Palermo returns to Earth, as Monza's hat-trick pushes direct Serie A promotion further away.

Three points apart, the second against the fourth, the relegated team with the declared goal of climbing back up against the team that perhaps more than any other dreams of returning to the top tier. Monza-Palermo could not be just any match: for days, in both cities, the atmosphere of great occasions was palpable. It is no coincidence that the stands of the "Brianteo", already sold out since Saturday, soon filled with pink and black: almost six thousand Palermo fans crowded the Brianza town from the early hours of match day to support, once again, the team of Pippo Inzaghi at the most important moment of the season.

The first goal came from Monza: in the 18th minute, a corner for the home team, a deflection in the penalty area by Cutrone and a winning tap-in by Petagna. The reaction from Palermo arrived in the 26th minute, when first Segre, then Ceccaroni shot from the edge, forcing a careful Thiam into action. Ten minutes later, a great opportunity for the equalizer for the pink and black: a play developed on the right by Palumbo and Pierozzi, a cut cross from Ranocchia, an insertion and header from Segre, a fantastic save by Thiam. It wasn't enough to fix the first half, which ended with a lead for the home team.

At the start of the second half, Bianco left Hernani on the bench, not at 100%, and sent Bakoune onto the field.

No major excitement in the first part of the second half, with Palermo holding possession but ineffective in the last thirty meters. And at the 63rd minute, the pink and black suffered a blow: a lightning-fast counterattack from the home team, Azzi on the left found the byline and centered for Ciurria, who scored easily against Joronen.

Palermo responded five minutes later with Johnsen, who received the ball at the edge directly from a corner and shot, hitting the crossbar: it was the biggest goal chance for the pink and black in the second half. Monza managed the game, defended without major worries, and when they found space, they tried to exploit the meters given by Inzaghi's team. The third goal came in the 88th minute, when the pink and black exposed themselves and the home team managed to close the match on the counterattack: a rapid break saw the usual Azzi find the byline and serve Colombo a ball to send into the net.

As in the first leg, it ends 3-0: Monza wins the direct clash and moves six points ahead of the rosanero, who see their dreams of catching up to second place shattered.