The knockout phase of the 2015 Viareggio Cup got underway on Tuesday and it proved to be a successful day for the competition’s Serie A representatives.
The match of the day saw Roma eliminate Palermo as they ran out 3-2 winners.
The game kicked off in electric fashion and there were three goals scored in the opening 21 minutes. It remained 2-1 for the Giallorossi until the Rosanero drew level through Michele Di Maggio with just 17 minutes to play.
The match looked destined for penalties before an 89th minute Francesco Di Mariano goal sealed the victory for the side from the capital city.
Another thrilling game on the same side of the draw saw Anton Kresic’s own-goal and Simone Rosso’s goal give Torino a 2-0 lead over Atalanta, however the advantage was cancelled out by Giacomo Parigi and a Kresic strike into the correct goal.
As a result the 2-2 draw went to penalties, where the Bergamo boys held their nerve better than Toro and claimed a 5-3 victory.
Other matches in the Group A draw saw Inter see off the Serie D Representatives 1-0 thanks to a single Federico Bonazzoli goal, while Pescara overcame Belgian side Genk thanks to a Simone Monni strike.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMRX3MzL96E[/youtube]
The other side of the draw saw three of the four fixtures end in a 2-0 scoreline as Napoli saw off Bruges, Spezia beat Cesena, and Fiorentina further asserted the Italian dominance in this round as they defeated Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven thanks to goals from Simone Minelli and Cedric Gondo.
Hellas Verona provided spectators with yet another 0-0 draw, before eventually overcoming Genoa 4-3 on penalties.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTC_7NFNCjM[/youtube]
The quarter-finals begin on Thursday February 12 with Roma taking on Atalanta and Inter battling Pescara. The other side of the draw sees Spezia take on Fiorentina and Hellas Verona square off against Napoli.
