Sampdoria 2 – 0 Fiorentina

Two Ghosts Return To Haunt The Viola!

Giampaolo Pazzini and Franco Semioli returned to haunt their former club, and add to Fiorentina’s crisis. Fiorentina who this evening were playing all in red, had picked up one point from their last four games. Samp had notched up three consecutive wins prior to this match and had leapfrogged Fiorentina in the table.

Suspensions: Marco Rossi (S) and Adrian Mutu (F)

First Half Action

Sampdoria started the stronger side with an Andrea Poli strike skimming the target and Reto Ziegler horribly scuffing a shot wide from a promising position. Fiorentina then lost Alessandro Gamberini to a shoulder injury, then moments later Mario Alberto Santana pulled up with a thigh problem. Cesare Prandelli was cursing his luck, having to make two substitutions in the opening 15 minutes.

Sampdoria took the lead in bizarre circumstances. Nicola Pozzi’s header from a Stefano Guberti cross looped over Sebastien Frey and on to the bar, but Franco Semioli dived on to the rebound heading the ball into Manuel Pasqual and into the net. It was a special goal for Semioli, who wore the Fiorentina shirt from 2007 to 2009.

Semioli nearly got a second by cutting in from the right with an angled drive that Frey palmed round the base of the post. Nicola Pozzi smashed a powerful first-time shot over from outside the box after yet more good play from Ziegler.

Alberto Gilardino’s fine volley forced Marco Storari to produce a good reaction save from point-blank range, however the offside flag had been raised in a close decision.

Sampdoria doubled their lead through another former Fiorentina player Giampaolo Pazzini. A Ziegler free kick was beautifully whipped in from the left wing for Pazzini to leap above the defenders and send a powerful header in off the underside of the crossbar.

Guberti smashed a strike on the volley just past the woodwork in first half stoppage time.

Second Half Action

Pazzini sprung clear of the offside trap, but stumbled on the ball when he was distracted by looking up at Frey.

Storari plucked Marco Marchionni’s header off the head of Gilardino following good work from Stevan Jovetic. The skilful Montenegrin then skimmed the near post from the edge of the box.

Adem Ljajic was Fiorentina’s final substitution and with practically his first touch fired a shot off target from the D. Marchionni fired over from a corner, but for the most part Fiorentina were reduced to hopeful efforts from distance.

For the second time in the game Frey had his palms stung by a missile of a free kick from Ziegler. Pazzini was clear on goal but tripped up on the ball, probably caused by the appalling state of the pitch.

Riccardo Montolivo was booked late on and will be suspended for the next match and Jovetic volleyed over in stoppages.

The win moves Samp into a champions league place but leaves Fiorentina firmly in the middle of the Serie A table.

Sampdoria: Storari; Zauri, Lucchini, Gastaldello, Ziegler; Semioli, Palombo, Poli (Padalino 76), Guberti (Mannini 59); Pazzini, Pozzi (Tissone 70)

Fiorentina: Frey; Comotto, Gamberini (Felipe 11), Kroldrup, Pasqual (Ljajic 69); Montolivo, Donadel; Santana (Marchionni 15), Jovetic, Vargas; Gilardino

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