Falcone’s emotional night

Sometimes things just happen without warning, such as when an immovable object like Emil Audero has to raise the white flag and you’re called up to replace him. Nothing fazes a guy like Wladimiro Falcone who made his first Serie A appearance of the season tonight. The 26-year-old goalkeeper explained, “Against Torino in the Coppa Italia I broke the ice. It was my first appearance of the season and I hadn’t played in front of fans in such a long time. Today I was tense; there are lots of emotions playing in your hometown with lots of relatives and friends who had come out to see me. We picked up a good point against a strong team in an amazing stadium. My thoughts go to the President, Massimo Ferrero, we are with you.”

The evening wasn’t a stroll in the park for Samp’s number 33. The stats are testament to that with three saves. “Which was the best?” mulled Falcone, “The double save against Nicolo Zaniolo and Felix. The shot seemed to be a bit of a horror story for a keeper, the ball was moving and I wasn’t able to parry it out as I wanted. It ended up at Felix’s feet but I tried to close him down and got there in the end. When we conceded I wasn’t discouraged; I was confident. I think we deserved to equalise. Now it’s time for some rest with this result we will be able to properly enjoy these holidays and a bit of time off.”