Samp get job done against Pescara with Fernandes, Quagliarella and Schick

Goals by Bruno Fernandes, Fabio Quagliarella and substitute Patrik Schick helped see off Pescara on Saturday evening as Sampdoria warmed up for the derby with a comfortable 3-1 win.

The Blucerchiati took the game to the opposition – just as Marco Giampaolo had asked – and got the result their performance deserved, with the three points taking Samp into the top half of the table awaiting results elsewhere.

Daniel Pavlovic came in at left-back, Dennis Praet was picked in midfield alongside Edgar Barreto and Lucas Torreira, and Bruno Fernandes started in the hole behind Luis Muriel and Quagliarella as Giampaolo in an attacking line-up.

Nonetheless, it was Pescara who fired off the opening shot as Alberto Cerri raced clear and wasted a gilt-edged chance to draw first blood.

Doria’s first chance fell to Fernandes in the 10th minute but his long-range effort flew into a wall of Pescara bodies.

The Portuguese did much better eight minutes later when he collected Muriel’s pull-back from the byline and steered home from six yards – his fourth goal for the club and the first he hasn’t scored as a substitute.

The visitors responded with an acrobatic effort by Gianluca Caprari, to which Emiliano Viviano was equal.

A heavy-handed challenge by Guglielmo Stendardo on Muriel in the box went unpunished in the 22nd minute before Pavlovic went close with a free kick as Samp pressed for a second, but instead the goal came down the other end.

Ahmed Benali skipped away down the right and laid it on a plate for Cerri, who duly obliged. Back to the drawing board for Samp.

Muriel was presented with a double opportunity to restore the lead almost immediately after being played in by Quagliarella, but Albano Bizzarri saved his first attempt and his second was a sloppy header that finished off target.

The Pescara goalie did well to deny Barreto shortly afterwards and ensure the sides went in level at the break.

Pescara were fastest out of the traps again, with Cerri calling Viviano into action soon after the restart.

Samp responded with Barreto heading fractionally wide from Pavlovic’s free kick and a Praet effort that was kept out by Bizzarri.

The Pescara custodian was unable to repeat the trick shortly before the hour mark though, when Fernandes crossed and Quagliarella stooped to head home – his third strike in as many games, taking his tally to seven for the season.

Giampaolo brought on Schick for the last half an hour, with Muriel the man replaced.

Within minutes of making his entrance, the Czech youngster very nearly forced a third as he charged up the field and unleashed a shot from the edge of the box. Bizzarri could only parry it invitingly for Fernandes but instead of gobbling up his second of the game the Portuguese blazed over.

He made up for it a few minutes later when he set up Schick for Samp’s third of the night, the 21-year-old adding a seventh goal to his already impressive debut campaign.

Barreto attempted to make it 4-1 when he spotted Bizzarri off his line but his lob sailed over the bar. That would be the Paraguayan’s final contribution as he then made away for Karol Linetty.

Bartosz Bereszynski came on for Jacopo Sala in Giampaolo’s final change of the night as Samp saw out the remaining minutes in relative comfort.

Three goals and three points are the perfect way to prepare for a big week ahead, with Saturday’s derby now on the agenda.

Sampdoria 3
Pescara 1
Scorers: Fernandes 18, Cerri 32, Quagliarella 58, Schick 68.

Sampdoria (4-3-1-2): Viviano; Sala (Bereszynski 83), Silvestre, Skriniar, Pavlovic; Barreto (Linetty 74), Torreira, Praet; Fernandes; Muriel (Schick 63), Quagliarella.
Subs not used: Puggioni, Simic, Dodô, Alvarez, Palombo, Regini, Cigarini, Djuricic, Budimir.
Coach: Marco Giampaolo.

Pescara (4-3-3): Bizzarri; Zampano, Stendardo, Coda (Fornasier 82), Biraghi; Memushaj, Bruno, Verre ( Brugman 88); Benali, Cerri (Kastanos 75), Caprari.
Subs not used: Fiorillo, Crescenzi, Muntari, Muric, Cubas, Milicevic.
Coach: Zdenek Zeman.

Referee: Pasqua (Tivoli).
Assistants: Di Fiore (Aosta), Lo Cicero (Brescia).
Fourth official: Cariolato (Legnago).
Additional assistants: Massa (Imperia), Serra (Turin).
Booked: Coda 48, Bruno 87.
Added time: 1+3 minutes.
Attendance: 16,789 season-ticket holders (€164,806), match tickets 871 (€16,605).