PALERMO

[D-Kin]

Messina 2-0 Palermo

65' Rigano

[D-Kin]

Alvarez with another assist!

[D-Kin]

70' Simplicio attempts a near-post corner... it doesn't work this time though and the Messina defence can clear to safety!

[D-Kin]

77' Di Michele goes for goal from a free kick 25 yards out... disappointing from the Italy international... way over the bar...

[D-Kin]

FT 2-0 to Messina.

[Trim]

Messina 2 - Palermo 0

This Sicilian derby is nominally less volatile than the one involving Palermo and Catania, but passions rise – and did – at Messina today. Messina had received the most red cards, ten, before the match started - although that balde would cut the other way today - and came to the clash having won one game in the last 16.

Palermo weren’t in a much better state, having just won one out of the last seven. On the positive side Palermo had never lost this Sicilian derby in Serie A. One name would make a real difference - Riganò proving yet again that a bigger club should perhsps chance their arm on the goalgetting predator.

Palermo looked likely to keep with history and win again, the Rosaneri dominating play and the Messina team with David Di Michele and Mark Bresciano coming close, Fabio Simplicio having his right footed shot from outside the box blocked and Franco Brienza’s shot being saved by Caglioni.

Nevertheless, the first half would paint a different story as despite most chances falling to Palermo, Marco Zanchi hit the right post with a header from the centre of the box following a corner and Salvatore Masiello found his shot saved in the top centre of the goal.

Messina actually took the lead on the verge of half time as Christian Riganò (45 min) headed past Fontana from point-blank range into the top left corner after getting on the business end of an Edgar Alvarez cross.

The first substitution came in the 59th minute as Palermo upped the pressure by bringing lanky striker Andrea Caracciolo on for Mark Bresciano, the Socceroo not having his finest afternoon and ceding his place to the centre-forward as Palermo tried to right the result.

Right was hardly the word as the beanpole pushed his luck too far with a colourful stream of invective aimed at the ref and Andrea Caracciolo was shown the red card for dissent just two minutes after coming on as the supposed Rosaneri solution.

Messina capitalised on Palermo’s discomfort by eroding the rivals to the point that Christian Riganò (65 min) headed in the second from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner, Edgar Alvarez serving the goalgetter with a cross following a fast break.

Christian’s header was saved from being number 3 before a desperate David Di Michele shaved the right upright as Palermo tried to pull something out of the fixture, but it was not to be. Each Rosaneri incursion forward invited a Messina counter-attack and Riganò headed and right-footed two close things wide of the mark.

MESSINA (2): 88 N Caglioni, 13 A Rea, 19 A Parisi, 27 M Zanchi, 32 V Candela, 17 S Masiello, 23 R D'Aversa, 77 L Lavecchia, 21 E Alvarez, 28 I Bakayoko and 9 C Riganò

Subs: 18 S Floccari 10 I Iliev 14 A Giallombardo 4 M Pestrin 33 M Iuliano 11 A Di Napoli 1 G Paoletti

PALERMO (0): 12 A Fontana; 21 G Biava, 26 M Pisano, 43 A Barzagli, 2 C Zaccardo, 23 M Bresciano, 8 A Diana, 90 F Brienza, 30 F Simplicio, 14 R Guana and 17 D Di Michele

Subs: 10 A Caracciolo 18 G Giacomazzi 9 R Matusiak 16 M Cassani 4 G Tedesco 15 P Dellafiore 1 F Agliardi

Goal.com - Serie A Report: Messina Mess Up Palermo In Sicilian Derby

[Trim]

Shame...

[Forza_Roma]

Originally Posted by Joel

61' Caracciolo is sent off! Looks like he's gone for threatening the ref with an imaginary pair of scissors! Bizarre!

He was on for only a couple of minutes...guess Corini should of stayed on

Good for Messina, they desperately needed these points. Palermo are done, I don't see CL for them this season. Shame as they started so well!

[Forza_Roma]

Rino Foschi will sue ref Ayroldi....go for it...not sure how far you will get. But at least you are doing something!

Foschi to sue ref!
Monday 5 March, 2007
Palermo sporting director Rino Foschi has stated that he will take legal action against referee Stefano Ayroldi following the match with Messina.

The Rosanero were defeated 2-0 in the Sicilian derby on Sunday, but were furious with Ayroldi, who was accused of taking decisions in bad faith in order to favour ‘bigger clubs.’

Foschi, who was also red carded, declared after the game that it was a shame, as Palermo had dominated the match and had been denied two penalties.

“I am waiting for the disciplinary commission to hand out the ban and then I will sue Ayroldi,” said the director on in an interview with local network Tgs.

