Reported Liverpool target Colley ends 54-game Sampdoria wait with Benevento header

Omar Colley scored his first Sampdoria goal with a first-half header in Saturday’s Serie A clash against Benevento.

In the process, the Gambia international ended his three-year wait to find the back of the net for I Blucerchiati.

Even with the effort, his team lost 3-2 at home – surrendering a 2-0 lead to the Luca Caldirola-inspired visitors.

Sampdoria began the game like a house on fire with Fabio Quagliarella handing Claudio Ranieri’s men an eighth-minute lead after finishing off a pass from Federico Bonazzoli.

The second goal came 10 minutes later after Colley headed past goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo, the cross from Antonio Candreva.

That strike woke up the visitors from their slumber as Luca Caldirola reduced the deficit in the 33rd minute.

In the 72nd minute, Luca Caldirola levelled matters after heading past goalkeeper Emil Audero, the corner-kick from Gianluca Caprari.

Gaetano Letizia had the final say with two minutes left to play after drilling home a ferocious strike outside the goal area of the hosts.

The Gambian defender was in action from start to finish, nevertheless, he could not rescue his team from their second defeat in a row.

For Filippo Inzaghi's team, Burkina Faso star Bryan Dabo was handed a place in the starting XI, but he was replaced in the 59th minute by Riccardo Improta, while Ghana's Abdallah Basit and Cote d'Ivoire's Siriki Sanogo were not listed for action.

In his post-match reaction, Colley – who is reportedly on the radar of Jurgen Klopp’s men as a replacement for Dejan Lovren is excited to have broken his duck but is disenchanted that his team ended up on the losing side.

"I am happy for my first goal, yesterday was my wife's birthday. But I'm disappointed because we lost,” Colley told the club website.

“In the first half we did better than in the second: we lost concentration and they had a good attack.”

With his team now losing their two opening games of the 2020-21 season, the African has called for patience.

"The road is long. Let's focus and move on: this is football. We want to continue to work to improve ahead of the next few games,” he continued.

“Maybe a little tiredness has taken over, but we have to keep our concentration high throughout the game, otherwise we lose. Let's not give up."

Sampdoria would be eyeing their first win of the 2020-21 season when they travel to Fiorentina on October 2.