Catania 3 : 1 Novara Calcio - Catania extend run with Novara win

Catania extended their unbeaten run at home to five games with a 3-1 triumph over relegation-threatened Novara.

Gonzalo Bergessio put the hosts ahead on the half-hour mark before Giovanni Marchese doubled Catania's lead early in the second half.

Alejandro Gomez made it 3-0 in the 55th minute before substitute Raffaele Rubino scored a consolation goal for Novara six minutes from time.

The win at the Angelo Massimino stadium was Catania's second consecutive and lifted the Sicilian outfit to 10th place.

The result, meanwhile, ended Novara's three-match unbeaten run and left them nine points from safety in 19th place.

The hosts dominated possession and went ahead when Pablo Barrientos found Bergessio in the area and his right-footed strike beat Novara goalkeeper Samir Ujkani.

Novara wasted a great chance to equalise on the stroke of half-time when an unmarked Marco Rigoni failed to get on the end of Paolo Dellafiore's dangerous cross inside the area.

Ujkani kept out Bergessio's six-yard effort early in the second half but there was nothing the keeper could do to stop Catania extending their lead in the 48th minute as Marchese's left-footed volley from 30 yards found the net.

Catania continued to press forward and struck again before the hour mark.

Francesco played in Gomez and his diagonal effort from the heart of the area beat Ujkani.

Marco Rigoni was unlucky not to cut the deficit with nine minutes remaining when his close-range shot hit the post with Catania goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo already beaten.

Novara finally found a way through when Rigoni's low cross provided Rubino with an easy tap-in from three yards out.M