Palermo Edge Arezzo in Serie B Second Round Thriller
Palermo secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Arezzo at Stadio Città di Arezzo on Saturday evening, moving to the top of the table after two matches. The result means the visitors have now won both of their opening fixtures, while Arezzo remain nine points adrift at the opposite end of the standings. It was a match where nothing was given away, and by then it was clear Palermo had the better of the chances.
Dennis Johnsen opened the scoring in the twenty-first minute, giving Palermo an early advantage. Filippo Ranocchia doubled the lead just before half-time with a clinical finish in the fifty-fifth minute. Arezzo pulled one back through Pier Cianci in the sixty-minute slot, and Carlo Tavernelli equalised in the seventy-fourth to set up a nervy finish. Tommaso Augello then provided the drama, scoring twice in added time to complete the turnaround.
The statistics tell a story of Palermo's dominance, though Arezzo made them work for it. The visitors controlled 57 per cent of possession and created four big chances compared to Arezzo's two. With seven shots on target against five, and a 41 per cent accuracy rate, Palermo cut Arezzo open at will in the final third. Arezzo's 73 attacks versus Palermo's 85 showed the hosts tried to respond, but they have hit a wall against a side that refused to go away.
Cards began to accumulate after the break, with Nahuel Estévez and Artur Ioniță joining Gabriel Strefezza and Calogero Bucchi on the book. The substitutions came thick and fast in the second hour: Arezzo brought on Alessandro Arena, Marco Sala, Joakim Pohjanpalo and Tavernelli, while Palermo introduced Niccolò Pierozzi, Hernani and Gennaro Iaccarino. Augello's double in the dying moments meant the hosts couldn't find an equaliser when they had one last chance.
The result leaves Palermo three points clear at the top of Serie B's table after two matches, with a perfect record and six points from six available. Arezzo, meanwhile, sit ninth with three points from their opening two games — one win and one defeat. The visitors have now won three consecutive matches across all competitions, and the momentum is clearly with them. What happened on Saturday suggests this could be a season worth watching for Palermo supporters.
