Palermo have put the scoreline level at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, getting in a deserved equalizer and causing the crowd to absolutely erupt. And what a lovely goal from defender Federico Balzaretti, who caught the ball on the bounce and sent a left-footed shot into the far corner of the net. Morgan De Sanctis managed to get his fingers on it, but could do nothing to stop the goal from going in.
Palermo Vs. Napoli: Goals By Federico Balzaretti And Cesare Bovo Give Palermo 2-1 Lead At Halftime
Just a few minutes later, Palermo coach Delio Rossi was handed his marching orders for arguing with the referee, apparently demanding a red card for a poor challenge by Andrea Dossena. Turns out, though, that Palermo didn't need their mister to take the lead just before halftime. The ball was actually put in the back of the net by Antonio Nocerino, off a lovely backheel by Javier Pastore, but wasn't awarded as Napoli midfielder Christian Maggio had fouled Giulio Migliaccio inside the area. Cesare Bovo stepped up to take the kick, with De Sanctis diving the other way as the ball found the right hand corner of the net.
So that’s 2-1 to Palermo at the break, with Edinson Cavani having converted a penalty in the second minute to give Napoli the early lead. Should the partenopei wish to actually keep a grip on the Champions League positions, they might want to learn how to defend such leads.
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