Palermo beat Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in the final weekend of the Serie A season.
The away side took the lead in the 34th minute thanks to a Franco Vazquez penalty and despite a relatively relaxed performance from the Giallorossi, they finally obtained an equaliser in the 85th minute following a well-taken finish from captain Francesco Totti.
However despite this, Palermo snatched a last-minute winner thanks to a goal from Andrea Belotti.
Neither side could obtain a firm grip on the match during the opening stages of the first half, with both losing possession under little pressure.
The home side were the first to really try to stretch the opposition as both Federico Balzaretti and Alessandro Florenzi looked to surge down their respective flanks, however their hard work bore little influence upon the Lupi attack.
In coincidence with this passive start, it took until the 19th minute to see the game’s first real chance when Palermo came mightily close to taking the lead from a Enzo Maresca header.
The Italian managed to lose his man at the near post as he got on the end of a Franco Vazquez corner, however Lukasz Skourupski was present to produce a wonderful reflex save to keep the 35-year-old’s effort out.
The Giallorossi were soon made to pay for their lackadaisical start when the Rosanero took the lead in the 34th minute via a Franco Vazquez penalty. The spot-kick was awarded after Nicolas Spolli clumsily handled the ball whilst attempting a sliding tackle in the box, with the Argentine subsequently stepping up and calmly slotting the ball down the middle to take his tally to 10 goals for the season.
Following the restart, the home side saw the introduction of Miralem Pjanic in the hope that the Bosnian could ignite not only the Roma attack but also bring some fluidity to the Giallorossi midfield.
However, it was Vazquez who continued to pull the strings in the center of the field for the visitors, his elegant style of play was evident as he persistently turned the static Roma defence inside and out.
Palermo really should have doubled their lead in the 69th minute after a well worked move down the left hand side however no one was present to finish off Emerson’s enticing cross.
As the game entered its’ final ten minutes, the Serie A runners-up were finally able to record their first shot on target as Francesco Totti obtained an equaliser in the 85th minute.
The 38-year-old’s persistence to run in behind the Palermo defence eventually paid off when Radja Nainggolan found him with an intelligent pass with Totti then showing his evergreen class and simply chipping the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.
However, despite this late goal from the home side, the Rosanero continued with their attempts to snatch a winner and it ultimately came thanks to a close range finish from Andrea Belotti in the dying seconds.
