Sampdoria 6 : 0 Pescara - Icardi hits four as Samp romp

Posted Sunday, January 27, 2013 by PA

Mauro Icardi scored four goals as Sampdoria lifted themselves clear of the Serie A relegation zone with an emphatic 6-0 victory over fellow strugglers Pescara at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Eder set Samp on their way from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark and Icardi doubled their advantage before the interval.

The floodgates opened after the restart, Pedro Obiang making it 3-0 before Icardi took centre stage with three further goals to seal the rout.

Samp had headed into the game in 15th spot - only one place and one point better off than their visitors - but were in control from the outset.

Icardi could have grabbed the limelight as early as the fifth minute but sent a straightforward header wide from Lorenzo De Silvestri's right-wing cross.

Both goalkeepers had to be on their toes as the half wore on, Samp's Sergio Romero keeping out Mervan Celik's long-range blast and Pescara's Mattia Perin denying De Silvestri's point-blank effort.

The deadlock was broken in the 31st minute when Eder coolly slotted a spot-kick into the bottom-right corner after Daniele Gastaldello had been fouled by Christian Terlizzi.

Icardi again should have got on the scoresheet seven minutes before the break but lashed over after finding himself through with only Perin to beat following a fine pass from Eder.

Four minutes later he did claim his first goal of what would prove a very productive afternoon's work, though, bursting through on the counter-attack and slotting a neat right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner.

The one-way traffic continued in the second half, Eder firing over the bar after good work from De Silvestri in the 47th minute.

A spell of three goals in nine minutes then ensured the points remained in Genoa.

First Obiang despatched a left-footed attempt into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the box, and then Icardi twice in quick succession rounded Perin and found the net to complete his hat-trick.

Icardi was not done there, though, and added his fourth - Samp's sixth - in the 71st minute when he produced another clinical left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner after being afforded far too much space again.

And the visitors were grateful to Perin for limiting the home side to six, the Pescara keeper pulling off a brilliant save to keep out a close-range effort from an unmarked Maxi Lopez seven minutes from time.