Serie A roundup: Salernitana smash sorry Samp, Atalanta win as Fiorentina and Napoli draw
Salernitana - Sampdoria 4-0
A goal and two assists from Boulaye Dia proved pivotal, as Salernitana marked their first victory of the new season in style, lodging two successive wins against Sampdoria for the first time in history with a fantastic 4-0 drubbing of the Genoese outfit.
With both teams expected to be in the thick of the relegation battle, the inability of either to score a goal so far this new campaign warranted an open encounter.
After starting well, Salernitana turned out to be the ones to draw first blood, breaking their duck in style with two quickfire goals in the space of seven minutes within the first quarter-hour.
New signing Boulaye Dia first nicked in a point-blank tap-in following a counter attack, before turning provider with an exquisite assist from the left wing for Federico Bonazzoli's fantastic finish past Sampdoria keeper Emil Audero.
Sampdoria slowly got back into the game, but saw themselves narrowly miss out on conceding a third, when goalscorer Bonazzoli latched onto an inch-perfect cross and rifled it inches past the right post.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Sampdoria displayed glaring inefficiency in the final-third, with Granata stopper Luigi Sepe playing his part by pulling off a formidable triple save to deny Filip Djuricic, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Francesco Caputo in succession.
The hosts began the second-half in a superb manner, immediately threatening the visitors with successive attacks that finally bore fruit in the 50th minute via Tonny Vilhena’s beautiful close-range finish.
The Dutch midfielder combined fantastically with Lassana Coulibaly, executing a one-two before lodging a volley past Audero to make it 3-0.
Blucerchiati coach Marco Giampaolo introduced four new players on the hour mark, including veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella, who displayed hunger to make the Granata his 37th Serie A victim almost immediately with a low strike.
However, the away side’s fate was sealed at the onset of the final quarter-hour, as newcomer Erik Botheim picked up the ball and unleashed a low drive that went in off the left post.
With this victory, Salernitana can look back on a run of consecutive top-flight clean sheets for the first time since May 1999, and their first shut-out at home in 17 Serie A encounters.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria head home a dejected outfit, with the class of 2022/23 making unprecedented history by failing to score in the first three games of a new Serie A campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Boulaye Dia (Salernitana)
Verona - Atalanta 0-1
Atalanta continued their unbeaten start to the Serie A season as they defeated Hellas Verona 1-0, thanks to a second-half strike from Teun Koopmeiners. I Gialloblu remain winless after three league games, and sit only one point clear of the relegation zone.
While the two sides struggled to find their shooting boots, both appeared intent to play on the front-foot in the first half, much to the delight of the neutrals.
Verona were keen to pick up their first win of the young Serie A season, and give their home fans something to cheer for.
But in the opening stages, a deflected shot which went flying past the post from Ivan Ilic was the only clear-cut scoring chance worth writing home about. However, the pace of the game was encouraging for a second half full of attacking play.
It did not take long for the deadlock to be broken after the interval, and it was the visitors who silenced the home crowd.
After collecting the ball on the edge of the box, Koopmeiners connected with a low, driving shot which found its way into the corner of the net, giving Atalanta a crucial lead on the road in the 50th minute.
Verona responded to going a goal behind well, and even came inches to pulling themselves level in stunning fashion when Darko Lazovic unleashed a sensational curling effort from 30 yards, but much to the anger of the fans inside the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, his sweetly hit shot rattled the bar, and La Dea secured all three points.
While the glory days of Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta seem like the distant past now, two wins from their first three games in the new season will be taken as a fantastic step towards reclaiming a spot in European competition next season, despite the fierce competition at the top of the division.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta)
Fiorentina - Napoli 0-0
Napoli moved to the Serie A summit after a goalless draw at Fiorentina, but the result ended their winning run in the league at six games, while also dashing hopes of them maxing their opening trio in three straight top-flight campaigns for the first time ever.
Although both teams kicked off unbeaten after their opening two games, neither side was able to settle into an attacking rhythm, and chances were scarce in the first half. But still on a high after ending their five-year wait to qualify for European competition on Thursday, the hosts looked the likelier to open the scoring in the early minutes, and they came close when Giacomo Bonaventura saw his shot from just outside the area fly agonisingly wide of the right post.
Surprisingly for the league’s highest scorers, Napoli managed just one shot in the opening half-hour, yet they looked to have taken the lead with half-time approaching.
Pierluigi Gollini failed to push the ball to safety, and Hirving Lozano knocked it to Victor Osimhen, who swept in from close range - but the linesman’s flag went up for offside, ensuring that a clash seemingly set for relentless attacking combat would stand goalless at the break.
Both sides would have been well aware that they needed to up their game after the break, and defender Amir Rrahami headed over the bar unmarked from a free-kick in the early stages of the second half, before Hirving Lozano saw his header fly just wide of the right post shortly after.
Hellas Verona loanee Antonin Barak also had a great chance to open the scoring for Fiorentina after keeping himself onside and receiving the ball inside the area, but after cutting onto his left foot, the Czech midfielder pulled his shot just wide of the right post.
Chances thinned as the seconds ticked by, and Napoli substitute Giacocmo Raspadori almost made it 1-0 inside the final 15 minutes, but his sweetly-struck volley was well gathered by Alex Meret, and both sides ultimately cancelled each other out from that point.
While Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano will have been frustrated by his side’s inability to make the most of their chances, he can still take heart from how his team kept the free-scoring Gli Azzurri quiet for large periods of the game, as they remain ninth in the standings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kim Min-jae (Napoli)
Lecce - Empoli 1-1
Empoli were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against newcomers Lecce meaning the Azzurri have now gone winless in their opening three Serie A fixtures for the first time since 2015/16 season.
The hosts started the quicker of the two sides, applying pressure from the off, in particular Gabriel Strefezza caused problems immediately down the right hand side, forcing Guglielmo Vicario into an early save.
Empoli grew into the game and took the lead 20 minutes in courtesy of Fabiano Parisi scoring his first Serie A goal and Empoli’s first goal of the season.
The full-back did brilliantly to drive his team up the pitch before seeing his deflected effort bounce over the helpless Wladimiro Falcone for 1-0.
Lecce weren’t disheartened at going behind and struck back just before half time, Lameck Banda found Strefezza on the edge of the area who aimed a superb strike into the top corner to make it 1-1 heading in at the break.
The visitors came flying out of the blocks after the restart and should have taken the lead through Federico Balzaretti but the youngster could only hit his shot straight at Falcone.
Lecce then went close through Banda who danced his way into the area before being denied by a save of the season contender by Vicario who somehow turned his effort round the post.
Assan Ceesay thought he had scored the winner 10 minutes from time but it was cruelly pulled back for offside.
Despite both teams pushing for a winner, both defences stayed strong to see the game out as a draw.
The draw secures Lecce’s first point of the season and leaves them in 15th, Empoli remain in 14th with two points after three games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gabriel Strefezza (Lecce)