German Bundesliga: Parma get sinking feeling

Parma's season went from bad to worse on Saturday evening as they were beaten 3-1 at home by local rivals Sassuolo, who celebrated their first victory of the campaign.

The Gialloblu continue to prop up the rest of the division after suffering a seventh defeat in eight Serie A games this season, leaving them stuck on three points..

Sergio Floccari, Francesco Acerbi and Saphir Taider did the damage at the Stadio Tardini as Sassuolo took maximum points for the first time this term to move out of the bottom three.

Antonio Cassano pulled a goal back late on for Parma, but it was nothing more than a consolation on another forgettable evening for Roberto Donadoni's side.

There was a frenetic early pace to this Emilia-Romagna derby in which both sides were in desperate need of a lift, with just one win in the collective 16 games they have been involved in all season.

The visitors got the first break, taking the lead in the 20th minute when Taider's cross was met by the unmarked Floccari, who showed his aerial threat by heading Sassuolo in front.

Three minutes later, Acerbi made it two with only his second goal in Serie A as he met Domenico Berardi's free-kick.

Cassano went close to giving Parma some hope before half-time with a shot which deflected into the side-netting, but it could have been even worse for the hosts when Taider's free-kick hit the inside of the post.

After going close with that free-kick from 20 yards, Taider did even better with an unstoppable shot from 30 yards which found the top corner in the 52nd minute, prompting applause even from some of the home fans.

Berardi perhaps should have made it four with a header in the 70th minute before Cassano reduced the arrears from Abdelkader Ghezzal's cross.

It was not even enough to give Parma any hope of a recovery, though, as Sassuolo defended their lead well and rarely looked like conceding again.