Sassuolo-Milan 2-0
GOALS: 5′ pt Berardi; 2′ st Laurienté.
SASSUOLO (4-3-3): Turati 6; Walukiewicz 6, Idzes 6 (40′ pt Coulibaly 6), Muharemovic 6.5, Garcia 6.5; Koné 6.5, Matic 6 (1′ st Lipani 6), Thorstvedt 7; Berardi 7 (14′ st Volpato 6), Nzola 6.5 (39′ st Pinamonti sv), Laurienté 8 (39′ st Fadera sv). On the bench: Muric, Satalino, Zacchi, Doig, Felipe, Romagna; Frangella, Iannoni, Vranckx, Moro. Coach: Grosso 7.
MILAN (3-5-2): Maignan 5.5; Tomori 4.5, Gabbia 5, Pavlovic 6; Saelemaekers 5.5 (14′ st Loftus-Cheek 5.5), Fofana 5.5 (14′ st Pulisic 5.5), Jashari 5 (21′ st Ricci 6), Rabiot 5.5, Estupinan 5; Nkunku 5.5 (1′ st Athekame 6), Leao 5.5 (14′ st Gimenez 6). On the bench: Pittarella, Terracciano, Bartesaghi, De Winter; Füllkrug. Coach: Allegri 5.
REFEREE: Maresca di Napoli 6.5.
NOTES: clear afternoon, pitch in good condition. Tomori was sent off in the 24th minute of the first half for receiving yellow cards. Booked: Matic, Garcia, Volpato, Fadera, Ricci, Loftus-Cheek. Corners: 3-2 for Milan. Recovery time: 3′; 4′.
Milan falls, being defeated 2-0 at Sassuolo and therefore still has to fight to gain arithmetic qualification for the next Champions League. The goals at the start of the two halves were decisive for the neroverdi, with Berardi in the 5th minute and Laurienté in the 47th minute, punctuated by the expulsion of Tomori who after twenty-five minutes left his team inferior. Sassuolo broke the deadlock with the ball lost in their own third by Jashari and passed by Thorstvedt to Laurienté, thus for Berardi who beat Maignan with his left foot. Milan were immediately struck and shortly afterwards risked also suffering a second goal, following Nzola’s escape which involved Maignan in a dive. Allegri’s team tries to respond, with the wrong clearance from Sassuolo and Leão who kicks from the edge of the area with his left foot, narrowly missing Turati’s goal. In the 24th minute, however, the episode that favors Sassuolo arrives, with Tomori who, having been booked, fouls Laurienté, forcing Maresca to draw the second yellow card for the Englishman who leaves Milan with ten men.
Turning point in the match, which Sassuolo managed well throughout the first half, unlike the Rossoneri, who were awkward and had few offensive solutions. In the second half Sassuolo once again approached better, scoring the second in the 47th minute, thanks to the exchange between Thorstvedt and Laurienté which led the Frenchman to a powerful shot which Maignan could do nothing about. Allegri thus tries to overturn his eleven, with the arrivals of Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic and Gimenez to give a new offensive imprint. However, the pace of the match remains low and this favors the Emilians, who by winning consolidate their position on the left side of the table. Nothing to do for Milan, never dangerous throughout the second half and unable to take the decisive step towards qualifying for the next Champions League.