What really matters…

Sampdoria fans surely must feel like they are characters in a post-apocalyptic movie right now.  Their world has been well and truly shattered this season.  Given it would have been hard to repeat the rush to glory that ended in riotous scenes at the end of last season with full scale partying following their 4th place finish, but this is something different.

A poor showing in Europe could have been forgiven, even the early exit from the Coppa Italia, and even if this year had not finished with European Competition qualification, Samp fans would have upset, but surely not as desperate and lost as they now feel.  The President they trusted whose reign has brought them back from the brink seems to have turned against them, the sporting director that had brought them so many great players has gone, and now the two most notable signings of the past couple of years, comprising a strike force that was feared in Italy and beyond are lost to the big clubs.  To add insult the current coaching staff seems to lack incisiveness, the replacement sporting director has already been fired and now the owners are talking of ‘re-launching’.

The captain now talks of getting the year over with after losing the derby – perhaps the only thing fans had hope to salvage some pride from.  The return match will be the last stand for sure.  Not much is left that matters to the average fan and it will be some time before the kind of optimism that existed less than a year ago returns.   Last weekend the team earned an important point towards remaining in the top flight for next season.  It is a time for the die-hard supporters to show their true mettle.  Attendances will be down, and at away games the scenes of thousands traveling to Sicily and the like are unlikely to be repeated in the near future.  This all brings it down harder on the players who remain to get the job done. Morale inside the camp is surely crushed, but the glimmer of hope remains, not to gain anything from the season, but to a least see it out with pride.  And if a new champion can emerge, now is the time to do it.  A few goals from anywhere in these conditions is enough to ensure cult-status for a player for years to come.  Of course it may happen at the other end of the park, in which case perhaps one of the quiet achievers of the year, GianLuca Curci in goal will receive the accolades he deserves.

Sampdoria 0-1 Genoa

Sampdoria lose first city derby of the season…

Sampdoria came into the game, which was initially postponed back in December, full of confidence following Sunday’s 3-1 win over Bologna.

However, Rafinha’s 55th minute strike was enough to earn all three points as Genoa leapfrogged opponents Sampdoria in the Serie A table.

Indeed, the visitors could well have taken the lead long before they did as they twice hit the woodwork in the first half.

Juraj Kucka struck narrowly over from distance inside the first minute, before, six minutes later, Rodrigo Palacio hit the crossbar from the edge of the box following Kucka’s cross from the left.

Samp threatened too, with Eduardo forced to save first with his left foot from Stefano Guberti’s close-range shot, then more conventionally when the same player struck right-footed.

At the other end, Kucka shot narrowly wide and Gianluca Curci saved well when Rafinha tried his luck from 25 yards.

Marco Rossi then went close twice, first drilling the ball over after 26 minutes, then going even closer as 10 minutes later he smashed his strike against the crossbar.

Antonio Floro Flores followed up to tap the ball in but he was in a clear offside position.

Samp had the last chance of the half, though, when Daniele Gastaldello headed straight at Eduardo from close range.

Ten minutes after the restart Genoa got the goal they deserved as Rafinha powered the ball into the net from distance.

Rossi then threatened on the counter-attack but no Genoa striker could get on the end of his tempting cross.

At the other end, Guberti fired over from 20 yards, then saw Eduardo deny him from closer in.

But Genoa finished the game in the ascendancy with both Rossi and Kucka going close to adding a second.

SampCelt

Sampdoria 3-1 Bologna

Sampdoria eased the pressure on coach Domenico Di Carlo in emphatic style as they powered to victory over Bologna in today’s Serie A encounter at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

The hosts went into the game on the back of one win in eight – and a run of four straight losses in all competitions – but took the game to Bologna to establish a three-goal lead inside 15 minutes.

Angelo Palombo set the ball rolling with the opener on eight minutes before Daniele Gastaldello added the second three minutes later. Massimo Maccarone added a third on the quarter-hour.

Bologna regrouped to see out the match without conceding again, and pulled a goal back through Daniele Paponi after 65 minutes, but they never looked in any danger of clawing their way back onto level terms.

A moment of brilliance broke the deadlock inside 10 minutes, a foul 25 yards from goal presenting Samp with a free-kick which Palombo dispatched into the top corner beyond the helpless Emiliano Viviano.

With 11 minutes on the watch it was 2-0, another set-piece doing the damage as Maccarone’s corner was met with a close-range header into the roof of the net by centre-back Gastaldello.

And four minutes later it was three, a swift Samp counter-attack creating the opening for Maccarone to tuck away a smart finish into the bottom corner of Viviano’s net.

The hosts might have added to their lead before the break when Maccarone fired just wide, while minutes after the restart Stefano Guberti saw his low effort well saved by Viviano.

Paponi added some respectability to the scoreline for Bologna with 25 minutes remaining, the forward taking the ball beyond Stefano Lucchini and firing home a low effort beyond the reach of Gianluca Curci.

