Sampdoria-Sassuolo 2-2: Quagliarella, applause and tears

A draw that satisfies everyone and no one: between Sampdoria and Sassuolo everything happens in the first minutes, then a paw from the eternal Quagliarella propitiates Erlic’s own goal which is worth the 2-2 final. At the Ferraris, in the Blucerchiati’s last home match, the match exploded in the first 12′. Gabbiadini opens in the 8th minute on Ferrari’s sleep, then within three minutes the guests overturn it with goals from Berardi and Matheus Henrique. At the end, Fabio Quagliarella’s farewell greeting – which has so much the flavor of a farewell to football – was thrilling: thanks, bows, applause. And many tears. Of the attacker from Campania and of thousands of fans.

Before the whistle

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Agitated pre-match side Sampdoria due to the umpteenth shareholders’ meeting that went deserted. Hundreds of Sampdoria supporters gathered outside Corte Lambruschini, the club’s official headquarters, to make their voices heard regarding the company’s difficult situation. Then, around 18.30, the procession left for the stadium, with chants against Ferrero, Garrone and the now famous “Hands off Sampdoria”, which also became the slogan of dozens of shirts worn by Sampdoria supporters in the South steps.

The choices

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Stankovic opts for the usual 3-4-1-2 with some differences compared to last week’s away match at San Siro: young Turk is in goal for Ravaglia, a defensive trio made up of Oikonomou, Nuytinck and Amione returning in place of disqualified Gunter. On the untouchable lanes Zanoli on the right and Augello on the left, in the middle of the field Winks and Rincon. On the trocar, behind the Quagliarella-Gabbiadini duo, is Leris. 4-3-3 for Dionisi: Consigli between the posts, defensive line made up of Zortea, Erlic, Ferrari and Rogerio. In midfield, without Frattesi not called up, chosen Thorstvedt, the former Obiang and Henrique. In front of Berardi and Ceide in support of the lone striker Pinamonti.

The match

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Samp does not intend to greet their fans with yet another defeat and a strong start. In the first 2′ he wins two corners, on the second Oikonomou stands out who impacts but sends to the bottom. The start was sparkling and after a couple of chances the game unlocked immediately: in the 8th minute Ferrari fell asleep sensationally and, pressed by Gabbiadini, in fact gave the Sampdoria striker the 7th goal of his championship. A decidedly ephemeral advantage, because a few seconds pass and Berardi gets going. The neroverde 10 invites Ceide to the triangle, then, only on the edge of the small Sampdoria area, collects the return pass and scores 1-1 (10th goal in Serie A against Sampdoria, second favorite victim after Milan). Also in this case the balance does not go beyond the minute: in the 11th minute Zortea is free to draw Henrique in the middle for the header which is worth the turnaround. It’s a deadly one-two for Sampdoria, who can’t shake themselves off except for some timid attempts by Quagliarella. Sassuolo, on the other hand, builds from below and comes close to making a trio: first Turk is careful on a dirty attempt by Pinamonti, then Ceide sends a nice right-footed shot just wide. A few minutes from the end of the first half, the rhythms pick up again: Consigli touches the duck on Leris, Gabbiadini shoots on the post (offside) and Berardi (in play) smashes the crossbar. Stankovic looks for a breakthrough at the start of the second half with a couple of substitutions, Dionisi responds by removing the booked Thorstvedt. Changes that did not bear fruit for the Serbian coach, because Sassuolo mastered the field and came close to making a trio on several occasions with Ceide, Zortea, Pinamonti and Berardi between the 57′ and 70′. Sampdoria, however, withstood the impact, and in the 78th minute discarded the gift from Sassuolo: a long cross from Augello, Quagliarella’s side and Erlic’s detour into his own goal for the 2-2. In the 85th minute Turk denies victory to Sassuolo with a monstrous double save first on Maxime Lopez and then on Defrel’s tap-in. There begins a moving moment that belongs entirely to Fabio Quagliarella: Stankovic replaces him, he stops in the middle of the field, greets, thanks, is moved. A frame to frame despite a nightmare year. Samp ends the home season with just one win at Ferraris, with Sassuolo finishing 2-2.