Curse broken: Benevento claims 1st Serie A victory

In the 19th match of its first-ever Serie A season, Benevento finally came away as the winner.

By eking out a 1-0 result over Chievo on Saturday, Benevento also became the last team in Europe's top five leagues to register a victory.

For a while, nothing went the club's way. President Oreste Vigorito was convinced Benevento was cursed by witchcraft. Legend has it that the city was a common gathering ground for witches, leading Vigorito to believe "malignant" forces were responsible for Benevento's bad luck.

Playing in Serie A for the first time in nearly 90 years of existence, Benevento often conceded late goals and suffered several one-goal defeats. It broke Manchester United's long-standing record for the worst start in the history of Europe's top leagues, going pointless in its opening 14 matches.

Benevento's misery ended in the most dramatic way possible, with goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli's blind header securing a dramatic 2-2 draw with Milan earlier this month. In keeping with the club's superstitions, Vigorito pointed out it had been snowing in nearby Naples.

But three points eluded Benevento until Saturday. Journeyman striker Massimo Coda scored from close range in the 64th minute to mark Benevento's first round of Serie A matches with a rare win.

It is still 11 points away from safety.