Promoted Sampdoria stuns AC Milan at San Siro
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Newly-promoted Sampdoria marked its return to Serie A with a stunning 1-0 win over AC Milan on Sunday at the San Siro.
Andrea Costa scored the lone goal in the 58th minute, helping Sampdoria defeat 2011-12 runner-up Milan on the opening weekend of the new season.
Minus offseason departures Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, AC Milan found the woodwork twice, but failed to slip a shot past Sampdoria goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
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Costa fired Sampdoria in front before the hour mark as he turned a header past Milan goalie Christian Abbiati.
Milan tried to respond through Mario Yepes, but Romero pushed his shot off the post, Kevin-Prince Boateng hit the frame later in the half and Mathieu Flamini had a late chance cleared off the line.
Sampdoria finished sixth in Serie B last season, but won its playoff to secure promotion. Sampdoria could not have asked for a better start in Serie A, while Milan will be left to pick up the pieces after a forgetful opener.
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Milan lost just twice at home last season, going 12-2-5.
Inter Milan 3, Pescara 0
Pescara, Italy - Wesley Sneijder and Diego Milito scored two minutes apart in the first half and Inter Milan cruised to a 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Pescara on Sunday at the Stadio Adriatico in Serie A.
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Sneijder opened the scoring in the 16th minute and Milito followed in the 19th as Inter opened the new season with a convincing road win. Unlike Milan rivals AC Milan, which dropped its opener to promoted Sampdoria at home.
Philippe Coutinho added a third goal for Inter 10 minutes from time.
Napoli 3, Palermo 0
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Palermo, Italy - Marek Hamsik scored in first-half stoppage time and Christian Maggio and Edinson Cavani added goals in the final 12 minutes of normal time, as Napoli opened with a 3-0 win over Palermo at the Renzo Barbera in Serie A.
Napoli and Palermo were headed to halftime scoreless when Maggio found Hamsik, who converted to the top-right corner in the closing seconds of the opening 45 minutes.
Hamsik returned the favor in the 79th, putting Maggio through for a finish to the lower left. Cavani ended the scoring when he converted a pass from Eduardo Vargas to the bottom left in the 88th.
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Siena 0. Torino 0
Siena, Italy - Newly-promoted Torino earned a point in its return to Serie A on Sunday with a 0-0 draw against Siena at the Stadio Comunale.
Gaetano D'Agostino struck the woodwork for Siena, which did not have a shot on goal. Torino managed just one shot on goal.
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Siena remained buried at the foot on the table with minus-five points, after it was hit with a six-point deduction prior to the season for match-fixing.
Roma 2, Catania 2
Rome, Italy - Nicolas Lopez scored one minute into stoppage time as Roma tied Catania, 2-2, on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico to open the Serie A season.
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Giovanni Marchese and Alejandro Gomez scored to give Catania a pair of leads, but Pablo Daniel Osvaldo erased the first deficit in the 58th and Lopez scored late as Roma earned a point at home.
Genoa 2, Cagliari 0
Genoa, Italy - Alexander Merkel and Ciro Immobile scored in the second half as Genoa opened the Serie A season with 2-0 win over Cagliari at the Stadio Luigi on Sunday.
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Cristobal Jorquera missed a penalty in the first half for Genoa, but Merkel picked up his teammate six minutes after halftime and Immobile secured the win in the 85th.
Chievo 2, Bologna 0
Verona, Italy - Sergio Pellissier and Rinaldo Cruzado scored in the second half and Chievo downed Bologna, 2-0, on Sunday at the Stadio M.A. Bentegodi in the teams' Serie A opener.
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Pellissier opened the scoring in the 64th and Cruzado followed in the 79th. Bologna had Diego Perez sent off in the 87th, ending its hopes of a comeback.
Lazio 1, Atalanta 0
Bergamo, Italy - Hernanes scored in the 18th minute as Lazio escaped the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia with a 1-0 win over Atalanta on Sunday in the Serie A opener for both sides.