Parma have shared a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina in their Serie A match at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
Antonio Cassano gave the hosts the lead with a close-range finish, before Juan Cuadrado eqaulised less than two minutes later.
After the break Amauri scored his side's second from the penalty spot, after Nenad Tomovic's foul on Jonathan Biabiany and soon after Mobido Diakite was sent off for picking up a second yellow card.
With five minutes left to play Fiorentina levelled the scores for the second time, as Matias Fernandez curled in a free kick.
Gianni Munari and Borja Valero were sent off in stoppage time as the game finished level.
Read how the action unfolded below.
Good evening and thank you for joining Sports Mole for live text commentary of the Serie A match between Parma and Fiorentina at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
Two of this season's most impressive performers meet this evening as they look to boost their aspirations of European football. Fourth-placed Fiorentina can close the gap on Napoli to three points with a win, while a victory for Parma will see them move to within one point of Inter Milan in the final Europa League qualifying spot.
Parma are the most in-form team in Serie A over the last few weeks, having picked up more points than Juventus in their last six fixtures. They are on a 12 match unbeaten run, which has included five wins from their last six games. Fiorentina have stumbled slightly in the league this month, with two defeats from three matches, but they are fourth in the table and have booked their place in Coppa Italia final.
PARMA XI: Mirante, Cassani, Paletta, Lucarelli, Molinaro, Gargano, Marchionni, Parolo, Biabiany, Amauri, Cassano
FIORENTINA XI: Neto, Savic, Diakite, Rodriguez, Tomovic, Aquilani, Pizarro, Valero, Joaquin, Cuadrado, Matri
PARMA SUBS: Pavarini, Coric, Palladino, Gobbi, Felipe, Obi, Schelotto, Munari, Mauri, Rossini, Nyantakyi
FIORENTINA SUBS: Rosati, Roncaglia, Compper, Fernandez, Ambrosini. Pasqual, Wolski, Matos, Gomez, Vargas, Ilicic, Anderson
TEAM NEWS: Parma continue with the front three of Antonio Cassano, Jonathan Biabiany and Amauri, while Walter Gargano, Marco Marchionni and Marco Parolo will begin in the midfield. Meanwhile, Giuseppe Rossi is still out for the away side, so Alessandro Matri starts up front. Mario Gomez returned from his long injury lay off to feature against Inter Milan last weekend, and is named on the bench this evening.
When these two sides met for the first time this season in September, they shared four goals in a 2-2 draw. Walter Gargano gave Parma the lead at the end of the first half, before goals from Gonzalo Rodriguez and Juan Manuel Vargas turned the game in Fiorentina's favour. They looked set to hold on for the three points, until Massimo Gobbi scored a stoppage time equaliser to earn his side a point.
The Stadio Ennio Tardini has proven to be a tough place for away teams to visit this season, as only the league's top two sides, Roma and Juventus, have claimed all three points. That defeat back in November against Juventus was their last reverse in the league, and they have only lost in the Coppa Italia against Lazio since.
PREDICTION: We should be in for an exciting match this evening, with both teams in good form and looking to end the season on a high. Parma have scored plenty of goals in recent weeks and their front three are a danger for any defence. Fiorentina will be looking to bounce back quickly from last weekend's defeat against Inter Milan, and I can see them getting a point this evening, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.
This is the first of a double bill of Italian action this evening. As soon as we finish in Parma, we will be bringing you live action from Napoli's clash with Genoa.
The players are out on the pitch and we are just moments away from kick off.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the Stadio Ennio Tardini!
CHANCE! Diakite nearly opens the scoring in spectacular fashion less than 30 seconds into the match. He bursts forward down the right and from just outside the box he looks to chip an effort into the far corner, which Mirante has to be alert to save.
Cuadrado is more than capable of scoring stunning goals from long range, and he fancies his chances with a fierce strike after cutting on from the left, but he directs his effort wide of the far post.
