The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Rome

-Juventus missed the chance to go top of Serie A, for one day at least, as they were held to a bore 0-0 draw at Sampdoria on Saturday.

Alberto Gilardino was the hero as Fiorentina won for the second time this season, 1- 0 at home to Genoa.

Juve remain unbeaten and moved up to third in the table with the point but sorry Sampdoria are still searching for their first win of the season after four draws and a defeat in their first five matches.

The Turin giants' Italy centre-half Giorgio Chiellini admitted the team needs to improve but refused to blame his strikers.

"Unfortunately we didn't manage to score. We hoped to but it was a difficult match," he said.

"But even though the forwards failed to score t the defence concedes few goals and part of that is thanks to the help we get from the forwards."

But Chiellini said it would be wrong to read too much into their record of just two wins from their first five matches.

"There's only been five matches and its too early to run away. Of course it would be better to be in front but the championship is long and we'll bounce back in the next matches."

Sampdoria coach Walter Mazzarri complained that his team had been hard done by.

"Today we deserved to win. The clearest chances were ours, we were only in danger on the break twice," he said.

In a dreadful game devoid of much action the visitors came closest to breaking the deadlock before the break.

After just four minutes veteran striker Alessandro Del Piero forced Samp goalkeeper Antonio Mirante into a sprawling save from a free-kick before Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen fired the rebound over the bar.

Del Piero came close again on 20 minutes after a surging run forward from Mali midfielder Momo Sissoko, showing no ill effects from fasting during the Muslim month of Ramadan.

Sissoko fed Del Piero who beat Mirante with a shot from the right but saw it clip the outside of the post and go wide.

Del Piero was proving the most likely source of a goal and on 41 minutes he fired a volley from seven yards over the bar after a flick-on from Brazilian strike partner Amauri, although it was a difficult chance as he hooked a high bouncing ball back over his shoulder.

The second half was if anything worse than the first although Juve's Austrian goalkeeper Alex Manninger tipped over a header from Stefano Lucchini while Pavel Nedved fired a volley straight at Mirante up the other end.

Samp substitute Daniele Dessena could have won it for the hosts deep into injury time but Manninger saved his volley from 15 yards.

In Florence chances were few and far between in the first half although Riccardo Montolivo had a shot saved by Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho and Gilardino was wildly off target having created space for himself.

Genoa started brightly after the break and French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey had to be alert to save with his legs from Argetina forward Diego Milito.

Rubinho then tipped a Marco Donadel shot onto the outside of the post but the hosts were in front on 61 minutes.

Gilardino did brillaintly to control a bouncing ball in the box and turned to fire a left foot shot across Rubinho into the far corner.

It was his third goal in five league matches this season and sixth in eight in all competitions as the former AC Milan hitman has hit the ground running since his transfer south.