US Salernitana will in all likelihood face the difficult task of playing in Serie C. The second leg also ended in a 0-2 defeat against Sampdoria Genoa, with frustrated fans abandoning the match.
Former Serie A stalwart Sampdoria Genoa and recently relegated US Salernitana faced off in the Serie B relegation play-offs. Both clubs finished 16th and 17th in the second division last season, avoiding direct relegation to the third tier.
Samp had won the first leg just a few days ago with a 2-0 victory. So the pressure was on ahead of the return leg at the Arechi Stadium in Salerno. Was it too much pressure in the end?
What is clear in any case is that the return leg was abandoned by highly experienced Serie A referee Daniele Doveri after just over an hour of play with the score at 2-0 to Genoa. Unpleasant images and impressions of this soccer game have been circulating online for some time.
Angry and visibly enraged fans – presumably from the home team – threw smoke bombs and torn-out seats from the stands onto the pitch.
Attempts by the team, including the head referee, to resume the game were unsuccessful. Simply because the scene did not calm down.
Sporting misery in Salerno – salvation for Samp
In the end, however, Salernitana’s relegation to Serie C is likely to be a foregone conclusion. The team, led by experienced striker Paolo Ghiglione, Simy and former Hertha player Oliver Christensen, was already trailing 0-4 on aggregate. This came after a bitter few days that included the postponement of the second leg due to a food incident that affected numerous people.
Due to misconduct in the stands, the return match could now be converted to a 3-0 win for Sampdoria at the “green table.” Genoa, with first-leg goalscorer Melle Meulensteen and Massimo Coda, who scored in the return match, can now prepare for another Serie B season.
And that after some truly crazy days, as the Blucerchiati – one-time champions and four-time cup winners – had already been relegated on points. Only the deduction of four points from Brescia Calcio, confirmed by the sports court, kept Samp above the relegation line and in the relegation play-offs against the team from Salerno.
