Giampaolo Pazzini scored the only goal as Sampdoria beat champions Inter to return to the top of the Serie A table on Saturday.
Sampdoria had lost the league lead on Wednesday when they were well beaten 2-0 at Fiorentina, allowing Inter to take over at the summit following four successive victories.
In inflicting the first defeat of the season on Jose Mourinho’s Inter, however, Sampdoria emphatically cemented their own title credentials.
PHOTO: EPA
“It was a very important goal, we beat them and now we’re top,” Pazzini said. “We put in a display full of character against a great team.”
Although competitive and lively, the first half produced few genuine goalscoring opportunities as the two capable teams largely canceled each other out.
Mourinho had switched his midfield around, bringing in Mario Balotelli and Patrick Vieira, while leaving Dejan Stankovic on the bench.
He also preferred young fullback Davide Santon to experienced Romania international Cristian Chivu at leftback — a move that would later prove costly, but Mourinho refused to blame the youngster for the defeat.
“What displeased me about the match? The result,” Mourinho said. “This defeat means we have lost three points. Whoever is on the pitch can make mistakes, but a player is never culpable for a defeat.”
Inter enjoyed more of the ball and created the first real chance when Esteban Cambiasso’s pass released Diego Milito in space down the left and he pulled the ball back to his Argentine teammate who forced a full length save from Luca Castellazzi.
Lithuanian Marius Stankevicius tried his luck from long-range and his swerving shot proved too hot for Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar to hold, although the Brazilian beat the ball away.
Antonio Cassano was pulling the strings for Sampdoria and after his cross from the left caused panic in the Inter box, the ball seemed to be dropping invitingly for Angelo Palombo 15m out, but the Italy midfielder fluffed his attempted left-foot volley.
The second half began with a flurry of action as Balotelli’s strike from outside the box took a deflection and wrong-footed Castellazzi.
The goalkeeper just managed to get his hands on the ball and pushed it past the lurking Milito.
Up the other end, Pazzini turned smartly in the box and swept a shot just wide of the far post.
The decisive moment came from a mistake by Santon, who belied his inexperience by trying to play a risky short pass while deep inside his own half.
He gave the ball away to Palombo, who teed-up Daniele Mannini for a shot, and while he scuffed his effort, it fell to the unmarked Pazzini 10m out whose hurried and shanked effort left Cesar rooted to the spot.
Inter had the ball in the net six minutes from time through substitute Ricardo Quaresma when his long-range effort deflected off fellow substitute Chivu and in, but the Romanian was standing in an offside position.
Inter piled on the late pressure, but Castellazzi beat away a vicious Lucio free-kick and Samuel Eto’o flashed a volley wide as Sampdoria deservedly held on for the victory.
In the Tuscan derby, Fiorentina moved up to fourth, level on points with Inter, after Montenegro midfielder Stevan Jovetic settled the affair from the penalty spot 14 minutes from time after Livorno’s Marcus Diniz pulled back Alberto Gilardino in the box.
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