It has been a really promising start by the visitors and Matri skips past a couple of challenges before trying to slip Aquilani into the box, however he slightly overhits the ball and it runs through kindly for the keeper.
Parma are starting to see a lot more of the ball and Molinaro does brilliantly to burst down the wing before attempting to pick out Cassano in the middle, but the defence manage to clear the danger.
The away side may have a problem as Joaquin is down and in need of treatment following a challenge with Parolo.
CHANCE! Cuadrado is inches away from finding the back of the net. He receives the ball on the edge of the box after good work from Tomovic and fires just wide of the post, with the aid of a slight deflection on the way through.
It is all Fiorentina at the moment, and they are passing the ball around brilliantly in midfield. The Parma players are finding it hard to keep up with them at the moment, and are being pegged back deep inside their own half.
Having soaked up the pressure, the home side break at pace and find Amauri just inside the box. The striker manages to turn and get his shot away, but it is comfortable for the keeper to save.
Fiorentina feel that they should have a penalty, after Aquilani's strike looks to hit a hand in the box, but the referee is unconvinced and waves away the appeals.
Amauri showed a glimpse of his attacking threat moments ago, but proves that he is useful at the back too, after heading away successive set-piece deliveries from Valero.
This game is end to end at the moment and within seconds of Cuadrado's cross being snuffed out by Mirante, the home side break with Biabiany bursting down the right wing and firing in a low delivery that is cleared as Amauri was closing in.
YELLOW CARD! Diakite is the first player to be booked this evening, after a tough challenge from behind on Cassano.
CHANCE! Cassano shows great skill for hosts as he reaches the edge of the area before pulling the ball across for Biabiany. The winger takes a touch and gets it on his left foot, before bending an effort wide of the post.
YELLOW CARD! Aquilani does brilliantly to come forward down the right and bursts past Molinaro, who drags him down and picks up a deserved booking.
Fiorentina are almost in again as the ball is worked to Cuadrado on the right side of the area. He swings a low ball across goal looking for Matri, but it just beyond the striker's reach. If he had found the back of the net it wouldn't have counted, as the flag was raised.
The pace of the game has just slowed slightly in the past few minutes, but it is still the visitors who are looking the more likely to make a breakthrough before the end of the half.
Cuadrado has not been shy to try his luck on goal this evening, and he has another chance after picking up the ball 25 yards out from goal and drilling in a low shot, that deflects just wide of the post.
GOAL! Parma 1-0 Fiorentina (Cassano)
With six minutes of the first half remaining, the home side have taken the lead. Amauri gets to the byline and drills the ball across the box. It falls kindly to Cassano in the six-yard box, who has the simple task of firing past Neto and into the back of the net.
GOAL! Parma 1-1 Fiorentina (Cuadrado)
Parma's lead didn't last long, as within two minutes the visitors are back on level terms. They break at pace and Cuadrado slides in to meet Matri's pass across the box and finish at the back post.
CHANCE! Fiorentina almost score a quick second as the ball is swung in from the right and Matri arrives to fire a strike just past the post.
We are going to have one minute of added time at the end of the half.
HALF TIME: Parma 1-1 Fiorentina
It is all square at half time between Parma and Fiorentina after a wonderful 45 minutes of football. It is no surprise at all that these teams are flying so high in the table.
Fiorentina have dominated for large spells of the game, and their 64% of the possession proves that. They have also had more attempts on goal, with 11 strikes to Parma's three. They responded extremely well to falling behind, and that goal may give them a huge confidence boost in the second half.
We have only seen glimpses of what Parma's forward players can do, but when Amauri and Cassano get on the ball inside the box they are deadly. They have scored 12 goals between them in the league so far this season.
At some stage in this game, Vincenzo Montella may be tempted to bring on Mario Gomez. The German striker has had a frustrating first season at the club, with a number of injury problems. He played just over 20 minutes last weekend and should feature for a similar amount of time today.
