Sampdoria's Fall

Andrea Poli - moving on.

Sampdoria 1 AC Milan 2

A team that finished fourth last season would be expected to be one of the strongest teams in Italy. Garrone has made sure that Sampdoria aren't held in such repute. His petty disagreements with Cassano caused the talented talisman to depart from Genoa and move to Milan. Sampdoria received a sucker-blow and an overrated Macheda in return. Cassano was returning to the Ferraris for the first time since his move. Allegri thought best to start him from the bench.

Pato has been consistent in one aspect of his game this season; scoring. He doesn't work hard, he doesn't track back, but he scores. He put the sword to the defense in a span of five minutes in the first half. Di Carlo's men were instantly on the back foot. Beating Milan was a monumental task and now they faced the impossible feat of beating Milan by 3 goals. Possession clearly was in Milan's favor which reduced Sampdoria's probability of banging in the 3 required goals. Also, without possession, they risked conceding too. Milan's latest midfield signings Emanuelson and Van Bommel were started in midfield. Surprisingly, there wasn't much confusion or havoc between them and Silva. For a midfield that contained 2 new players, the combination was unpredictably pleasant.

Sampdoria pressed but were not decisive nor did they permeate enough to trouble Flavio Roma. Other than the unusual bullet shots from distance, Roma enjoyed a rather comfortable evening. Papastathapolous got turned in by Maccarone before the forward floated in the cross on the 50' for Guberti to pop a free header into the back of the net. Game on. Cassano entered the fray on the 78' and the drama in the game sprung back to life. Poli and Palombo shined in the Dorian midfield. Poli has managed to impress his fans, even those in managerial positions. I suppose this suggests that the club will lose another gem and sign a glossy freak as a replacement, again. Silva is thriving in the defensive midfield position putting together a string of fantastic performances. Sadly, our need for him is greater in defense. The two signings in midfield showed that they can play for Milan. We progress to meet Palermo in the semi-finals.

Sampdoria - Guberti 50'
Milan - Pato 17', 22'