Explained: The interesting reason Bari progressed to Serie B play-off final despite drawing 1-1 with Sudtirol in semi-finals

• Bari beat Sudtirol on Friday
• Semi-final ended 1-1 on aggregate
• But Bari go through to final

WHAT HAPPENED? After losing the first leg 1-0, Bari beat Sudtirol by the same scoreline on Friday to level the tie. The semi-final did not go to extra time or penalties, however.

WHY DID BARI GO THROUGH? Instead of resolving the tie in extra time, Bari go straight through to the final because they finished higher than their opponents in the Serie B table. Bari were third in the league, sending them straight to the play-off semi-finals, while Sudtirol came in sixth.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty

Getty

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Bari will take on either Parma or Cagliari in the final to decide who gets promoted to Serie A.

WHAT'S NEXT? Bari will find out their next opponents on Saturday when Cagliari, who won 3-2 in the first leg, visit Parma.