Scuffles between Serie A rivals Atalanta and Catania fans and the late sending to the stands of home coach Antonio Conte overshadowed a turgid on-field battle at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.
Supporters clashed prior to the match, causing a series of disturbances, and Conte was also punished for showing his frustration late on but there was nothing as newsworthy occurring on the pitch as each side continued their winless starts to the campaign.
Both sides are! rooted at the wrong end of the table after five games, rock-bottom Atalanta with a single point and Catania with just two, and from the quality on show this evening getting out of relegation trouble may be a tough task.
The match began in a scrappy fashion that was soon to become the norm, with Cristiano Doni responsible for the only moment of craft in the opening 10 minutes.
He found space and unleashed a 25-yard strike that may have tested Mariano Andujar had it not first taken a heavy deflection on its way to the goalkeeper.
Doni continued to press, and was enjoying comfortably more success than his team-mates.
After 14 minutes he burst into the penalty area before shooting from 18 yards out. He would certainly have scored had Nicolas Spolli not showed impressive awareness to get back and block Doni's goalbound effort on the line.
Catania took 20 minutes to forge their own first shot on goal.
Ezequiel Carboni was the man to try ! his luck, going for the target from 35 yards out.
Andre! a Consig li in the Atalanta goal looked like he was caught wrong-footed by the attempt and was glad to see it squirm just wide of the post.
The match descended into defensiveness from there on, neither side committing bodies forward at the risk of conceding.
A snap-shot from Atalanta winger Jaime Valdes was the best either side could muster in a tedious 15-minute stretch but it was never likely to beat Andujar.
Valdes tested the goalkeeper with a better effort eight minutes before the interval but the Argentinian was in position early and dived to beat the ball away from goal.
There was a hint of a chance two minutes after the restart when a scramble in the Catania area saw the ball break to Tiberio Guarente. The midfielder was able to get a shot away amid the scrum but Robert Acquafresca was able to block it before it reached the target.
That stop ushered in another period of conservatism, with both sets of players woefully short on inspiration, an! d Doni was cautioned after 62 minutes when he attempted to add some impetus with a theatrical fall in the penalty area.
Instead of a spot-kick, though, he was rewarded with a yellow card.
The referee ruled in Doni's favour five minutes later when he won a free-kick in shooting distance. He took a chance himself but Andujar was, once again, not found wanting.
Valdes headed an inviting cross wide with 12 minutes remaining in what was the final genuine chance for his side.
Takayuki Morimoto, after 81 minutes, and Giuseppe Mascara one minute from the end, had chances to send the visitors home happy but neither could improve on what had gone before.
Conte, meanwhile, was banished from the touchline after remonstrating with officials in the closing minutes.
