Fiorentina 0 - 0 Palermo: Palermo move out of Serie A relegation zone

Palermo crept out of the Serie A relegation zone by grinding out a barely deserved point from a goalless draw at Fiorentina.

Davide Ballardini's men were level on points with 17th-placed Carpi heading into Sunday's game at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, and a share of the spoils from Florence and a Biancorossi defeat to Lazio helped Palermo escape the bottom three ahead of their final-day showdown with Hellas Verona.

It could have been a different story had keeper Stefano Sorrentino not mounted a sturdy resistance in the visitors' goal, with Federico Bernardeschi and Nikola Kalinic both being denied, as Palermo offered very little in the final third themselves.

Fiorentina may not be able to catch fourth-placed Inter Milan and secure direct entry into the Europa League group stage, but they will definitely play continental football next season after cutting AC Milan adrift in sixth.

Palermo needed to win in the Tuscan capital to go into the Verona match in a strong position - but the Sicilians struggled to break Fiorentina down.

Sorrentino had to make a smart stop against the rampaging Bernardeschi in the early exchanges and Palermo almost went behind when Giancarlo Gonzalez's poor cross left Kalinic all alone in front of the Rosanero keeper.

After surviving that scare Sorrentino had to look alive when Mauro Zarate skipped past Thiago Cionek and blasted just wide in the 23rd minute.

Fiorentina continued the onslaught when play resumed and, just before the hour mark, Kalinic rattled a post.

La Viola enjoyed one more clear-cut chance to clinch all three points, with Bernardeschi setting up Marcos Alonso for a close-range attempt that the Spaniard failed to convert.