In a match boasting few chances, Sampdoria rounded off their preseason trip to England with a tight 1-1 draw against Premier League outfit Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
An Omar Colley strike on nine minutes put the Italians ahead, with the summer arrival from Genk reacting first from a corner to bury a loose ball through goalkeeper Ben Foster’s legs, from close range.
However, early pressure in the second half told and Hornets captain Troy Deeney pounced on a loose ball to rifle home beyond Emil Audero.
Having looked much sharper in the opening period, Sampdoria found themselves clinging to the ropes at times after the break, with all their early fluidity and creativity nowhere to be seen.
Indeed, the menace that the away side posed from corners early on brought little joy in the second period, with the hosts looking the most likely to seal a winner.
A string of substitutions took the sting out of the match, but La Doria failed to truly test Foster late on, despite being urged by a vocal travelling contingent of supporters.
Colley plugging a Silvestre-shaped gap
In addition to his goal, Gambia international Colley was on hand to rescue his new club with a smart block on Roberto Pereyra’s goalbound effort, before performing a crucial low tackle to prevent Andre Gray in the penalty area.
Stepping in for Matias Silvestre, who enjoyed such a stellar campaign last season, Colley appears to be a good find on Sampdoria’s part, with his power and willingness to throw himself in front of all before him not lost on the visiting supporters.
Whether this translates to competitive Serie A action remains to be seen, but Colley couldn’t have hoped for a better first impression.
Question marks over Quagliarella
Despite the positives, the sight of captain Fabio Quagliarella clutching his groin and trudging off the pitch with only five minutes on the clock will no doubt play heavily on coach Marco Giampaolo’s mind.
The Blucerchiati have already seen Duvan Zapata move on to Atalanta this summer and are light in attack as it is, without club captain and veteran scorer Quagliarella going off.
Quagliarella looked far from comfortable as he departed, but will be hoping his early exit will be nothing more than a preseason precaution.
