Samp made to settle for a point by ten-man Sassuolo

Sampdoria were held to a 0-0 draw by Sassuolo at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday afternoon, with Claudio Ranieri’s men unable to find a way through the Sassuolo defence despite the visitors being reduced to ten men inside 30 minutes.

With Lorenzo Tonelli coming straight into the starting line-up after his move from Napoli, Samp started well and had an early sighter through Fabio Quagliarella after just five minutes. Sassuolo tried to put their stamp on the game, but it was Doria who looked the more dangerous of the two sides on the counter-attack.

It was one such break that led to Sassuolo being reduced to ten men. Gaston Ramirez’s ball allowed Manolo Gabbiadini to run at goal, only for the Italian striker to be brought down on the edge of the box by Federico Peluso. The Sassuolo man was promptly dismissed, but Gabbiadini’s free-kick failed to beat the wall and the visitors stood firm until the half-time whistle came.

The start of the second half brought with it a wake-up call for Ranieri’s side, as Jeremie Boga was denied by the post at the end of a Sassuolo break that began with a Doria corner.

Samp reacted well, coming close to the breakthrough courtesy of Gabbiadini’s left boot minutes later. The Gradinata Sud roared the Blucerchiati on, with Quagliarella nearly obliging with an effort that narrowly missed the top corner.

Ranieri opted to freshen things up in attack, replacing Ramirez with Gianluca Caprari, and the sub was instantly involved in setting up Karol Linetty at the far post, but the Pole’s header was easily claimed by Andrea Consigli in the Sassuolo goal.

It was all Samp now, with Quagliarella and Caprari trading chances to no avail. The news that there would be four minutes’ added time lifted the crowd once again, but stoppage time brought only half chances for Ronaldo Vieri and Caprari that failed to trouble Consigli, for whom the full-time whistle was sweet relief.

Sampdoria 0-0 Sassuolo
Sampdoria (4-4-2): Audero; Bereszynski (Vieira 72), Tonelli (Regini 72), Colley, Augello; Ramirez (Caprari 60), Thorsby, Ekdal, Linetty; Gabbiadini, Quagliarella.
Subs not used: Seculin, Falcone, Vieira, Barreto, Bonazzoli, Regini, Maroni, Leris, Murru, Bertolacci.
Coach: Ranieri.

Sassuolo (4-2-3-1): Consigli; Toljan, Romagna, Peluso, Kyriakopoulos; Obiang, Locatelli; Berardi (Djuricic 90), Traore (Rogerio 29), Boga; Caputo (Muldur 85).
Subs not used: Pegolo, Turati, Marlon, Magnanelli, Defrel, Raspadori, Piccinini, Bourabia.
Coach: De Zerbi.

Referee: Piccinini.
Assistants: Tegoni, Baccini.
Fourth official: Dionisi.
VAR: Di Paolo, Liberti.

Yellow cards: Ekdal 28, Colley 49, Bereszynski 69, Gabbiadini 79.
Red cards: Peluso 25.

Added time: 2 + 4 mins.