Serie A, Sampdoria 0-0 Juventus: Lacklustre Bianconeri held to goalless draw

Massimiliano Allegri’s men were looking to make it seven consecutive Serie A victories against their opponents from Genoa, but they were unable to break down a resolute defence.

Adrien Rabiot thought he had opened the scoring in the second half, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR check and Samp held on for their first point of the season.

Monday’s stalemate means the Bianconeri go fourth as they dropped points after lacking a cutting edge.

3 – Juventus failed to win in both first two matches of a Serie A campaign for the third season in a row, after the Bianconeri have won the first 2 games of the season in all the previous 4 campaigns. Difficulty.#SampJuve pic.twitter.com/AwsfbisMyO

— OptaPaolo ???? (@OptaPaolo) August 22, 2022

The hosts nearly went in front after just six minutes when a sublime through ball from Abdelhamid Sabiri picked out Mehdi Leris in the box, but the midfielder’s dink struck Mattia Perin’s hip and hit the crossbar.

Emil Audero then made an important stop to tip a deflected Filip Kostic effort, which was destined for the top corner, over the bar.

Results | Points Table | Fixtures

After the interval, Rabiot thought he had broken the deadlock with an excellent first-time left-foot finish, but the VAR ruled it out as Dusan Vlahovic was offside in the build-up.

Juve pushed for a winner late on and nearly found one when Kostic volleyed at goal in injury time, but Audero punched the ball away and Sampdoria saw out the remaining minutes for a hard-fought point.

What does it mean? Juve fail to follow up impressive opening-day win

Though early in the season, the visitors will be disappointed to lose ground on Napoli, Roma and Inter, all of whom have won their two opening games. Sampdoria will be pleasantly surprised to pick up their first point of the season in a game where many would have expected them to lose as they move up to 16th.

Colossal Colley

Omar Colley was a key part of the hosts’ rigid backline, with a team-high four clearances while he also won possession five times. The centre-back also won 66.7 per cent of his duels.

Kostic on debut

Kostic made his Serie A full debut after his move from Eintracht Frankfurt, but he struggled to make an impact. The Serbia international lost possession 16 times, the most of any visiting player, and completed less than 70 per cent of his passes in the opposition half.

What’s next?

The Bianconeri will look to get back on track on Saturday (August 27) at home to third-placed Roma, while Sampdoria will look to build on their first point of the season with another result away at Salernitana on Sunday (August 28).