Sampdoria and Atalanta met in their Serie A clash at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, with both teams to looking win for the second week in a row.
The home side picked up their first win of the campaign over Livorno to move out of the relegation zone while the visitors were flying high following three successive victories.
However, in a controversial game Delio Rossi's side secured the win for their second victory of the season as Shkodran Mustafi's goal was enough to help them overcome 10-man Atalanta after Constantin Nica was red carded in the second half.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good afternoon and welcome to the live commentary of the Serie A clash between Sampdoria and Atalanta.
The home side have endured a tough start to their campaign as they are currently 16th in the table but secured their first win of the season last time out with a 2-0 victory over Livorno.
So Delio Rossi's side should be brimming with confidence coming into this fixture with Atalanta who are flying high this season.
Today's visitors have won their last three games on the bounce to move to seventh in Serie A, after taking just three points from their first five games of the season.
SAMPDORIA STARTING XI: Da Costa, Palombo, Gastaldello, Costa, Regini, Mustafi, De Silvestri, Bjarnason, Pedro Obiang, Eder, Gabbiadini.
ATALANTA STARTING XI: Consigli, Yepes, Stendardo, Del Grosso, Bellini, Cigarini, Moralez, Raimondi, Carmona, Brienza, Denis.
The teams are making their way out onto the pitch and we should be underway shortly.
We're underway in this Serie A clash.
Slow start to the game by both sides as they attempt to establish a possession game.
Brienza gets down the left flank for the host and whips in a dangerous cross but it's just over the head of Denis in the middle and the hosts clear the danger.
SHOT! Moralez raids through the middle and fires an effort at goal which goes just wide of the target but Da Costa saw it go comfortably wide of the post.
Sampdoria's turn to threaten as Regini gets down the left and he tries to beat the challenge of Bellini, who stands him and does well to stop the cross and force a goal kick off the wing-back.
A lot of the game is being played in central areas of the field and neither side has been able to get a grip and really dominate possession yet.
The visitors are almost in as Moralez threads a ball through for Denis but De Silvestri plays the ball behind for a corner with a good intervention to stop the striker in his tracks.
From the resulting corner Gastaldello gets up highest in the area and clears the danger with a powerful header.
CHANCE! Brienza causes trouble down the left for the visitors again and he lifts a cross into the area for Moralez, who just needs a touch to get a goal but he scuffs his effort allowing Da Costa to gather.
Atalanta are starting to impose themselves on the game and are beginning to control the midfield areas. The home side need to step up to try and wrestle back the initiative.
Sampdoria are looking a little bit lost in the midfield areas. They are showing some solid tackling but when they win the ball they're getting stuck and have been forced back on numerous occasions.
The game is not being played a good pace the moment and quality in the final third of the pitch is poor. We need a spark to liven this match up from somewhere.
Moralez tries to slip a through ball for the run of Denis as Atalanta look to threaten but the duo aren't on the same page and the ball runs out for goal kick.
The home side move down the field with purpose and Bjarnason looks to find the run of Eder down the left but his pass is intercepted with the forward wide open down the flank. That ball needed to be a lot better than it was.
Brienza raids down the left but mistimes his run and is flagged offside. It's a shame as his cross into the middle was perfect for Denis who headed home from close range, but alas it was not to be.
Both side's are continuing to struggle to move the ball around, as the game has become extremely scrappy in the past five minutes or so with a lot of cheap free kicks conceded.
YELLOW CARD! Eder becomes the first player to go into the book with a reckless challenge from behind on Moralez, which gives the visitors a free kick in a threatening position.
From the resulting free kick Atalanta they hand possession straight back to the hosts as De Silvestri is fouled by Denis in the area. Far from a classic at the minute.
CHANCE! Atalanta should be ahead as Del Grosso's ball into the area causes mayhem in the box but no player in grey can get a foot on the ball as Moralez fails to get a shot away but the ball comes to Raimondi, who blasts a shot at goal, but it goes well over the bar.
OFF THE BAR! The visitors come so close but Raimondi's header clatters off the bar as he raced onto a ball over the top of the Sampdoria defence. He managed to beat Da Costa but not the woodwork and the keeper managed to gather the ball.
