Siena and Palermo played out to a 0-0 draw at the Monte Paschi Arena on Saturday, with neither team able to hit the back of the net.
The Sicilians by far were the better of the two sides, but are left to rue wasted chances following a combative match.
After five minutes Josip Illicic had the first attempt on goal, finding space to shoot from 20 yards, but the young Slovenian international blasted his effort over the over the crossbar with Gianluca Pegolo well positioned on his line.
The Sicilians dominated possession throughout the opening exchanges, but encountered difficulty in finding the final ball to unlock the Siena defence.
Fabrizio Miccoli made several key runs into the box, but wayward passes from Illicic and Franco Brienza failed to find the diminutive striker in the danger area.
On 20 minutes, a wonderful flowing counterattack by the Rosanero saw Miccoli with the ball at his feet 20 yards from goal, but his audacious chip attempt was easily held by Pegolo.
The home side finally produced shot with 28 minutes gone, as Francesco Bolzoni attempted a blockbuster from 30 yards following a swift counter, but the Palermo defense got a touch to push the effort just wide of the mark.
The remainder of the first half was characterised by constant changes of possession and a battle of attrition in midfield. Neither side was able to carve out a definitive opportunity, and thus the squads left the pitch at halftime still level at 0-0.
Each side had long range efforts within 2 minutes of kickoff, but Andrea Mantovani and Valiani both hit over the crossbar.
Soon after Valiani’s strike, the substitute was dangerous again, putting in an excellent cross for Emanuele Calaio, but the Italian forward’s header flew just past the far post.
Edgar Barreto hit a bullet from 30 yards that blazed inches over the crossbar, while Miccoli was closed down in the box after a strong run down the flank by Michele Morganella.
On 58 minutes, Massimo Donati picked out Miccoli in acres of space in the centre of the Siena penalty area, but the prolific captain inexplicably fluffed his shot over the bar with only the keeper to beat.
In the 72nd minute, Barreto flicked on Miccoli with a beautiful ball, and Simone Vergassola brought down the striker just outside the box. The Palermo captain stepped up to take the resulting free-kick, but curled his effort high and wide of goal.
Minutes later, Nicolas Bertolo played a neat give-and-go with Miccoli to go in on goal, but Pegolo stood firm and made an quick reaction save to deny the Argentine.
Deep in stoppages, substitute Paulo Dybala latched on to a long ball down the right flank, beat his defender, and hit a snapshot from a difficult angle, but Pegolo was on hand to make sure his side did not concede late on.
The final whistle sounded after four minutes of added time, with neither team able to find a winner. The relegation-threatened sides each settled for a point, as Palermo failed to gain the upper-hand despite outplaying the Tuscan minnows throughout the 90 minutes.
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