drop zone, while Frosinone is five points from safety.