Viviano denied Daniele Dessena with seven minutes remaining as Samp pushed to put the game to bed, while at the death Curci denied Bologna a second when he kept out Gaston Ramirez’s close-range volley.

SampCelt89

360 Minutes And Counting

Sampdoria 0 – 1 Cagliari

A beautiful goal from Nainggolan gave Cagliari a surprise win at deeply troubled Sampdoria. The Blucerchiati have now failed to score in three hundred and sixty minutes – the last four games.

Pre-match

The Blucerchiati are a much weaker side from the one that went into the January transfer window, with under fire chairman Ricardo Garrone selling Giampaolo Pazzini, Antonio Cassano and Guido Marilungo – much to horror of the loyal Sampdoria supporters. These decisions has taken its toll on Samp’s ability, as a 4-0 hammering by Napoli in the previous match had proved.

Team News

Franco Semioli, Stefano Lucchini, Nicola Pozzi and Daniele Gastaldello were all absent for Samp with Cagliari missing their star player – Alessandro Matri having being sold to Juventus.
Former Inter youngster Jonathan Biabiany and former Brescia defender Gilberto Martinez Vidal were picked to start on their Samp debuts.

Match Action

Sampdoria started the more dangerous when Daniele Mannini wasted a golden opportunity to open the scoring. He was alone and allowed to trap a Stefano Guberti corner from six yards, but amazingly ballooned the ball over. Pazzini’s replacement Massimo Maccarone fired well over when totally unmarked from a chipped free kick. Despite all the pressure, it was Cagliari who took the lead with a beautiful Nainggolan strike. He started from the touchline, turned two Samp defenders, dribbled past a third and unleashed a screamer from outside the penalty area that flew ferociously into the far top corner. A true wonder goal. Andrea Cossu should have made it 2-0 before half time, but he mistimed his volley at the back post.

Biabiany went close to scoring on his Blucerchiati debut, but Cagliari goalkeeper Agazzi rushed off his line to close down the ex-Inter striker who had sprung the offside trap. Cagliari remained more dangerous than Samp as Gianluca Curci had to beat away an Andrea Lazzari’s point-blank range effort. Cossu’s follow-up was deflected wide for a corner.

Sampdoria were unhappy with the referee on 50 minutes when Agazzi came flying out and clipped Biabiany. Agazzi was yellow carded, the Blucerchiati wanted a red card. Cagliari had two defenders within that area so the referee deemed Agazzi did not prevent a clear goal scoring opportunity. Samp clearly disagreed. Agazzi was then substituted, as he accidentally hit his head on Biabiany’s leg and was visibly dazed.

Late on Biabiany drilled inches wide of the upright. Lazzari for Cagliari fired wide at the end of a well-worked Cagliari move. The Sardinians incredibly failed to score with 10 minutes to go. Cossu got to the by-line and pulled across an open goal, but a fingertip touch from Curci did enough to confuse Nene’ from tapping the ball in – from just six yards out.

It’s now three hundred and sixty minutes and counting since Samp last scored. The Blucerchiati are now placed twelfth on 27pts only six away from the relegation zone. Cagliari moved closer to Serie A safety with the win moving them into 9th on 32pts.

Sampdoria: Curci; Zauri, Martinez, Volta, Ziegler; Mannini (Macheda 63), Palombo, Poli, Guberti (Koman 84); Biabiany, Maccarone (Dessena 73)

Cagliari: Agazzi (Pelizzoli 54); Perico, Canini, Astori, Ariaudo; Biondini, Conti, Nainggolan; Cossu, Lazzari (Missiroli 71); Acquafresca (Nene’ 80)

Goals: Nainggolan 37 (c)

Ref: Peruzzo

Sampdoria 0-0 Juventus

All square at Stadio Luigi Ferraris

There were chances aplenty at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, but luck was in short supply for both sides as they settled for a point each.

Juve join fifth-placed Inter Milan on 35 points, two behind the top four as the race for European football begins to warm up.

The visitors were the first to threaten after nine minutes but Simone Pepe was unable to find his range from distance.

Samp had to wait 25 minutes for a decent chance, and when it came Reto Ziegler was wasteful from the edge of the area.

Juve should have gone ahead five minutes later through Carvalho Amauri, but he missed an open goal from close range following a perfect cross from Pepe.

And Leonardo Bonucci was also denied the opener soon after, with his header turned away by a diving save from Samp goalkeeper Gianluca Curci.

The home side made a better start to the second half but another chance went begging, this time for Giampaolo Pazzini, who fired wide from a few yards out.

Pepe was guilty of a similar miss for Juventus after 66 minutes, poking Alessandro Del Piero’s low cross past the right post.

As the final whistle approached, Juve pushed forward in numbers with Del Piero seeing his shot well saved by Curci two minutes from time.

Amauri then failed to get his toe to an inviting cross from Marco Motta with an empty net at his mercy, while Motta also provided another good ball for Del Piero in stoppage time which the Juve captain flicked over the bar in their final chance of the match.

SampCelt89