Palermo came back from a 30-metre Camillo Ciani stunner to beat Frosinone 2-1 in the first leg of the Serie B promotion play-off.
It means the Canarini have to win the second leg on Saturday and 1-0 could be enough.
This was the first leg of the Final to see who will join Empoli and Parma in the top flight next term. Roberto Stellone was in a strange position, as he was the Coach who steered Frosinone from Lega Pro to their first ever Serie A campaign in 2015, yet was appointed by the Rosanero on April 28 to replace sacked Bruno Tedino.
Palermo came back from a 30-metre Camillo Ciani stunner to beat Frosinone 2-1 in the first leg of the Serie B promotion play-off.
It means the Canarini have to win the second leg on Saturday and 1-0 could be enough.
This was the first leg of the Final to see who will join Empoli and Parma in the top flight next term. Roberto Stellone was in a strange position, as he was the Coach who steered Frosinone from Lega Pro to their first ever Serie A campaign in 2015, yet was appointed by the Rosanero on April 28 to replace sacked Bruno Tedino.
It was a spectacular start to the game for Frosinone, as within five minutes Camillo Ciano unleashed a half-volley off the outside of the left boot into the far top corner from all of 30 metres out.
The hosts fought back, but had penalty appeals turned away as Ilija Nestorovski went over too easily, then the same striker complained his shirt was tugged by Mirko Gori as he nodded a corner over the bar. There is no VAR in Serie B this season.
Pawel Dawidowicz also rose to meet a corner, his header skimming the far post, and Palermo got their deserved equaliser with local lad Antonino La Gumina finishing off a counter with a precise daisy-cutter from the D. There was tension when the half-time whistle was blown moments later.
La Gumina almost turned it around completely, firing just over from a tricky angle with his weaker left foot, but Frosinone lost Luca Paganini to a recurring knee injury.
The Sicilians kept the initiative in the second half and completed the comeback from another Igor Coronado corner, as La Gumina flicked it on at the near post and the ball ricocheted in off Emanuele Terranova’s knee.
There was almost a third moments later, but Vigorito performed a stunning reaction save on Aleksandar Trajkovski’s header.
The second leg is at the Stadio Stirpe in Frosinone on Saturday evening.
If the tie is level in terms of points (three for a win, one for a draw) after two games, it goes to goal difference over these matches.
If that too is level, then Frosinone will go into Serie A, as they have the superior position during the regular season. There is no extra time or penalties.
That means Frosinone can be promoted with a 1-0 victory.
Palermo 2-1 Frosinone
Ciano 5 (F), La Gumina 45 (P), Terranova og 81 (P)
Palermo: Pomini; Rispoli (Trajkovski 68), Struna (Szyminski 76), Rajkovic, Aleesami; Dawidowicz, Jajalo, Murawski; Coronado; Nestorovski, La Gumina (Rolando 89)
Frosinone: Vigorito; M Ciofani, Terranova, Kranjc; Paganini (Frara 62), Koné, Gori, Sammarco (Maiello 84), Crivello; Ciano (Citro 78), Dionisi
Ref: Chiffi
Image via @palermocalcioit