Ranieri rues gifted goals in Coppa defeat

After dominating the game for an hour, Sampdoria threw it all away and knocked themselves out of the Coppa Italia. That was Claudio Ranieri’s blunt assessment after the Blucerchiati’s 3-1 defeat to Genoa.

“We were really sloppy today,” the boss began. “We scored four goals tonight but three of them were for the opposition. We played them in on goal with our passing. When you make mistakes, you deserve to pay for them.

“We made mistakes against Bologna on Sunday too. We can’t go on like this. I think we got a bit carried away after winning three games in a row.

“We have to stick to what we’re used to doing, not try to copy the new guys who joined this summer. We shouldn’t be trying to do more at all costs. We must be humble and stick to the mentality that kept us up last season. There’s no point playing well if you don’t get points. Now we need to pull together.

“Verre scored a fantastic goal and had a superb game. He’s got the lot. Credit to him.

“Gabbiadini surprised me with the pep who showed when he came on. He’ll soon be back among the goals.”