Sampdoria have a late chance to threaten with a free kick but again from a set piece there's a foul in the area, which hands possession back to Atalanta.
HALF-TIME: Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
It's all square the break but it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock but Raimondi's header clattered off the bar late in the half and that was close as either team had come.
Both teams struggled to control the game as possession was wasted far too easily in the first half. More quality is needed in the midfield areas to improve the game.
We're back underway in this Serie A clash.
CHANCE! Gabbiadini goes close for the home side straight after the restart as he volleys just past the post from the edge of the area after he latched onto Eder's cross from the right.
Better start to the half from the hosts as they put the Atalanta goal under pressure from a free kick from the left but Yepes does well to finally clear the danger after the ball pinballed around the area.
SHOT! Regini raids forward from right back and gets into the final third before laying the ball back to Gentsoglou who strikes a low right-footed effort but Consigli gets down low to his right to make the save.
CHANCE! Obiang goes so close to giving his side the lead as Sampdoria find all sorts of space in the final third of the pitch and Eder's initial effort is blocked before Obiang drives into the area but he fires his shot just wide of the post.
GOAL! Sampdoria 1-0 Atalanta (Mustafi)
The home side take the lead from a corner as the ball is lofted to the back post where Mustafi meets the ball with his head and powers an effort into the back of the net despite the best efforts of Cigarini on the line.
The visitors try to get back in the game immediately and win a free kick 25 yards from goal. Moralez drills the ball at goal and Da Costa makes a good save and the home side's defence clear the danger. That was a close call.
RED CARD! Nica is dismissed for the visitors after bringing down Eder with a challenge from behind. Sampdoria have a free kick 20 yards from goal.
Eder takes the free kick himself but is effort goes over the bar.
The home side are really in the ascendency here and are looking hungry for more goals.
Eder races towards goal again for the home side and beats his man before firing an effort at goal but his shot goes wide of the target. The forward looks really fired up now.
Atalanta look out of sorts now and they have been rocked since the goal and haven't managed to get back into any rhythm. This game appears to be for the taking for the hosts.
SHOT! Atalanta lose possession upfield and allows the home side to break, the ball comes to Gabbiadini who fires an effort at goal but Consigli makes the save.
Moralez tries to weave his way through the Sampdoria defence and he finds space to poke the ball through a wall of defenders, unfortunately for him no-one on his side was alert allowing Da Costa to collect the ball.
Sampdoria are in command of this game at the moment as they're knocking the ball around with ease and seem content just to sit the game out without committing too many men forward.
The home side are really looking to turn the screw but Atalanta are holding firm in defence for now.
Sampdoria win a free kick just outside the area as Yepes brings down Gabbiadini. The striker takes the kick himself from 20 yards out but he fires his shot straight into the wall and the visitors clear the danger.
Atalanta threaten from a corner as the ball is cleared from the first cross but Cigarini knocks the ball back into the area for Yepes, who heads at goal and his effort goes just wide. He was offside anyway.
CHANCE!! The visitors come so close and Denis should have got the equaliser as Raimondi knocked a ball into the area from the right and it pinballed around the box before it came to the striker on the edge, but he could only fire his volley over the bar.
There will be three minutes of added time.
Soriano misses a chance to end the game for the home side as he blasts as a shot over the bar from the edge of the area, with teammates in support. He will hope that doesn't cost them.
FULL-TIME: Sampdoria 1-0 Atalanta
Sampdoria pick up their second win of the season thanks to Mustafi's goal. Their second-half performance was much improved from their display in the first as they upped the ante just enough to get the three points.
There were a couple of controversial moments in the game as Nica saw red for bringing down Eder while his teammate Cigarini was sent off and then not, after handling on the line for Mustafi's goal, in a bizarre minute. But Delio Rossi won't care about that now as his side now have back-to-back wins.
Atalanta will feel that they have dropped points here. They should have scored in the first half, when they were dominating the game and they paid the price for that. Their defending was poor in the second half and they panicked under pressure leading to Mustafi's goal and Nica's sending off. That ultimately cost them the game.
Thanks for joining our commentary, we'll be back tomorrow with more action from across the football world, until then, goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
