Bologna vs. Palermo: Final score 3-0 amidst a flurry of cards

Bologna may have won their match against Palermo 3-0, thus pulling themselves, temporarily at least, out of the relegation zone, but the real talking point in this match was the flurry of cards distributed by the referee. Palermo fans might feel hard done by, as the calls against their side seemed a bit harsh, but even before losing their first man the visitors were wasteful, and in the end had just eight shots on goal.

There were three yellows handed out -- two to Bologna, one to Palermo -- before the first goal was scored, in the 22nd minute. The goal came from Alberto Gilardino, and it was a stunner, a sharp shot that Samir Ujkani could do nothing to stop. He very nearly got a second five minutes later, but the Palermo keeper managed to block that one.

The match continued in a fairly straightforward fashion until the 44th minute, when Massimo Donati obviously handled the ball, conceding a penalty. Manolo Gabbiadini easily converted, giving the home side a 2-0 lead going into the break.

In the second half, it all fell apart for the visitors. Within a minute after the restart, Ujkani was shown a straight red for a foul on Alessandro Diamanti. Diamanti himself took the penalty this time, giving Bologna the 3-0 lead.

There may have been no more goals in this match, but there was plenty of action. Gilardino tested substitute keeper Francesco Benussi with a pair of headers, but Benussi was up to the task, saving both. It looked as though Palermo would be able to contain the damage, even if a comeback would be beyond their reach.

But then came the madness. Edgar Barreto, who'd managed to hit the post with a long-range shot, was sent off with a second yellow, leaving the rosanero with just nine men. Bologna tried to assist when Saphir Taider executed a poor challenge on Jasmin Kurtic, earning a second yellow and bringing Bologna down to ten.