Palermo 2 - 1 Juventus: Juve crash again in Sicily

Posted Wednesday, February 02, 2011 by PA

Palermo leapfrogged Juventus in the Serie A table with a 2-1 win over the Bianconeri at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Fabrizio Miccoli and Giulio Migliaccio put the Sicilians two goals up within the first 20 minutes before Claudio Marchisio reduced the arrears 10 minutes before the break.

Juve fought hard to try and get a point, but Palermo closed the door to take all three points and move up to seventh in the table, condemning Juve to a third straight defeat and increasing the pressure on their coach Luigi Delneri.

Miccoli put the home side in front with their first attack in the seventh minute, threading the ball through the legs of Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from a tight angle after being sent through by Javier Pastore.

Palermo's second attack of the game 13 minutes later was also rewarded with a goal.

Migliaccio came from deep to race in and meet Mattia Cassani's cross with his head, beating Giorgio Chiellini in the air to provide the perfect finish to a well-worked training ground move from a corner on the right-hand side.

Juve had spent most of the game in possession, apart from the two goals, which they did not allow to demoralise them.

Alessandro Matri had the chance to mark his debut with a goal in the 33rd minute, but his shot was weak and straight at Salvatore Sirigu with only the Palermo goalkeeper to beat.

A handball by Cesare Bovo inside the penalty area went unnoticed by the match officials, but not Marchisio, who led Juve's protests and saw they yellow card.

A fire was still burning inside his belly when he brought Juve back into the game just minutes later, guiding his shot through the only possible gap inside Sirigu's right-hand post after the Palermo goalkeeper made a hash of his punch clear from Alessandro Del Piero's corner.

Matri then missed yet another gilt-edged chance for Juve on the stroke of half time as he missed the target from just six yards out, although he was under pressure from a Palermo defender.

Milos Krasic's shot grazed the post before Matri's shot was diverted behind by Bovo and Alberto Aquilani saw his shot blocked by Antonio Nocerino as Juve came out fighting in the second half.

They soon lost their momentum, though, and Miccoli missed the chance to seal the win for the Rosaneri in the 82nd minute when he placed his shot high and wide from 16 yards with Buffon already grounded.

Jorge Martinez then pounced inside the six-yard box, but Sirigu was alert to make the save and secure the three points for Palermo.

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