Genoa Striker Raffaele Palladino Ecstatic After Derby Triumph

Genoa forward Raffaele Palladino has admitted he could not quite believe his eyes on Saturday night when he gazed at the Stadio Marassi scoreboard after a 3-0 win over city rivals Sampdoria in the Derby della Lanterna.

“Not even in dreams do such things happen…” he enthused on Sky Sport Italia after the encounter.

“It is an indescribable joy. This night was even more exciting than the one we lived last year. The crowd gave us great emotions and I am at a loss for words.

“This victory doesn’t really change anything for us. It’s just another three points. We have moved to within one point of Samp though, and this boosts our morale and gives us great enthusiasm because the derby is always a special game.”

Palladino put the result beyond doubt after tucking away a spot-kick 15 minutes from time and seemed to tease the opposing fans during his celebration.

“I didn’t mean to provoke the Samp supporters,” he maintained.

“This is just how I celebrate after every goal and I did likewise against Siena.”