“He provoked me and laughed at me. I know that a club official should not take legal action against a referee, but I will be the first one to do so,” continued the Rosanero.

“At the end of the first half our men were complaining because we had been denied a penalty and I tried to calm them down, but then I realised that Ayroldi was laughing at me.

“I just told him that all that chaos was basically his fault. After the break I headed towards the bench but I was told that I had been red carded.

“I asked for some explanation, but the referee refused to speak to me, both then and after the match.”

President Maurizio Zamparini (pictured) renewed his threat to quit football and Foschi cannot deny that something strange happened in Messina, although he doesn’t like to use the word conspiracy.

“I wouldn’t change a single word I said. Unfortunately, there is no one to speak to when these things happen, who do you complain to?

“No one would have been able to remain calm in that situation. What happened was strange, I don’t want to talk about a conspiracy, but there is definitely something I don’t understand.

“In any case, my problems with Ayroldi have nothing to do with the dressing room. The team is calm and not nervous at all. As a matter of fact, the players’ Press silence has ended,” concluded Foschi.

channel4.com - Football Italia

[D-Kin]

Sometimes referee's don't help themselves, I'm interested to see how this turns out.

[D-Kin]

Game highlights:

TalkSoccer Media Player

[D-Kin]

Serie A Week 29 - 17/3/07 (19.30 UK)
Sampdoria - Palermo

Stadio Ferraris

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Palermo look to arrest their recent slide as they arrive at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris to face an inconsistent Sampdoria side.

It could be another frustrating season for the Sampdoria faithful. The Blucerchiati’s patchy form has seen them overtaken by Fiorentina despite the Viola’s 15-point Calciopoli handicap and their chances of securing European football for next season are in the balance.

Last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Cagliari was an apt demonstration of Doria’s tendency to miss out on maximum points and has left Walter Novellino’s men in eighth place and in danger of being sucked into mid-table. Samp need to start winning soon and to do so will need key figures like Gennaro Delvecchio to come good.

After a fairytale start to the campaign the wheels have come off for Palermo. The Rosanero are without a win in six and have been leapfrogged by Lazio. If they don’t remember how to win soon they could lose their Champions League place to Empoli or Milan.

Coach Francesco Guidolin must watch from the stands after receiving a three-match ban for his dismissal and touchline row with Cesare Prandelli last weekend. The Sicilians drew 1-1 with Fiorentina despite playing much of the game with 10 men, but felt aggrieved as the Viola scored while Roberto Guana was down injured. The excuses will run out soon if Guidolin can’t get his side firing again.

Palermo secured a comfortable 2-0 win when the two sides met at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in Week 10 during their lightning start to the campaign.

Novellino is without ex-Palermo pair Gianluca Berti and Christian Terlizzi and captain Sergio Volpi due to injury. Cristian Zenoni and Francesco Flachi are suspended. Ruben Olivera may have to settle for a seat on the bench once more.

The visitors have a few selection problems. In addition to long-term absentee Amauri, ex-Sampdoria midfielder Eugenio Corini and defender Ciro Capuano are injured. Roberto Guana seems to have recovered from the injury he sustained against Fiorentina. Andrea Caracciolo and Cristian Zaccardo are suspended. Uruguayan striker Edison Cavani scored with a superb volley within minutes of his debut as a substitute last weekend, but may have to settle for being a super sub again.

Man on fire: Luca Castellazzi (Sampdoria) – After an excellent performance against Lazio in Week 27, the Milanese ‘keeper was superb against Cagliari last weekend making three top-quality saves.

Last season: Sampdoria 0-2 Palermo

Form guide: Sampdoria (W L W L D) Palermo (D D D L D)

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Sampdoria (probable): Castellazzi; Maggio, Falcone, Accardi, Pieri; Franceschini, Palombo, Delvecchio, Ziegler; Quagliarella, Bonazzoli

Palermo (probable): Fontana; Cassani, Biava, Barzagli, Pisano; Diana, Guana, Simplicio, Bresciano, Di Michele; Brienza

channel4.com - Football Italia

[Forza_Roma]

Will be interesting to see what kind of damage Quagliarella & Bonazzoli can cause against the major slumping Palermo. And every time Corini isn't in the lineup, that midfield falls apart. No creativity without him.

[D-Kin]

The problem with Palermo is lack of fire power up front.

I mean Caracciolo and Di Michele haven't been scoring and Brienza isn't really a striker.

[Forza_Roma]

Di Michele has disappointed me...i think he would excel at Palermo. But without Amauri, seems all the offense is lacking in all areas.