Amazing comeback: 0-2 to 4-2, Livorno defeated

It was a long time
since we saw such a comeback, with a final victory. Going by memory the
last one was on October 31st, 1993 and the match was Sampdoria-Milan:
we were losing 0-2 and we won 3-2 thanks to a header by Srecko Katanec, a
penalty by Roberto Mancini – who attended the match at the "Ferraris" on Sunday – and
then the explosion of  happiness of the former rossonero Ruud Gullit. More
than twenty years later the blucerchiati carry out a similar feat
against the ex Di Carlo and his Livorno and – as Sinisa Mihajlovic had clearly
asked for – reward themselves with an early and almost certain
salvation.

The match. A Mbaye double gives Livorno a two-goal advantage and the first half ends with the guests winning and Samp in oxygen debt. The second half starts with a changed line-up: Michele Fornasier replaces the injured Lorenzo De Silvestri (blow to the head) and Nenad Krsticic substitutes Pedro Obiang in a more balanced 4-3-3. The move is soon repaid and within 8 minutes the blucerchiati not only pull a goal back through Krsticic but shortly after they level the score thanks to an own-goal by Ceccherini. In the middle of the second half Stefano Okaka gives a masterclass in his skills: the forward fires in a strike from long distance, Coda deflects, Bardi is beaten and Samp accomplishes it. At the minute 30 Manolo Gabbiadini makes it four and closes the match on the final 4-2.

Masterpiece. Mihajlovic exults at the end of the match: «It was like a final and we won it. Let’s now go on. We are not safe yet, but we are 13 points clear of our opponents and there are 11 matches to play. We did a real masterpiece. Considering the points we earned since November we would be fourth. We can now play the Championship these guys have been deserving for three months: our average is 1,66 points per match and we can do better than what Samp did with Del Neri». Okaka is still living his magical moment: «Our second half was amazing. I’m overjoyed for these happy days: I must keep on working and trying to do a good job with the team».