GENOA (Reuters) - Second-placed Inter Milan were held to a 0-0 draw at lowly Sampdoria in Serie A as Simone Inzaghi’s side were left to rue a flurry of missed chances on a foggy Genoa night.
Inter have 44 points and trail leaders Napoli by 15 after 22 games, with Atalanta, AS Roma and AC Milan all on 41 points.
“I keep saying we need to focus only on ourselves.
Inter striker Romelu Lukaku set the tone for the match with a shot after two minutes but Sampdoria goalkeeper Emil Audero managed to tip the ball over the bar.
Lautaro Martinez then came close to scoring after 20 minutes but the Argentine international miskicked the ball inside the box, with Matteo Darmian sending his following attempt over the bar from an acute angle.
Inter dominated the first half but Sampdoria managed to survive wave after wave of attacks thanks to smart defensive work and a reasonable amount of luck.
The visitors started to look visibly frustrated as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes but were sloppy in their build-up, giving Sampdoria opportunities to break up the play.
Hakan Calhanoglu tried a shot from the edge of the box but Audero got down fast to stop the attempt.
Francesco Acerbi then came close to a winner two minutes into stoppage time but Audero again denied Inter.
Boos greeted the final whistle as the away fans vented their feelings on a frustrating night for the visitors.
The draw left second-bottom Sampdoria on 11 points, eight adrift of the safety zone.
Inter host mid-table Udinese in Serie A on Saturday before Portuguese side Porto come to San Siro for the first leg of their Champions League lat-16 tie on Feb. 22.