Fiorentina take the kickoff and get the match back underway.
The visitors have picked up where they left off in the first half, with complete domination of the ball. They have the first sight of goal in the second period as Cuadrado scuffs a shot wide of the post.
PENALTY TO PARMA! The home side have are awarded a penalty, following Tomovic's foul inside the box on Biabiany. His foot was high and there can be no arguments about the decision.
GOAL! Parma 2-1 Fiorentina (Amauri)
Amauri steps up and slots the penalty into the bottom left hand corner, with the keeper diving the wrong way. That will have been a great moment for the striker, who played for Fiorentina two seasons ago.
RED CARD! Things go from bad to worse for Fiorentina as Diakite is sent off for picking up a second yellow card for a foul on Cassano. Montella could not have predicted a poorer start to the second half by his team.
YELLOW CARD! The cards are starting to pile up and Gargano is the next player in the book following a foul on Valero.
Aquilani looks to inject some life back into his team as he picks up the ball just outside the box and fires in a strike, but he gets his shot all wrong and puts it well wide of the post.
SUBSTITUTION: Despite being down to 10 men, Fiorentina make an attacking change, as Joaquin is replaced by Gomez.
Mirante gets extremely lucky in the Parma goal as the ball is played back to him and he dangerously takes it past the quickly arriving Matri. That could of ended up as a horrible mistake by the keeper, and there will have been a few hearts in mouths around the ground.
CHANCE! Parma fashion an opening as they win a corner and pick out Marchionni on the edge of the box. He takes a touch before firing in an effort that dips just over the bar, with the keeper beaten.
SAVE! Neto has kept his side in this match with a wonderful double save. He is at full stretch to push away Cassani's drive from the edge of the box and is then up quickly to block Amauri's effort from close-range.
SUBSTITUTION: The visitors make another change, with Ilicic replacing Matri.
Fiorentina are still looking threatening and Gomez is nearly on the end of Cuadrado's right wing cross, which is well headed behind by Paletta.
The away side continue to try and play their way through and Valero jinks his way into the box before taking a heavy touch and losing the ball. There is still every chance they could get something from this match and they are asking all the questions in attack.
Pizarro is the next to attempt an effort from long range, but his dipping strike fails to trouble Mirante and flies over the bar.
Parma look like the team playing with 10 men at the moment, and they are very much hanging onto their lead and are being put under a huge amount of pressure from the visitors.
SUBSTITUTION: Fiorentina make their final change of the evening, as Fernandez comes on for Aquilani.
SUBSTITUTION: Parma change things around by bringing on Munari in place of Marchionni.
SUBSTITUTION: Cassano gets a huge ovation from the Parma fans as he comes off to be replaced by Schelotto.
The away side have won a free kick in a promising position 25 yards out from goal, to the right hand side. They will be desperate to make an opportunity from a set piece count in the closing stages of the game.
GOAL! Parma 2-2 Fiorentina (Fernandez)
Fiorentina have equalised for the second time this evening, and it's a stunning goal from Fernandez. He takes the set piece and curls it into the top left hand corner of the net, beyond the despairing dive of Mirante.
SUBSTITUTION: Biabiany heads off for Parma and Palladino comes on to replace him.
We are going to have four minutes of stoppage time.
YELLOW CARD! Paletta is booked for Parma after a foul from behind on Ilicic.
YELLOW CARD! Savic brings down Palladino just outside the box and receives a booking for the foul. What a chance this is for Parma from the free kick.
RED CARDS! Both teams have a player sent off as Valero and Munari are dismissed for coming to blows with each other.
FULL TIME: Parma 2-2 Fiorentina
Parma see their free kick blocked by the wall and the game comes to an end. The away side have come from behind to claim a draw, and finished the night with nine men.
That's all we've got time for here, please stay with us as we switch our attention to Napoli's meeting with Genoa.
Written by
Alex Meyers
Alex Meyers
