Cremonese knock out Sampdoria with 2-0 win in Coppa Italia

Cremonese beat Sampdoria 2-0 at the Druso stadium in a Coppa Italia clash that was settled by goals at key moments of the match: one near the end of the first half and another in second-half stoppage time. David Stückler opened the scoring, and Tommaso Berti sealed the result well into added time.

A shot from inside the box that broke the deadlock

The first half was defined by scattered fouls and chances at both ends. Sampdoria had the early sparks, with a Federico Bonazzoli shot going over the bar in the 4th minute and an almost immediate response from Giuseppe Forte that was saved low. Danel Sinani also tested the goalkeeper with a shot from outside the box that went wide to the left.

But it was Cremonese who found the clarity they needed. In the 22nd minute, David Stückler struck a left-footed shot from the center of the box, off a cross from Michele Collocolo, curling the ball into the top left corner to make it 1-0. The rest of the first half was marked by isolated attempts, including a Jari Vandeputte free kick that clipped the crossbar in the 33rd minute, but the score held until the break.

The second half opened up with substitutions from both benches and a clear chance for Sampdoria: a penalty conceded by Giuseppe Pezzella for a handball inside the box in the 75th minute. However, Salvatore Esposito squandered the opportunity in the 76th minute, with a shot that was saved low. Cremonese weathered that pressure and put the game away in the 92nd minute, when Tommaso Berti, who had come on as a substitute, finished with his left foot from inside the box to make it a final 2-0.

The numbers behind the match

The stats reflect an even contest in terms of ball control, though Cremonese made the most of the decisive moments.

According to an in-house estimate calculated from the location of the match's shots, Sampdoria posted an xG of 1.065, higher than Cremonese's 0.593. That suggests the visitors carried the more dangerous attacking threat in terms of chances created, even if they couldn't turn it into goals, partly because of the missed penalty and partly because their opponents converted both of their clear looks.

What the preview said versus what happened on the field

The forecast published ahead of the match gave Sampdoria a 37% chance of winning, Cremonese 32%, and a draw 31%, with expected goals projected at 1.17 for the home side and 1.25 for the visitors. The final result ended up contradicting that forecast: it was Cremonese, the less-favored side beforehand, who won comfortably on the scoreboard, backed by the efficiency of their two clear shots against an opponent that, despite generating more danger according to the post-match xG, couldn't convert it.

What the match leaves behind

Cremonese walk away with a win built on second-half defensive solidity and the timely efficiency of their forwards, including the contribution of a substitute like Berti in the closing stretch. For Sampdoria, the takeaway is different: the missed penalty and the lack of sharpness in the chances they created weighed more heavily than the partial control they showed in stretches of the second half. The Coppa Italia leaves a clear picture: Cremonese made the most of what they had, and that was enough to walk away with both goals and the result.