Genoa vs. Sampdoria: Full time 3-1 as Samp take Derby spoils
Sampdoria pulled themselves back into safety thanks to victory in the Derby della Lanterna. Meanwhile, Genoa sit dead last and look bereft of hope.
The action kicked off with Ciro Immobile doing his best to put Genoa ahead early, getting his head on a cross from Juraj Kucka. The two combined well, with Immobile making another attempt in the 8th minute, this time set free by a through ball from the Slovak.
But it was Sampdoria who claimed the first goal, in the 16th minute. Enzo Maresca sent his attempt wide, but the block was deflected into the path of Andrea Poli, who capitalized on the chance to put the ball past Sebastien Frey.
Rather than fight back, Genoa just seemed to roll over and accept their demise. It took 15 minutes for them to even attempt another shot, and that one came from a Marco Borriello free kick.
By the 36th minute, Genoa had finished constructing their own coffin. Emmanuel Icardi got on the end of a through ball from Nenad Krsticic, and Frey could do no more than push away the shot. Unfortunately, the ball fell to Cesare Bovo, who turned it into the back of his own net.
Samp did their best to put the score at 3-0 before the break, but Frey and his defense were able to stop a flurry of shots in the final three minutes of the half. Perhaps believing they still had a chance to get back into the match, Luigi Delneri made two substitutions, bringing on Juan Vargas for Bovo, and replacing Daniel Tözsér with Andrea Bertolacci.
And sure enough, Genoa looked more sprightly. Borriello very nearly cut the deficit in half with a shot from close range, but Sergio Romero was there to save. The Sampdoria keeper was the hero of the second half, keeping the rossoblu out of the game.
But he couldn’t keep out Immobile’s shot in the 73rd minute. The fallout from a Juan Vargas corner was just too much for Samp, who failed to clear adequately, leading to the goal from Immobile.
At that point, Genoa could taste victory, and kept pouring forward, determined to find the equalizer. Alas it was Sampdoria that took advantage, springing forward on the counter. Fernando Tissone slid the ball through to Icardi, who marked his first Serie A start with a derby goal in the 88th minute.
The result, and Genoa’s position in the table, forces the question: will this be the week Enrico Preziosi caves and hires his third manager of the season? Or will he just run away and never look back?
