Palermo Put Four Past Ten-Man Bologna

Palermo hosted Bologna in an important match for both sides, with the Rosanero still chasing a Uefa Cup spot, and the Rossoblu having to fight tooth and nails to avoid the drop to Serie B.  

The home side played in a 3-4-1-2 formation with Giovanni Tedesco behind Edinson Cavani and Davide Succi in attack, while new Bologna coach Giuseppe Papadopulo, who just replaced Sinisa Mihajlovic, opted for a 3-5-2 line up with Massimo Marazzina and Marco Di Vaio up front.

First Half

Palermo looked more convincing in the early going, and they went ahead after only six minutes, albeit with some good fortune. Tedesco sent in a cross from the right which Bologna defender Manuel Belleri inadvertently deflected past his own goalkeeper.

The hosts continued to be more menacing after that, although the next chance fell to the visitors. In the 15th minute Sergio Volpi sent in a free kick into the area which was initially cleared by the Palermo defence, but the ball then fell to Gaby Mudingayi, whose shot went over the bar.

Five minutes later, Mudingayi sent in a good cross into the area for Di Vaio, which the striker just failed to control.  

In the 24th minute Palermo came extremely close to doubling their lead, as Succi fired a powerful shot from outside the area that slammed against the crossbar.

Bologna looked clearly second best, but they did give it their all to try and equalise. In the 35th minute, their best player Di Vaio received the ball from Marazzina in the area and fired  a powerful shot that was well saved by Marco Amelia.

A minute before half-time the home side did make it 2-0, Simon Kjaer popping up on a corner kick move and slotting the ball home from close range.

Second Half

For the second half, Papadopulo decided to make two changes during half time, bringing in Davide Marchini for Belleri and Pablo Osvaldo for Marazzina.

The first chance was again for the home side, as in the 52nd minute Mudingayi lost the ball to Cavani in a bad position, and on the counter-attack he passed the ball to Tedesco, who fired the ball just over the bar.

As Bologna took more and more risks, Palermo got more room to attack, and in the 63rd minute they took advantage of that to score the third goal and close the match. Liverani played the ball forward to Mattia Cassani, who crossed the ball into the area for Succi who made it 3-0 with an easy shot.

The Rosanero were in complete control after this, and things got worse for Bologna when Sergio Volpi was given a second yellow card for a foul on substitute Abel Hernandez in the 77th minute, leaving them behind with ten men.

Palermo did not feel like pushing forward to score more goals, which made it an uneventful last part of the match. However, the Rossoblu managed to get a consolation goal in the 84th minute, when Di Vaio scored his 20th goal of the season to make it 3-1.

After that the home side started going forward a bit more, and in the 85th minute Hernandez missed a huge chance alone in front of goalkeeper Colombo. They had another chance three minutes later, Colombo was called into action again on a powerful by Cassani.

In the second minute of injury time, Palermo did add a fourth goal through Cavani, who fired the ball in on a good assist by Hernandez. Seconds later the referee blew his whistle, allowing the Rosanero to celebrate a precious victory that keeps them in the race for a Uefa Cup spot, while Papadopulo had a very forgettable debut as coach of Bologna, who now look to be one step closer to the dreaded drop to Serie B.

Teams

Palermo (3-4-1-2): Amelia; Kjaer, Carrozzieri (72’ Morganella), Bovo; Cassani, Migliaccio, Liverani, Balzaretti; Tedesco (57’ Hernandez); Cavani, Succi (65’ Savini). Coach: Ballardini.

Bologna (3-5-2): Colombo; Belleri (46’ Marchini) Moras, Terzi; Zenoni, Mudingayi, Volpi, Amoroso (59’ Adailton), Valiani; Marazzina (46’ Osvaldo), Di Vaio. Coach: Papadopulo.

Goals: 6’ Belleri o.g. (P), 44’ Kjaer (P), 63’ Succi (P), 84’ Di Vaio (B), 92’ Cavani (P)

Booked: Balzaretti, Kjaer (P); Mudingayi, Volpi, Zenoni, Osvaldo (B)

Sent Off: Volpi 77’ (B)

Danilo Pochini