Catanzaro defeated but in final for Serie A, Palermo eliminated
Catanzaro’s finest defeat in 40 years is worth a piece of history. At the Barbera it ended 2-0 to Palermo, but the heavy 3-0 win in the first leg opens wide the doors of the Serie B playoff final to the Giallorossi. Aquilani’s team withstood a long and tense battle, turning a night of suffering into a triumph: now there’s Monza, the last obstacle to Serie A.
Palermo tried immediately, dragged by a Barbera that was already on fire from the pre-match. It takes just two minutes for Pohjanpalo to soar a header off Palumbo’s free kick and sign the 1-0 that ignites the Rosanero hopes. Catanzaro, however, doesn’t back down: Pittarello engages Joronen, while Iemmello comes close to equalizing with a right-footed shot that ends just wide. The pace remains very high, amid continuous frontline tilts and chances on both sides. Pontisso again forces Joronen into a great intervention, while Ranocchia wastes two interesting opportunities. As the minutes pass, Palermo loses some of its brilliance and, between fouls and stoppages, the first half closes at 1-0.
In the second half, the tension rises further. Palumbo hits the post after a confused action in the area, then Ranocchia finds on his way a super Pigliacelli, also decisive on Johnsen shortly after the hour mark. Catanzaro, however, has its chances to finally close the accounts: Di Francesco breaks through on a counterattack and serves Favasuli, who arrives tired at the conclusion and kicks high from a favorable position.
The final is chaotic and charged with nerves. Palermo found the double in the 89th minute with Rui Modesto, who was good at hitting a volley on Ranocchia’s perfect throw. The Barbera came back to believe, but the Rosanero hopes were extinguished shortly after with the naive expulsion of Pierozzi, who knocked down Pittarello thrown into the open field. Nothing more happened in the six minutes of added time: Palermo mainly paid for the heavy defeat of the first leg, while Catanzaro could celebrate a historic qualification.
