Match report
Palermo thrash Mantova 5-2 in Coppa Italia thriller
Palermo advanced to the next round of the Coppa Italia with a 5-2 victory over Mantova at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, a match that swung dramatically after a comfortable first half turned into a nervy second period. Gabriel Strefezza opened the scoring in the ninth minute, assisted by Claudio Gomes, before Antonio Palumbo converted a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time to send Palermo in 2-0 up at the break.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Mantova responded swiftly after the restart. Francesco Ruocco pulled one back in the 52nd minute, and three minutes later Rachid Kouda, set up by Rareş Ilie, levelled the contest at 2-2, threatening a remarkable turnaround for the visitors.
Palermo regained control in the closing stages. Joel Pohjanpalo restored the hosts' lead in the 70th minute, finishing a Dennis Johnsen assist, before Johnsen himself scored in the 89th minute, teed up by Jacopo Segre, to make it 4-2. Pohjanpalo completed his brace deep into added time, converting a Dominic Vavassori assist to seal a 5-2 win despite Mantova holding the majority of possession.
Pohjanpalo scored twice, including a stoppage-time finish, to finish as the top-rated performer with an 8.65 rating.
Mantova had 57% of the possession yet still shipped five goals, underlining how open and end-to-end the contest became after half-time.
Palermo beat Mantova 5–2 (half-time 2–0).
Palermo met Mantova in the Coppa Italia (Round of 32). Kick-off was Thursday, 3 September 2026, 16:00 UTC at Stadio Renzo Barbera. Referee: Davide Di Marco.
Team pages: Palermo · Mantova · Coppa Italia
Key moments
- 9' Goal: Gabriel Strefezza (assist: Claudio Gomes) — 1–0 · Watch Gabriel Strefezza's goal video (9')
- 45' Goal (penalty): Antonio Palumbo — 2–0 · Watch Antonio Palumbo's goal video (45')
- 52' Goal: Francesco Ruocco — 2–1 · Watch Francesco Ruocco's goal video (52')
- 55' Goal: Rachid Kouda (assist: Rareş Ilie) — 2–2 · Watch Rachid Kouda's goal video (55')
- 70' Goal: Joel Pohjanpalo (assist: Dennis Johnsen) — 3–2 · Watch Joel Pohjanpalo's goal video (70')
- 89' Goal: Dennis Johnsen (assist: Jacopo Segre) — 4–2 · Watch Dennis Johnsen's goal video (89')
- 90' Goal: Joel Pohjanpalo (assist: Dominic Vavassori) — 5–2 · Watch Joel Pohjanpalo's goal video (90')
Starting line-ups
Palermo (4-1-4-1)
Mantova (3-4-2-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Palermo 40%, the draw 27%, Mantova 33%. It finished Palermo 5–2 Mantova.
A lean, nothing more — Palermo are the stronger side on our strength rating, and that is most of Palermo's 40%. The draw at 27% is about what a gap this size usually leaves.
Why Palermo at 40%?
Palermo sit 130 points higher on our strength rating — 1498 to 1628. Sides with a 100–200-point rating edge on the road won 40.1% of 13,128 such games. The 300 most similar past games finished 41–28–31.
Why only 40%?
No scored evidence points the other way. 40% is what this rating gap has been worth in games like these; the rest is the draw at 27% and Mantova at 33%.
Why the draw at 27%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 27.2%. These teams' recent games average 2.8 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 24.6% of 24,956.
What did we measure but not count?
Mantova scored +0.51 goals per game beyond chance-quality lately — hot streaks like that have cooled off. Measured across 2,821 games at this rating gap, hot-finishing sides won 42.1% vs 42.9% class-expected — inside the noise band, so it scores 0 until the receipt clears its evidence bar. Mantova have gained 88 strength-rating points over their last 10 games. Momentum is measured but not yet proven: climbing sides won 41.4% of 12,288 such games vs 40.7% class-expected — inside the noise band, so it stays at 0 points until the receipt clears its evidence bar. The other measured facts on this page scored nothing either.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Palermo vs Mantova final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Coppa Italia fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Gabriel Strefezza's goal against Mantova (9').
- Watch Antonio Palumbo's goal against Mantova (45').
- Watch Francesco Ruocco's goal against Palermo (52').
- Watch Rachid Kouda's goal against Palermo (55').
- Watch Joel Pohjanpalo's goal against Mantova (70').
- Watch Dennis Johnsen's goal against Mantova (89').
- Watch Joel Pohjanpalo's goal against Mantova (90').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Palermo 5–2 Mantova. Explore more on the Palermo and Mantova team pages or the Coppa Italia page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Palermo vs Mantova?
Palermo beat Mantova 5–2 (half-time 2–0).
›Who scored in Palermo vs Mantova?
Gabriel Strefezza (9') for Palermo; Antonio Palumbo (45') (penalty) for Palermo; Francesco Ruocco (52') for Mantova; Rachid Kouda (55') for Mantova; Joel Pohjanpalo (70') for Palermo; Dennis Johnsen (89') for Palermo; Joel Pohjanpalo (90') for Palermo.
›Where can I watch Palermo vs Mantova highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Palermo 5–2 Mantova are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.
›What is the head-to-head record between Palermo and Mantova?
Palermo and Mantova have met 4 times — 1 win for Palermo, 0 wins for Mantova and 3 draws.