Despite Samporia’s relegation being confirmed ahead of kick-off, the home fans still made plenty of noise during the opening exchanges, which saw both teams looking to attack.
Nicolo Cambiaghi came closest to opening the scoring for Empoli after an impressive run and shot which just missed the target as he looked to drill his effort into the top corner.
The game burst into life just after the half-hour mark when Nicola Ravaglia showed outstanding reflexes to tip an attempted cross from Tommaso Baldanzi around the post, and his teammates rewarded him by going up the other end to score.
A deep cross to the back post was volleyed into the ground by Alessandro Zanoli, and his poor connection on the ball appeared to fool everyone as it looped up and into the far corner.
The hosts continued to dominate either side of half-time, forcing Empoli into a double substitution on 56 minutes and a change of shape as they looked to get more attackers on the field.
Although that did result in a slight shift of momentum, the visitors couldn’t gain control of the midfield and Sampdoria continued to look the more threatening side going into the final stages.
Empoli finally gained control of the ball in the last 10 minutes, but Sampdoria were happy to defend in numbers and looked comfortable in doing so.
Just when it looked like they had done enough to earn a fourth win of the season, Roberto Piccoli bitterly disappointed the home supporters as he rifled home from close range deep into stoppage time.
The win would’ve been little more than a morale-booster for Sampdoria and the late equaliser summed up their season, but Piccoli’s goal all but ensures Empoli stay in Serie A for another season, moving them nine points clear of the relegation zone with three games to play.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alessandro Zanoli (Sampdoria)
