Palermo mark 1000th Serie A game with record run of home defeats

Palermo’s 1000th Serie A match ended with a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Torino that marks their worst run of form at home in the top flight.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side suffered a fourth-straight league loss at the Renzo Barbera thanks to a double from Adem Ljajic and a goal each for Marco Benassi and Daniele Baselli.

The match was played out in near total darkness after a floodlight failure just after the 85th minute, with referee Michael Fabbri opting to allow play to continue to full-time as supporters held up mobile phones to shed some faint light on proceedings.

The victory fired high-flying Torino above Napoli into fourth place, while Palermo remain in the bottom three with just one win from their first eight matches.

However, De Zerbi – who watched Ivaylo Chochev score his side’s first home Serie A goal of the season after just five minutes – felt the scoreline was harsh.

“I’m disappointed, because in terms of the scoreline, it was a big defeat,” he told Sky.

“We knew we were facing a very strong team who will finish not far behind the big clubs, although I think I can say that the scoreline was harsh.

“Of course you can lose, but a team that wants to avoid relegation has got to turn defeats around. Our mentality won’t change, but changes will be made.”

0 – Palermo have gained 0 points in home games, joint negative record with FC Ingolstadt in the top 5 European Leagues this season. Trouble.

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) October 17, 2016