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Silvio Merkaj (left) and Simone Davi celebrate the second FCS home win in a row.
Big points for FCS in tough relegation duel
On Saturday, FC Südtirol faced cult club Sampdoria Calcio. After a tough duel, the white and reds were able to celebrate three extremely important points - and thus gained a lot of self-confidence for the relegation battle, which is far from over.
15. February 2025
From the Drusus Stadium in Bolzano
From:
Moritz Vikoler
In glorious weather and – at least in the sun – pleasant February temperatures, FC Südtirol and Sampdoria fought for golden points in the relegation battle on Saturday. The traditional club from Genoa, which was relegated from Serie A two years ago and still contested the playoffs last year, is also in the hot zone of the table. The white and reds had the better end of the game – the final score was 2:1.
FC Südtirol celebrated its second home win in a row and its third success in the last four games - a clear upward trend is evident. The game against Sampdoria on Saturday was not for the faint-hearted. A racy match developed between the two teams, which was repeatedly interrupted by fouls, groups of people forming groups and arguments. The crowning glory was two red cards against the guests, who appeared visibly more nervous. The referee never really had the game under control.
For a long time, however, the FCS was unable to capitalize on its numerical superiority. Little to nothing happened in the attacking game. Salvation finally came with a penalty, which specialist Daniele Casiraghi converted with his usual confidence. Things got exciting again until the final whistle, as Sampdoria threw everything forward - spurred on by almost 1.000 Samp fans who had made the pilgrimage to the Drusus Stadium on Saturday. But no more goals were scored.
Three golden points for the FCS
The FCS was not always in control of the situation on Saturday, but the starting team from Liguria (Sampdoria had strengthened its team in the winter with goalkeeper Alessio Cragno from Monza and ex-Milan star M'Baye Niang, among others) did not live up to expectations. After more than 90 hard-fought minutes, almost 3.700 FCS fans in the Drusus Stadium were able to celebrate three extremely important points.The key moments of the duel
| Merkaj! | The FCS switches well via Salvatore Molina, who could actually shoot himself, but decides to pass to Silvio Merkaj; the latter looks up briefly and then sinks the ball with a low shot into the far corner to give the White-Reds the opening goal to much acclaim (6th). |
| The guests cheer | Ex-FCS player Marco Curto manages to score from a corner for Sampdoria despite being held by a defender. FCS goalkeeper Marius Adamonis saves his attempt, but Giuseppe Sibilli scores the equaliser from the rebound (11'). |
| Sampdoria only with nine players | The rest of the first half is marked by fouls, squabbles, discussions and whistling. The referee largely has no control over the game. As a result, the guests receive two red cards: first, Samp defender Alex Ferrari has to go to the showers after receiving two yellow cards (45.+2), then Fabio Depaoli is also sent off with a yellow-red card after pushing Molina to the ground (75.). |
| The Drusus Stadium shakes | After a corner, all FCS players complained about handball, and after studying the video it was clear: penalty for FC Südtirol! Specialist Daniele Casiraghi positioned the ball, ran up and put it in the net (88th minute)! There was still a lot of nervousness afterwards, but after six minutes of stoppage time it was clear: FC Südtirol had collected three extremely important points in the relegation battle! |
After the home victory over Sampdoria, FC Südtirol is now in 17th place in the table - a play-out position. Coach Fabrizio Castori's team now has a week to prepare for their next opponent. Next Sunday, February 23, they will play against Brescia at 15 p.m. SportNews-Liveticker you are there live and don't miss anything.
FC Südtirol – Sampdoria Calcio 2:1
FCS (3-5-2): Adamonis; Veseli, Pietrangeli, Giorgini (from 46. Kofler); Davi (from 69. Barreca), Pyythiä (from 69. Martini), Praszelik (from 84. Mallamo), Casiraghi, Molina (from 80. Rover); Merkaj, OdogwuTrainer: Fabrizio Castori
Sampdoria (3-4-3): Cragno; Curto, Ferrari, Riccio; Beruatto, Yepes, Meulensteen (from 60. Bellemo, from 84. Ricci)), Depaoli; Sibilli (from 80. Akinsanmiro), Niang (from 80. Abiuso), Oudin (from 60. Altare)
Trainer: Leonardo Semplici
Tore: 1:0 Merkaj (6th), 1:1 Sibilli (11th), 2:1 Casiraghi (88th/hand penalty)
Red card: Ferrari (45th+2), Depaoli (75th)
spectator: 4.741 (including 995 away fans)
Serie B, matchday 26
Catanzaro – Cittadella 1:0Goal: 1-0 Iemmello (66.)
Carrarese – Salernitana 3:2
Goals: 1:0 Zanon (31st), 2:0 Finotto (41st), 3:0 Zuelli (47th), 3:1 Reine Adelaide (63rd), 3:2 Soriano (85th)
Modena – Spezia 1:1
Goals: 0:1 Esposito (23rd), 1:1 Defrel (41st)
Sassuolo – Brescia 2:0
Goals: 1-0 Lovato (34th), 2-0 Lauriente (73rd)
Bari – Cremonese 1:1
Goals: 0:1 Valoti (69th), 1:1 Bianchetti (90th + 3/own goal)
Sunday's games:
Frosinone – Reggiana (15 p.m.)
Juve Stabia – Cosenza
Palermo – Mantua
Cesena – Pisa (17.15 pm)
The table
| SP | G | U | V | TV | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sassuolo | 26 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 58:25 | 61 |
| 2. Step on | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 42:22 | 54 |
| 3. Specia | 26 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 41:18 | 50 |
| 4. Cremonese | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 38:27 | 41 |
| 5. Catanzaro | 26 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 34:26 | 39 |
| 6. Juventus Stabia | 26 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 31:29 | 39 |
| 7. Baric | 26 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 29:26 | 34 |
| 8. Cesena | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 34:35 | 34 |
| 9. Palermo | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 29:27 | 32 |
| 10. Modena | 26 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 32:32 | 31 |
| 11. Carrarese | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 24:33 | 30 |
| 12. Cittadella | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 20:37 | 30 |
| 13. Brescia | 26 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 31:36 | 29 |
| 14. Reggiana | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 25:30 | 29 |
| 15. Mantova | 26 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 31:39 | 29 |
| 16. Sampdoria | 26 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 30:37 | 28 |
| 17. FC South Tyrol | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 31:43 | 28 |
| 18. Salernitana | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 25:36 | 25 |
| 19. Frosinone | 26 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 21:38 | 23 |
| 20. Cosenza (-4) | 26 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 23:33 | 21 |
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