Sampdoria's 2nd-half showing stuns lifeless Juventus

Juventus' record-breaking stretch of Scudetto success is under a substantive threat after a barren performance Sunday at Sampdoria saw the Old Lady lose ground on table-topping Napoli with a 3-2 defeat.

It was a tale of two halves at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Sampdoria's lone shot on target in a scoreless opening stanza was its lowest tally of the campaign before former Juventus forward Fabio Quaglierella helped orchestrate a stunning showing after the interval.

Duvan Zapata's 52nd-minute opener came as a result of dire defending and a horrendous wrong-footed clearance in the area by Federico Bernardesch. Lucas Torreira then stunned Juve with a dipping effort that a sprawling Wojciech Szczesny could do little to keep from bulging the back of his net.

Gianmarco Ferrari made it three for Samp with 10 minutes to play, and then suddenly, Juventus inexplicably showed life. Paulo Dybala's second-half introduction gave Max Allegri's lot some attacking impetus, and the Argentine followed Gonzalo Higuain's 91st-minute goal from the spot with his 12th of the campaign two minutes from time.

Too little too late for Juventus, who now sits just a point above Inter ahead of the Nerazzurri's visit later Sunday from Atalanta. Sampdoria boasts a comfortable seven-point lead on AC Milan for sixth in Serie A, and considering the players the Blucerchiati lost in the summer - including the likes of Milan Skriniar, Luis Muriel, and Patrik Schick - it's a minor miracle.