Palermo Go Out of Europe, Dammit.

By: Martha | December 14th, 2006

Gooooooaaal! Despite the fact that it’s for the best if they want to keep feeding that Scudetto dream, it’s still sad that Palermo’s European run is officially over. (And, to make matter worse, Newcastle won the group. Newcastle! The team that, in my years as a fan, has brought me nothing but pain, is winning in Europe but can hardly stay in the Premiership? Wait a minute — they’re like a British Parma!) Needing a win, Palermo went into their final UEFA Cup group game with management calling it a “like a final,” and fielded a full-strength squad despite the Roma match looming at the weekend. Sadly, however, it was not enough for our little, pink-clad friends, and they drew 1-1 with Celta Vigo. The draw was enough to send their opponents through, but it dropped Palermo into a tie for third and they failed to advance due to goal difference.

Though it sounds from reports as if Palermo certainly had their chances (Simplicio, in particular, put pressure on the Celta keeper), the point wasn’t enough, and the team will now be able to focus all of their energies on staying near the top of the Serie A. My only fangirl worry is that the grades in the newspapers this morning make it sound like Corini didn’t exactly set the world afire, and he was substituted early in the second half. If this team has any chance of success, they need him to control the midfield; if he struggles to impose himself (like he did in that horrible Parma game), it’s going to be a huge problem.

Speaking of Parma, they’ve been through to the knockout stages for weeks, but they finish up group play today with a home match against Osasuna (expect the U-12s to feature), while Livorno go to Auxerre needing a win to advance.