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Palermo held to scoreless draw at Reggina

Palermo midfielder Mark Bresciano, left, challenges forward Nicola Amoruso of Reggina during their Serie A soccer match in Reggio Calabria's Oreste Granillo stadium on Saturday. PHOTO: EPA

Third-place Palermo was held to a scoreless draw at Reggina in the Serie A on Saturday.

The Sicilian club struggled in attack without injured striker Amauri and was outmuscled by Reggina, which was third-from-last in the league.

"We played with courage and personality ... but we should have taken our chances better," Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin said.

Palermo has 39 points, three fewer than second-place AS Roma and 12 adrift of league leader Inter Milan. Reggina has 13 points.

Also on Saturday, Atalanta beat last-place Ascoli 3-1 with second-half goals from Riccardo Zampagna, Adriano and Cristiano Doni in the only other Serie A match.

Inter hosted Fiorentina yesterday, looking for its 13th straight win, while Roma traveled to Livorno.

In the Serie B, Alessandro Del Piero scored on his 500th club appearance and Juventus beat Bari 4-2 to take the sole lead of Italy's second division.

Palermo's Andrea Carracciolo should have set up David Di Michele in the 20th but passed just behind his strike partner, who was running in on goal.

Carracciolo also squandered two other first-half chances for Palermo, shooting straight at Reggina goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli on both occasions.

"Carracciolo is an excellent player," Guidolin said. "He knows what to do but we have to assist him better."

The second half was delayed briefly after Palermo fans clashed with police. It was not clear what sparked the incident but the fighting subsided and the match resumed after a few minutes.

Reggina enjoyed plenty of possession but was unable to break down Palermo's defense and had no clear opportunities to score.

Palermo was booed by some fans at the end of the game.

At Ascoli, Zampagna put Atalanta ahead with a 51st-minute header, before Michele Paolucci equalized in the 73rd.

Defender Adriano, who was at fault for Paolucci's goal, made up for it with a header in the 84th. Doni added Atalanta's third goal two minutes later, after intercepting a pass by Ascoli midfielder Fernando Tissone.

Atalanta improved to fourth place in the standings with 27 points. Ascoli, which has now lost 13 games, has nine points.

In Turin, Vincenzo Santoruvo gave Bari a surprise lead after only 36 seconds, tapping in from close range.

But Juventus soon settled, and France striker David Trezeguet equalized in the 33rd for his eighth goal of the season.

Pavel Nedved, returning from a five-match suspension, put the Bianconeri 2-1 up in the 44th, after dribbling through Bari's defense.
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