Sampdoria came from behind to beat Atalanta 2-1 on Sunday for their first win since January 18.
Stefano Okaka struck the winner nine minutes from time to silence the crowd at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium.
The hosts had taken a 16th-minute lead through defender Guglielmo Stendardo but the visitors pulled level in the 68th minute thanks to a goal from Luis Muriel, who started for the first time since joining Samp from Udinese in January.
Okaka then clinched all three points for Samp, a team who had collected just three points - all from draws - since their previous victory.
Samp climbed to sixth in the standings with the win while Atalanta slipped to their fourth straight defeat and are 17th in the standings, only three points above of the relegation zone.
Samp were without the team's leading scorer Citadin Eder, who was suspended after being booked in last week's 1-1 draw against city rivals Genoa.
Recent signings Muriel and Samuel Eto'o started alongside Okaka in Samp's attack.
Muriel created the first chance of the game in the sixth minute with his bullet strike from 30 yards but it was kept out by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.
Shortly after, Eto'o found space and struck a right-footed attempt that went wide.
Atalanta then took a 16th-minute lead against the run of play. Boukary Drame crossed towards the far post and Stendardo was on hand to slot home.
The hosts almost doubled their lead midway through the first half when Carlos Carmona drilled a right-footed volley on target but Sampdoria goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano was equal to the task.
Samp had the last opportunity of the first half when Afriyie Acquah got past his marker and unleashed a 30-yard shot that was kept out by Viviano.
The visitors pressed forward more aggressively after the re-start and, in the 58th minute, Sportiello was called on to make a save from Muriel's right-footed volley from outside the area.
Samp came close to equalising two minutes later.
Atalanta midfielder Luca Cigarini did well to block Matias Silvestre's goal-bound header but the rebound fell to Muriel, whose spectacular scissor-kick attempt went wide.
Samp's efforts paid off when Okaka set up Muriel in the box and his diagonal strike went past a helpless Sportiello to make it 1-1.
The visitors got the winner in the 81st minute. Sportiello spilled Eto'o's goal-bound shot and Okaka was first to the rebound, knocking it in from two yards for the 2-1 triumph.
ends
Italian Serie A Standings
POS | Team | GP | GD | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Internazionale | 38 | +67 | 94 |
2 | AC Milan | 38 | +27 | 75 |
3 | Juventus | 38 | +23 | 71 |
4 | Atalanta | 37 | +31 | 69 |
5 | Bologna | 38 | +22 | 68 |
6 | AS Roma | 38 | +19 | 63 |
7 | Lazio | 38 | +10 | 61 |
8 | Fiorentina | 37 | +14 | 57 |
9 | Torino | 38 | 0 | 53 |
10 | Napoli | 38 | +7 | 53 |
11 | Genoa | 38 | 0 | 49 |
12 | Monza | 38 | -12 | 45 |
13 | Hellas Verona | 38 | -13 | 38 |
14 | Lecce | 38 | -22 | 38 |
15 | Udinese | 38 | -16 | 37 |
16 | Cagliari | 38 | -26 | 36 |
17 | Empoli | 38 | -25 | 36 |
18 | Frosinone | 38 | -25 | 35 |
19 | Sassuolo | 38 | -32 | 30 |
20 | Salernitana | 38 | -49 | 17 |
Serie A News
When does the summer transfer window open and close?
Find out when the 2024 summer transfer window will close in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
European Team of the Season: Mbappé, Bellingham, Kane star
ESPN and WhoScored bring you the best players from Europe's top five leagues from the 2023-24 season.
Europe's top soccer leagues: Cup finals, UCL, relegation
The European soccer season is coming to a close, but who is in the race for the cup finals, European qualification -- and who's fighting relegation?
Why hiring a new manager can be so hard for Europe's top clubs
With so many high-quality coaches available and the biggest clubs used to getting what they want, why is the managerial market so hard to navigate?
Europa League hero Ademola Lookman headlines Nigeria WCQ squad
Europa League champion Ademola Lookman headlines the Nigeria squad for the Super Eagles upcoming World Cup qualifiers, along with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Atalanta denies UCL spot to Roma, Frosinone relegated
Atalanta defeated 3-0 Torino on Sunday and eliminated Roma from qualifying for the Champions League as Udinese and Empoli beat Frosinone in the race to avoid relegation in the last week of the 2023-2024 Serie A season.