Palermo crushes Mantova 5-2 in the Coppa Italia
Palermo also advances in the Coppa Italia, earning a spot in the round of 16 where they will face Bologna. The Rosanero secured the win with a strong performance against Mantova, which has been one of Serie B’s biggest surprises so far this season: the final score was 5-2 in favor of the Rosanero, who dominated the Virgiliani—with the exception of a three-minute lapse during which the visitors scored both of their goals for the night.
Palermo made its intentions clear right away by taking the lead in the 9th minute, when Gomes pounced on a ball mishandled by Mantova in the box and set up Strefezza, who coolly found the back of the net. After several missed chances to double the lead, an offside call prevented Gliozzi from equalizing (the VAR intervention proved decisive). Then, well into stoppage time before halftime, Castellini fouled Vavassori in the box, and Palumbo converted the penalty kick to make it 2-0.
The match, which had seemed one-sided, suddenly and incredibly took a different turn at the start of the second half: in the 52nd minute, Ruocco scored, capitalizing on a great play by Ilie, who in the 55th minute also provided the assist for Mantova’s equalizer, scored by Kouda. Palermo, however, regained its composure and, above all, found the back of the net thanks to its star striker: Joel Pohjanpalo, who entered the game at the one-hour mark and scored in the 70th minute off an assist from Johnsen, and again in stoppage time after Vavassori stripped the ball from Bardi’s feet. In between, in the 89th minute, Johnsen himself also scored on a tap-in.
With this result, Filippo Inzaghi’s Palermo confirms an extraordinary start to the season: the Rosanero had already enjoyed a perfect run, including a 2-0 win over Serie A side Lecce in the Round of 32 of the Coppa Italia — goals by Vavassori and Pohjanpalo — and six points in the first two league matchdays, thanks to victories over Juve Stabia (1-0, goal by Johnsen) and on the road against Arezzo (3-2, with Augello scoring the decisive goal in the 94th minute). This is a team that knows how to endure and bounce back, as demonstrated again tonight after the score was briefly tied at 2-2.
Pohjanpalo continues to be the driving force behind this team: the Finnish striker, who arrived in January of last season, had already impressed with nine goals and three assists in just twelve appearances during the second half of the season, and this season he is once again proving to be the offensive focal point around whom Inzaghi builds his team’s play. Alongside him, Gabrielloni—who arrived on loan from Como in the final hours of the transfer window—made a valuable contribution up front on Thursday night, providing depth and options for the Rosanero’s attack.
On the other hand, Mantova leaves defeated but not diminished: the Virgiliani remain one of the most intriguing teams in Serie B, as evidenced by their sensational 2-0 victory over Lazio at the Olimpico in the previous round of the Coppa Italia—with goals from Ruocco and Cajazzo—and by the six points they’ve earned in the first two league matchdays. Ruocco himself, who also scored one of the visitors’ goals tonight, is emerging as the team’s star player, capable of making an impact in every competition. Also worth noting is the performance of Kouda, who has returned to the red-and-white on loan from Parma following his successful stint last season and was already decisive with the goal that temporarily tied the score at 2-2.
Palermo will now face Bologna in the round of 16, scheduled for December 2–16. The other top seeds will also enter the fray at this stage: Atalanta, which faces Udinese—which qualified last night by beating Venezia 2-1—and Juventus, which will take on Sassuolo, victorious over Frosinone on penalty kicks. Still to be played tonight are Cagliari vs. Hellas Verona, with the winner facing Roma, and on September 15, Genoa vs. Südtirol (with a spot against Inter at stake) and Fiorentina vs. Pisa (for a spot against Napoli).
