Palermo Defeats Mantova 5-2 in Coppa Italia with Pohjanpalo Brace

First-Half Goals and VAR Drama at the Barbera

Palermo opened the scoring in the 9th minute through Gabriel Strefezza. According to palermotoday.it, Claudio Gomes intercepted a poor clearance by Mattia Trimboli and fed Strefezza, who controlled the ball with his right foot and fired a strong left-footed shot past goalkeeper Marco Bardi at the near post. Strefezza remained in the starting lineup due to an unexpected gastrointestinal issue that forced Christian Gyasi to withdraw before kickoff, as reported by palermotoday.it.

Mantova struggled to recover, losing Trimboli to an injury shortly after the goal. Filippo Inzaghi’s side maintained pressure, but striker Emanuele Vavassori missed a close-range chance in the 20th minute after a pass from Franco Ezequiel Vázquez (noted in sources as Estevez). In stoppage time, Mantova’s Leonardo Gliozzi turned in a cross from Tommaso Cajazzo, but VAR intervened to rule out the goal for a narrow offside against Gliozzi, according to palermotoday.it match reports. Just before the halftime whistle, Alessandro Castellini fouled Vavassori inside the box. Antonio Palumbo stepped up to the penalty spot in the 45th+6th minute and sent Bardi the wrong way to double Palermo’s lead to 2–0.

Mantova’s Rapid Second-Half Equalizer

Mantova responded immediately after the interval following tactical changes by manager Davide Modesto, who introduced Francesco Ruocco and Antonio Silva. According to palermotoday.it, the visitors wiped out Palermo’s two-goal cushion within a span of four minutes. In the 52nd minute, Ruocco collected a loose ball after a defensive touch by Edoardo Goldaniga (cited in sources as Barba) and curled a shot into the far corner past goalkeeper Horvath (cited as Fortin). Two minutes later, in the 55th minute, a static Palermo defense allowed David Ilie to pick out Rachid Kouda, who slotted home a right-footed shot to level the score at 2–2.

The sudden collapse mirrored defensive lapses that have plagued Palermo’s early season. According to palermotoday.it, coach Inzaghi’s squad repeatedly lowers its tempo and defensive line when holding an advantage, allowing opponents back into matches. Gliozzi tested Fortin again during the period of defensive panic, while Gabriel Gabrielloni had a goal disallowed for a handball that earned him a yellow card from referee Di Marco.

Pohjanpalo Heroics and Late Flurry Secure Victory

Palermo restored order in the final twenty minutes through substitutes Joel Pohjanpalo and Dennis Johnsen. In the 70th minute, a long clearance from Patryk Peda found Johnsen in space, and the Norwegian winger delivered a precise pass for Pohjanpalo to finish from close range, according to palermotoday.it. The goal put the rosanero ahead 3–2.

The hosts added two more goals in the dying minutes to turn a narrow escape into a comfortable margin. In the 89th minute, Valerio Segre dribbled through the Mantova defense and squared the ball to Johnsen for an easy tap-in at an unguarded net. In stoppage time, at the 95th minute, Pohjanpalo capitalized on a defensive miscommunication between Castellini and Bardi, rounding the goalkeeper to tap in his second goal of the evening and cap off the 5–2 win. According to dailygoal.tv statistics, Mantova finished the match with 57 percent possession and equaled Palermo’s 13 total shots, but failed to match the hosts’ efficiency in the penalty area.

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