Chievo 2 : 1 Cesena - Pellissier stars in Chievo win

Sergio Pellissier was Chievo's hero as his first two goals of the season lifted them off the foot of Serie A and above their opponents Cesena after a 2-1 win.

The 35-year-old, who has been reduced to little more than a watching brief this season, sprang from the bench to put Chievo in front early in the second half.

The former Italy international then grabbed a last-minute winner, just two minutes after Milan Djuric thought he had earned Cesena a point with his first goal of the campaign.

It was every bit the expected relegation battle during a tense first 45 minutes in which neither side were able to get their game going.

The closest either came to scoring was five minutes before the interval when Bostjan Cesar stuck out a leg to divert a shot over the crossbar from just six yards out.

A few tactical changes and, more importantly, the introduction of veteran forward Pellissier altered things immediately in the second half.

Only on the field for a matter of minutes, Pellissier was in just the right place at the right time to pick up Ivan Radovanovic's shot just in front of Nicola Leali, who he beat with his placed shot into the bottom corner.

Cesena's response came from a Hugo Almeida header which was turned wide with a fine diving save from Albano Bizzaro and a Carlos Carbonero goal which was ruled out for a previous handball by Gregoire Defrel.

Almeida missed the target again as Cesena pressed for an equaliser, which they found in the 88th minute.

They had a bit of luck to thank for it too as Djuric's shot took a wicked deflection of Cesar to leave Bizzarri with no chance in the Chievo goal.

That was not the final act of the play, though, with Pellessier heading home the winner in the very last minute, bravely leaping to meet the ball just a few yards out to guide it past Leali and take the Flying Donkeys above their opponents in the Serie A standings.