Samassa sees red in draw

Mamadou Samassa was sent off at the death as Chievo and Siena shared a dire goalless draw on Sunday.

Mamadou Samassa was sent off at the death as Chievo and Siena shared a dire goalless draw that did precious little to improve either side's prospects in Serie A. The Flying Donkeys displayed more of the toothless football that has seen them pick up just two points from four games, with strikers Alberto Paloschi and Sergio Pellissier conspiring to waste a host of promising chances. Serse Cosmi's Bianconeri were equally profligate but the point lifts them to 18th place and within touching distance of safety after they started the season with a six-point deduction for match-fixing. Siena looked lively in the early exchanges, Emanuele Calaio nodding the ball against Stefano Sorrentino following Matteo Rubin's sharp cross, before Alessandro Rosina headed over the bar. Paloschi latched onto a loose ball in the Siena box in the 25th minute but the visiting defenders harried him out of possession with ease. There was little to cheer for fans of either side but Chievo were in the ascendancy before the break, Luis Neto forced to divert Pellissier's promising strike before Boukary Drama weaved his way into a good position. The end product was lacking, though, as Felipe put in a crucial clearance with Paloschi lurking close by. Rubin should have done much better with a daisycutter after taking Rosina's pass under control, and both sides were whistled off the pitch at the end of a miserable 45 minutes in Verona. Calaio did little to cheer the travelling fans with a truly woeful strike produced under minimal pressure, when play resumed. The middle of the park soon became a chaotic free-for-all and Cyril Thereau enjoyed free passage down the left flank in the 53rd minute, beating Neto to find Paloschi, who failed to worry Gianluca Pegolo with his soft header. An even better cross from substitute Alessio Sestu found Calaio, whose radar malfunctioned as he screwed the ball wide. The Palermo-born striker then seemed hypnotised when one-on-one with Sorrentino in the 74th minute and the game quickly limped towards a depressing conclusion. Second-half substitute Samassa managed to pick up two yellow cards in two minutes - the second for diving outside Siena's box - but Chievo managed to get over the finish line with 10 men.