Pescara returns to Serie A after 3-year hiatus

Pescara sealed a return to Serie A after securing a 3-1 win on aggregate against Sicilian hopeful Trapani in the Serie B play-off final.

By virtue of scoring a 2-0 victory in the first leg, Massimo Oddo's side would settle for a 1-1 draw on Thursday to book a ticket back to the top flight.

Pescara last played in Serie A during the 2012-13 season.

Suffering a narrow loss in last year's play-off final, Pescara made amends this time around.

Trapani tried its best to deny the Dolphins once more, with Nicola Citro cutting the aggregate lead in half just five minutes into the contest.

Serie B's top scorer, Gianluca Lapadula, missed several chances to restore Pescara's overall cushion, but midfielder Valerio Verre managed to do it in stunning fashion.

Verre found the ball 40 yards away from the net and sent it flying into the goal to clinch promotion for Pescara.

The match effectively ended when Trapani's Gennaro Scognamiglio received a second yellow card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Pescara happily played out the remainder of the 90 minutes with a man advantage.

Oddo, the former AC Milan defender and 2006 World Cup winner, only took the Pescara job last year, and it's his intention to keep the post next season.

Pescara - which qualified for the play-offs in fourth place - will now join Crotone and Cagliari in Serie A.

Carpi, Frosinone, and Hellas Verona were all relegated from the top flight last month.