Palermo vs. Inter Milan: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
In somewhat of a letdown for Inter fans after the Nerazzurri's thumping of Sassuolo last weekend, the side could only manage a 1-1 draw with Palermo on Sunday in Week 3 of Serie A.
The Sicilian team made much of the play at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, and a point was the minimum they deserved.
Franco Vazquez scored the opener for Palermo, following a Nemanja Vidic howler, before Mateo Kovacic hit an equaliser late in the first half.
The second term was a tight, tactical affair, but neither side could find a winner, despite a few gilt-edged chances.
Here are the winners and losers from the game.
Loser: Nemanja Vidic
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Though he has not by any means been terrible in an Inter shirt, a couple of glaring errors have ensured Nemanja Vidic's Serie A career has gotten off to a rocky start.
First he was sent off against Torino in Week 1 and missed the 7-0 demolition of Sassuolo through suspension, and then, on his return to the team, he made the mistake which led to Palermo's third-minute goal.
The big Serbian seemed in two minds when he received the ball in his own box, and his hesitancy was fully exploited by Vazquez, who robbed him of the ball and finished superbly past Samir Handanovic.
For a player of Vidic's experience, it was a bizarre and inexplicable blunder.
Winners: Palermo's Middle Three
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Palermo can consider themselves unlucky to have finished the first half on level terms after they dominated proceedings for almost the entire 45 minutes.
Kovacic's goal just before the break came against the run of play and was Inter's first clear chance of the match.
The reason the Nerazzurri found the going so tough was in large part due to the excellent performance of Palermo's midfield trio.
Edgar Barreto, Luca Rigoni and Francesco Bolzoni worked extremely hard to close down Inter's midfield, thus forcing their opponents to rush their passes and give away possession regularly.
Their dynamic display meant Palermo's wing-backs were free to advance down the flanks regularly, and the forwards were given plenty of touches of the ball.
Loser: Dani Osvaldo
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The Nerazzuri's cause was not helped by Dani Osvaldo, who coughed up possession on numerous occasions in the first half to put his side under even more pressure.
The Italian international improved somewhat after the break in terms of ball control, but he continued to offer almost nothing attack-wise.
His accidental involvement in Inter's goal and a headed chance right at the death were the only actions of note from the Argentina-born striker, who will struggle to retain his spot in the starting side with Rodrigo Palacio returning to full fitness.
Winner: Mateo Kovacic
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Inter lacked spark in attack in the opening stanza until Kovacic took matters into his own hands to come up with an equalising goal.
The skilful Croatian drove forward before moving the ball to Osvaldo, whose poor first touch ended up back at the feet of Kovacic.
The No. 10 took full advantage of that small slice of luck and buried the ball in the back of the net with a scything low shot.
Kovacic has added goalscoring to his repertoire this season, and he is a far more dangerous player for it.
Winner: Stefano Sorrentino
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In the fourth minute of injury time, Inter would have snatched an undeserved victory if not for an astonishing save from Stefano Sorrentino.
The veteran goalkeeper seemed to defy gravity when he hung in the air just long enough to palm away Osvaldo's looping header, which was destined for the back of the net.
It was a brilliant stop from Sorrentino who had not had too much to do throughout the rest of the match.
