Soccer-Muriel fires Sampdoria to derby win over Genoa

Colombian striker Luis Muriel scored midway through the second half to hand Sampdoria a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Genoa in Serie A on Saturday.

Though both sides share the Luigi Ferraris stadium, Genoa were the designated home team and their fans greeted the start of both halves with fireworks displays that cast a pall of smoke over the playing field.

After a tight first half, there was little between the two teams until Muriel struck in the 71st minute, pouncing on a defensive error to steal the ball and surge forward before coolly slotting the ball home past Eugenio Lamanna.

Sampdoria are now unbeaten in seven games and climbed to ninth in the table with 41 points. Genoa, who have won only once since mid-December, remain in 15th spot on 29 points.

Juventus, who beat AC Milan 2-1 on Friday, lead Serie A with 70 points, 11 ahead of second-placed Roma.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)