It was quite possibly the best match of the Serie B season.

As expected, Joel Pohjanpalo is the man of the moment. The flying Finn produced another stunning performance at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, securing his first hat-trick in the pink and black and playing a hand in each Palermo goal.

Despite the onslaught, champions-elect Sassuolo refused to fade away, displaying the same spirit that kept them on top of the league since matchday 14.

Trailing by four, Fabio Grosso’s side punched back with two in two minutes: Nicholas Pierini’s bullet hit the roof of the net in the 73rd, then Luca Moro squeezed his shot in at the near post in the 74th after bamboozling three opponents.

Given the Neroverdi‘s attacking genius, the tension around the Barbera was palpable. But Palermo defied the naysayers – most of them in the Curva Nord – by extinguishing Sassuolo’s would-be comeback seven minutes later with Pohjanpalo’s eighth strike in as many matches.

Dubbed the “Fire of the North” by the Italian media, Pohjanpalo showcased his aerial dominance twice and swept home an unlikely goal while laid flat – with the same kind of fiery tenacity and insatiable hunger that saw him lead Venezia to Serie A Paradiso in 2023-24.

Sassuolo, meanwhile, have merely suffered a temporary setback. Pending other results, victory in Sicily would have rubberstamped their return to the top flight. Today’s defeat is merely a blip on Grosso’s radar, the 5-3 scoreline a saving grace considering Palermo led 4-0 with 17 minutes to go.

And with Pohjanpalo stealing the headlines, we should take a moment to acknowledge Sassuolo midfield veteran Pedro Obiang for his peach of a goal in the 84th minute, his first in league football for over five seasons. The Equatorial Guinea international curled through a crowd, beating Emil Audero from 25 yards, perhaps the goal of the day.

In a season brimming with highs, defeats stand out for champion sides. Sassuolo head back to Emilia Romagna having conceded five times, one more than when they lost 4-1 to Cremonese at Mapei Stadium in August. However, Grosso has a chance for redemption – and an early promotion party – in next week’s derby at Modena.

Alessio Dionisi, who managed Sassuolo 107 times before his sacking in February 2024, was all but destined for a similar exit if Palermo lost today. Suddenly, the 45-year-old finds his side in seventh position with a four-point cushion over Bari, who are ninth with 41 points.

Undoubtedly, it’s Pohjanpalo’s January transfer which sparked Palermo‘s resurgence. The former Leverkusen attacker has racked up 10 goalscoring contributions since leaving Venezia, two more than Matteo Brunori has in 27 matches.

The 30-year-old also played an important role in the Sicilians’ second and fourth goals. First, he created havoc for Jeremy Toljan, who turned into his own net, before squaring a pass for Jacopo Segre’s daisycutter.

At the current scoring rate, with six games remaining left in the season, Pohjanpalo could notch up 14 before the play-offs.

Can Palermo ride the wave of two successive victories and build on the momentum?

The Rosaneri still have three matches to contest against three play-off contenders, beginning with Bari at the Stadio San Nicola on Friday, April 11, live and free on Destination Calcio TV.