The tone was set before the game had even started when robur defender Christian Terlizzi said "against Parma even a draw would be good." For Parma, complacency is more understandable. They are, after all, cruising to a mid-table finish. But for Siena, embroiled in a relegation scrap, a failure to chase a winnable game is confusing.
Siena vs. Parma, final score 0-0: Siena play for draw, get one
In an eye-gougingly disappointing game at the Artemio Franchi in Tuscany, neither team looked overly interested in trying to win the game -- and sure enough, they didn’t.
Having said that, they did create chances -- with the first coming inside the opening five minutes. A long ball over the top of the Parma defence found Innocent Emeghara, though he was a little too clever, and lofted his chip over Antonio Mirante, and the crociati crossbar.
Sotiris Ninis reacted by forcing Gianluca Pegolo into a save with a dipping effort from outside the box, before Marco Marchionni's drilled cross-shot went wide of the far post from the ensuing corner. From then not much happened -- Parma generally controlled possession but seemed not very interested in trying to do anything with it.
Siena stayed defensively disciplined, and weren't undone until the half-hour mark, when Amauri spurned a great chance when set through on goal by a great flick from Nicola Sansone. His deft touch cleared the ball over the defence, though the former Italian international (he really did once play for Italy) miscued his attempt on goal, and didn't manage to trouble the keeper from point-blank range.
Jonathan Biabiany's header went right at Pegolo with ten minutes to go before half-time, while Amauri missed another opportunity before the break. Only the half-time PA music woke the fans from their mid-game slumber.
The second half continued in that same disappointing pattern, though at least Siena did look like they were trying to force the game a bit more. Simone Vergassola flashed a low shot wide of the far post, seconds before Sansone failed to convert a Massimo Gobbi cross first time.
After the hour Emeghara sliced another shot wide, looking easily the most dangerous player on the pitch -- despite his dreadful composure. The ever-entertaining Sansone tried to animate things for Parma, though with 15 minutes remaining he skipped past a couple of defenders before curling a long-range shot narrowly wide.
When he was withdrawn by Roberto Donadoni for full-back Aleandro Rosi, you could tell that there probably wouldn't be any goals in the game. When Nicola Pozzi fired a corner wide inside the area before Emeghara missed his 57th chance of the match, you knew there wouldn't.
Siena: Gianluca Pegolo; Claudio Terzi, Massimo Paci, Jorge Teixeira; Matteo Rubin, Simone Vergassola, Adrián Calello, Ângelo; Salvador Agra (Nicola Pozzi 59), Alessandro Rosina (Francesco Valiani 80); Innocent Emeghara (Erjon Bogdani 88)
Parma: Antonio Mirante; Massimo Gobbi, Alessandro Lucarelli, Gabriel Paletta, Yohan Benalouane; Marco Parolo, Marco Marchionni, Sotiris Ninis (Jaime Valdés 46); Nicola Sansone (Aleandro Rosi 85), Amauri, Jonathan Biabiany (Ishak Belfodil 78)
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