While Juve’s Friday night ended on a sour note, some of the club’s loaned-out stars were enjoying a historic achievement.
Nicolò Fagioli, Luca Zanimacchia and Hamza Rafia managed to seal a promotion to Serie A with Cremonese who return to the top tier for the first time since 1996.
The Tigers beat Como 2-1 away from home on the final matchday of the Serie B campaign to secure a second place finish behind Lecce.
While the top two sides seal direct promotion to Serie A, the teams that finish between the third and eighth place engage in a playoff in order to determine the final promoted club.
Since the beginning of the campaign, Fagioli has been one of the main revelations of the second tier. The 21-year-old dictated the play in the middle of the park, and contributed with three league goals and seven assists.
According to Calciomercato, Cremonese’s promotion could prompt Juventus to extend his loan stint at the club for another season. This would allow him to gain vital Serie A experience in a familiar environment.
For his part, Zanimacchia is another Juventus U-23 loanee who had a significant contribution in Cremonese’s promotion. The right winger scored eight league goals and provided six assists.
However, the 23-year-old is unlikely to have a future with the Bianconeri, and the same can be said for Rafia who joined Fabio Pecchia’s side last January, but without leaving a major impact.
