Soriano King of the Derby: “An unforgettable evening, better than a dream”

Scoring twice in the Derby della Lanterna and celebrating a hard-fought victory in front of the Gradinata Sud must have been beyond Roberto Soriano’s wildest dreams before yesterday.

“It’s the best day I’ve had since I came to Sampdoria,” declared Soriano to Samp TV after his man-of-the-match performance against Genoa. “I’ll never forget this game. I know how important this fixture is to the fans and I’m over the moon at contributing with two goals.

“I couldn’t have imagined it would go so well. This victory can help us to kick on in the league.”

Antonio Cassano used to heap praise on the future captain when he was still a youngster breaking through and now Samp’s No. 99 is setting up his goals.

“It was an honour that he spoke about me in that way,” Roberto continued. “Everyone knows the ability that Antonio has. We’re working well together, he always puts the ball on a plate for me when I break forward.”

Finally, Doria’s skipper turned an eye to the next game on Sunday: “We can’t let our attention drop. Juventus are coming up next and we want to be ready for that challenge.”