Palermo laboured to a 2-1 victory over Cesena on Sunday afternoon, at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
Despite clearly being the dominant side, Cesena did well to hold out for long periods of time, but a red card coupled with persistence saw Palermo claim their first win of the season.
Paulo Dybala’s excellent opener was cancelled out by Alejandro Rodriguez’s goal against the run of play, but debutant Geancarlo Gonzalez’s stoppage time header sealed the points for the Rosanero.
Palermo
Stefano Sorrentino – 6 – Bored
Had very little to deal with, and couldn’t read Rodriguez’s penalty.
Ezequiel Munoz – 7 – Leader
Played his part in marshalling a tight defence, which restricted Cesena to scraps.
Geancarlo Gonzalez – 8 – Debutant
Was also impressive, in not allowing Cesena attackers any time on the ball. Was tight to his man and looked commanding. Scored the winner by nodding home Dybala’s corner in stoppage time. A dream debut.
Sinisa Andelkovic – 5.5 – Weaker
Was the weakest out of the three centre backs, by giving away a penalty. Gave Cesena an undeserving route back into the game.
Michel Morganella – 7 – Bursting
Came close to scoring a rare goal, and covered both attacking and defensive duties very well. A typical lung-busting performance from the wideman.
Francesco Bolzoni – 7 – Link
Saw a header fly just wide of the upright, and did a good job in feeding Dybala.
Ivaylo Chochev – 5.5 – Slow
Making his first ever start for Palermo, failed to impress greatly. Looked slightly short of match fitness, which may have played a part. Taken off just past the hour mark.
Achraf Lazaar – 6 – Protective
Was the lesser involved of Palermo’s two wing-backs, but still performed to a good standard defensively. Was quieter going forward but most plays came through the centre anyway.
Luca Rigoni – 6 – Shrouded
The 30-year-old was handed a more advanced role, but was overshadowed by the Argentine duo of Dybala and Vazquez.
Paulo Dybala – 8.5 – Menace
Scored a fantastic solo goal to give Palermo the lead, curling an effort into the top corner. Was previously denied by the crossbar and a couple of sliding blocks, in addition to a stretching stop from Leali. Was the biggest danger of the match, and proved that by assisting the winner in stoppage time.
Franco Vazquez – 7.5 – Accomplice
Linked up with Dybala excellently, and struck the woodwork himself. Assisted Dybala’s strike with a planned move.
Substitutes:
Andrea Belotti – 4 – Poor
Brought on minutes after Cesena’s goal to change things but was unable to exert his influence on the game.
Emerson – N/A
Simon Makienok – N/A
Cesena
Nicola Leali – 6.5 – Primary
Made a smart save in the very early stages of the match to prevent Palermo racing into the lead. Had no chance with Dybala’s excellent strike.
Gabriele Perico – 5 – Scarce
Looked relatively steady, but not near enough to the impressive level expected in games like these. Too often allowed crosses to come in.
Massimo Volta – 5 – Overworked
Simply couldn’t get to grips with Dybala or Vazquez. Wasn’t helped out by his partner in dealing with the threats, though.
Daniele Capelli – 5 – Unhelpful
Like Volta, wasn’t quick enough to predit Dybala or Vazquez’s incisive movements. Lacked the yard of pace which the attackers possessed.
Hordur Magnusson – 6.5 – Outlet
Attempted to go forward and make runs, but was mostly let down by a lack of attacking ideas. Manned his flank well but conceded a few free-kicks. Won the penalty for his side which Rodriguez converted.
Gregoire Defrel – N/A
Didn’t have any time to impress, as he was forced from the field after half an hour.
Giuseppe De Feudis – 5.5 – Quieter
The goalscorer in this fixture last season wasn’t able to work his magic again.
Manuel Coppola – 3.5 – Liable
Stupidly collected two yellow cards in the space of three minutes to leave his side pinned back into their own half. Could so easily have been a point for Cesena had the game not turned in this way.
Francesco Renzetti – 4.5 – Blocked
Found it very hard to progress past Morganella, who was solid throughout. Had a couple of neat interchanges with Magnusson but nothing which led to anything significant.
Franco Brienza – 5 – Ineffective
The 35-year-old is lucky to get game time considering his performances this season. Largely anonymous, and needs to improve quickly.
Guido Marilungo – 5 – Target
Looked the best out of Cesena’s attacking danger, but that’s not saying much. Other than involvement in neat passing moves, wasn’t incisive enough to carve out a chance.
Substitutes:
Luigi Giorgi – 5 – Chance
Came on in the first-half, but spurned a good chance for a Cesena goal, failing to beat Sorrentino from within the penalty area.
Alejandro Rodriguez – 6 – Set piece
Stayed calm to stroke home the equalising penalty, despite Cesena doing very little beforehand to threaten the Palermo goal.
Ze Eduardo – N/A
