Sampdoria has every reason to celebrate. © UC Sampdoria

Victory in the play-offs: Sampdoria suddenly really hot again

Already relegated a little over a month ago, now Serie B is within reach again: Sampdoria is currently experiencing the craziest rollercoaster of emotions ever.

June 15, 2025

From: fop

The former European Cup winners won the first leg of their playoff tie against Salernitana 2-0 on Sunday evening in a sold-out Marassi stadium. Now, suddenly, they can dream more than ever of remaining in the second division.

Dutchman Melle Meulensteen just before halftime and former FC Südtirol defender Marco Curto in the closing stages fired Samp to a 2-0 victory. Former internationals Fabio Borini (Samp) and Petar Stojanovic (Salernitana) also saw the red card in stoppage time.

Former FCS player as celebrated goalscorer

After a disastrous season in every respect, the Blucerchiati played with unexpected commitment, discipline, and determination on Sunday. Salernitana, on the other hand, did little to put themselves in a good position for the return match next Friday.

As a reminder, the play-off only came about in this scenario because Brescia was subsequently penalized for financial irregularities and thus eliminated from the league. This put Frosinone on the safe side, and Sampdoria, who were already relegated, became Salernitana's opponent in the relegation play-offs. Incidentally, both teams had their last competitive match 33 (!) days ago.