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6 hours ago
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Sampdoria have pulled off a great escape as Serie B officials awarded them a 3-0 win over Salernitana on Monday after the second leg of the relegation playoff was abandoned, securing another season in Italy’s second tier.
Sampdoria were leading 2-0 when Sunday’s match was initially postponed in the 65th minute as Salernitana fans hurled objects on to the pitch. Play briefly resumed but was ultimately abandoned amid chaotic scenes at the Stadio Arechi.
The award of the 3-0 win secures a 5-0 aggregate victory for Sampdoria and guarantees their escape from what had seemed certain relegation to the third tier.
Salernitana’s CEO, Maurizio Milan, had told a press conference that the club would go down to Serie C before the decision was confirmed. “We hoped to [restart] from [Serie B], we’ll do it from Serie C,” he said. “We know very well that the third division is very complicated. We’ll start again immediately, learning from our mistakes.”
Sampdoria, Italian champions in 1991, were initially relegated to Serie C for the first time in their 78-year history, only to be handed a lifeline after the season ended when Brescia were docked points for financial irregularities, dropping them below Sampdoria and granting the Genoa club a place in the relegation playoff.
Salernitana also suffered a setback after being hit by food poisoning, which led to the second leg being postponed following Sampdoria’s 2-0 home win in the first leg.
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Salernitana have also been ordered to play two matches behind closed doors after their second consecutive relegation.
