Parma returned to the pitch and got a point, holding Atalanta on Coach Edy Reja’s debut.

The Stadio Tardini was open for business again after the last two games against Udinese and Genoa were called off due to the financial crisis. Nobody at the club has been paid since July and a bankruptcy hearing is set for March 19, but the players were back out after the Lega Serie A agreed a €5m bailout package so they could end the season.

It was a new start for Atalanta too, as they sacked Coach Stefano Colantuono and Edy Reja made his debut on the bench. Guglielmo Stendardo sat out a ban with Cristian Raimondi, Maxi Moralez, Giuseppe Biava and Davide Zappacosta injured.

The Orobici had won this fixture only twice in 17 previous attempts, drawing six and losing nine.

Cristian Rodriguez’s back-heel flick and an Ishak Belfodil snapshot tested Marco Sportiello, while Urby Emanuelson failed to redirect a Richmond Boakye cross-shot on target.

Massimo Coda made his comeback from a knee ligament injury after three months. Yohan Benalouane picked up an injury while flinging himself in the way of a Varela strike, then Mauricio Pinilla just failed to get on the end of D’Alessandro’s cross.

Sportiello had to make an actual save on the hour mark, fingertipping a long-range Cristian Rodriguez screamer out from under the bar.

The tension got to Coach Reja, who was sent off 64 minutes into his Atalanta debut. Sportiello had to rush off his line to clear from Coda and Albania international Andi Lila made his Serie A debut for the Ducali.

Coda made an impressive return from injury, forcing Sportiello to palm away for a corner. At the other end, Antonio Mirante was decisive to deny D’Alessandro and Mauricio Pinilla’s follow-up.

Cristian Rodriguez foolishly stopped a D’Alessandro counter-attack for an inevitable second yellow card, leaving Parma down to 10 men.