Sampdoria did not get a shut-out win but still had the most commanding win of the weekend, bagging five goals against Brescia and putting few contributors in the team of the week.
The Blucerchiati needed to right the ship as they had won just once in the past five games, dropping three and tying nil-nil with Milan in the most recent one. Claudio Ranieri could not count on the disqualified Omar Colley and chose Vasco Regini over Jeison Murillo to replace him in the heart of the defence. Morten Thorsby got the nod over Albin Ekdal in the midfield, joining Karol Linetty and Jakub Jankto and the regular Ronaldo Vieira, while Fabio Quagliarella partnered with Manolo Gabbiadini up front.
The Rondinelle broke the deadlock 11 minutes into the game, as Ernesto Torregrossa flicked it on for an unguarded Jhon Chancellor on a corner kick and the giant defender easily headed it home from two meters out.
However, the home team, who had started off better despite conceding, begun churning out mouth-watering chances: Jankto wasted the first one putting a nice strike wide, while a Quagliarella header was snared by Jesse Joronen. The veteran striker also attempted a bicycle kick but he did not come close to the target. They eventually equalized at 34th minute, when Ales Mateju mistakenly cleared a cross centrally, Linetty corralled it and knocked it in the bottom right corner. The comeback was completed in the final minute of the first half, as the trailing Jankto volleyed home a cross from the right flank by Linetty.
After a couple of scares on the defensive end, Sampdoria built on the lead with a Quagliarella penalty after a handball by Massimiliano Mangraviti on deep raid by Thorsby. Gianluca Caprari joined the party coming off the bench, heading home from close range a marvellous feed by Jankto. In the final goal of the contest, Janko found Quagliarella with a long ball and the striker chipped it over Joronen from outside the box, capping off the day a great day for his side in delightful fashion.
The Blucerchiati snatched a precious win over a direct rival and now have a four-point cushion over the relegation zone. In the fantasy game, Jankto and Quagliarella dominated by taking home eight points, Linetty racked up six thanks to the goal and the assist, Caprari four for scoring.
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