Pohjanpalo Heads Palermo to 1-0 Lead Over Catanzaro — Palermo Vs Catanzaro

Palermo vs Catanzaro flipped early when Joel Pohjanpalo headed in at 20:05, and Palermo took a 1-0 lead into halftime at Renzo Barbera. The goal cut into Catanzaro’s 3-0 first-leg advantage in the Serie B playoff semifinal second leg and kept Palermo’s comeback attempt alive.

Renzo Barbera Turns on Palumbo

The match started at 20:02, and Palermo did not wait long. Palumbo delivered the free kick that Pohjanpalo met with a header, and the home side had the opening goal three minutes later.

That was the first clean shift in a tie Palermo had to attack from deep. Catanzaro arrived with a three-goal cushion from the opening leg, so every touch after the opener carried more weight for the home side than the scoreline alone showed.

Peda Leaves, Magnani Enters

Palermo’s plan took a hit after 16 minutes when Peda went off injured and Magnani replaced him. The change came before the half had settled and forced Palermo to keep its shape while still chasing a second goal.

Catanzaro spent long stretches on the ball and had 73.9% possession in the previous 15 minutes at 20:33, but that did not break Palermo’s lead. Pigliacelli and the back line had to absorb the pressure while the home side stayed alive on the scoreboard.

Pohjanpalo Threatens Again

Palermo still found late first-half openings. At 20:47, Pierozzi sent a cross toward Pohjanpalo, and the striker also got another header opportunity from an Augello cross before the interval.

The referee sent the teams to halftime at 20:55 with Palermo ahead 1-0 after 45 minutes. Aquilani’s side still held the overall edge from the first leg, but Palermo had forced the second leg into a tighter game than the score at kickoff suggested.