Palermo claimed a 3:1 victory over Sampdoria at the Renzo Barbera on Sunday, moving into fourth place in the Serie B standings. The hosts took an early lead through Gabriel Strefezza nine minutes in, then held firm despite a late rally from the visitors. Sampdoria levelled through Lorenzo Insigne before Antonio Palumbo's stoppage-time strike settled the contest.
Strefezza opened the scoring early, but he was substituted just after the quarter-hour mark — a curious decision given his contribution. Joel Pohjanpalo restored the advantage in the thirty-third minute, capitalising on Sampdoria's loose defending. Insigne pulled one back for the visitors in the sixty-third, and for a while it looked as though Sampdoria might salvage something.
The statistics told a familiar story. Sampdoria dominated possession at 54 per cent and registered 99 attacks to Palermo's 68, yet they created only marginally more big chances — four to two. Their shot accuracy sat at 36 per cent, while Palermo's sat at 43. They did not travel to make up the numbers, but they could not find the cutting edge when it mattered.
The result lifts Palermo to fourth with six points from two games, while Sampdoria remain rooted at fifteenth with just one point. The hosts had lost heavily to Mantova in their opening fixture, but this performance suggests they are finding their footing. Sampdoria's away form continues to be a concern.
