Sampdoria defender Massimo Volta hit the crossbar and that was the closest it or Metalist Kharkiv came to scoring in a 0-0 draw in the Europa League on Thursday.
The draw gave Metalist seven points in Group I and Sampdoria five points. PSV Eindhoven led the group with 10 points following its 3-0 win over Debrecen in the other group match, while Debrecen was last with no points.
With Antonio Cassano removed from the squad following a spat with Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone and fellow Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini starting on the bench, the Italian side struggled early on except for Volta's header off the crossbar in the 35th minute.
Metalist's Brazilian winger Fininho threatened in the 23rd with a difficult, sharply angled shot that just missed the net and Pazzini went on in the 63rd and created several late chances.
