Ascoli

Piceno F.C.

Ascoli Piceno Football Club, also known as Ascoli, is an Italian football club, based in Ascoli Piceno, Marche. Founded in 1919, the club played in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football, for 18 seasons until being relegated to Serie C1 in 2004. Ascoli has played twice in the UEFA Europa League, reaching the group stage in 2000–01. Ascoli currently compete in Lega Pro Prima Divisione.

Ascoli was founded on 1 July 1919, after the merger of two local teams, the Circolo Sportivo Ambrosiana and Circolo Pro Ambrosiana. The club played its early years in the regional leagues, but achieved promotion to Serie C2 in 1954. In 1962–63, Ascoli reached the Italian Cup final, which they lost 2–0 to Genoa. The club also competed in the European Cup twice, in the 1960–61 season and the 1970–71 season.

In 1994, Ascoli reached the Promozione playoffs, but then lost in the semi-finals to SPAL. In the following season, Ascoli reached the Serie B championship, but were relegated to Serie C1 at the end of the season. Ascoli played in Serie C1 for the next 18 seasons, achieving the Serie C1/B title in 1988 and promotion to Serie B in 1992.

In the 2000–01 season, Ascoli reached the UEFA Europa League group stage, losing 2–1 to Hamburger SV in their first European match. The following season, Ascoli reached the group stage again, this time beating Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Partizan Belgrade, and Sampdoria but losing 0–3 to Atlético Madrid. In the 2003–04 season, Ascoli reached the Coppa Italia final, but lost 3–1 to Lazio.

In the 2005–06 season, Ascoli finished the Serie B season in second place, behind Bari. On 2 July 2006, Ascoli signed Giuseppe Rossi from Serie A club Lazio for €14 million. The same season, Ascoli reached the Coppa Italia final, which they lost 2–0 to Internazionale.

In the 2006–07 season, Ascoli reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, where they lost 0–2 to English club Liverpool. On 14 January 2007, Ascoli signed Brazilian striker Diego Forlán from Atlético Madrid for €32 million. The same season, Ascoli reached the Serie A championship final, which they lost 2–1 to Juventus.

In the 2008–09 season, Ascoli reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, where they lost 2–1 to Internazionale. Ascoli