Salernitana-Sassuolo 2-2
NETWORKS: 36' pt Laurienté, 44' pt Bajrami, 6' st Candreva on rig, 46' st Maggiore
SALERNITANA (4-4-1-1): Costil 5.5; Pierozzi 5.5 (41' st Simy sv), Manolas 5 (32' st Boateng 5.5), Pirola 4, Bradaric 5; Tchaouna 5.5 (32' st Vignato 6), Coulibaly 5, Maggiore 6, Gomis 4 (1' st Zanoli 6); Candreva 6.5; Ikwuemesi 5.5 (19' st Weissman 6). On the bench: Fiorillo, Allocca, Pellegrino, Sambia, Pasalidis, Gyomber, Martegani, Legowski, Sfait. Coach: Colantuono 6
SASSUOLO (4-2-3-1): Tips 5; Toljan 6, Erlic 6 (24' st Kumbulla 5.5), Ferrari 6, Doig 6; Boloca 6, Bajrami 6.5 (28' st M. Henrique sv); Defrel 6 (47' st Viti sv), Thorstvedt 6 (28' st Racic sv), Laurienté 7; Pinamonti 6.5. On the bench: Cragno, Pegolo, Missori, Obiang, Lipani, Tressoldi, Volpato, Castillejo, Mulattieri, Ceide. Coach: Ballardini 6
REFEREE: Sozza di Seregno 6.5
NOTE: Spectators 14,036 with around twenty visiting fans. Booked: Pierozzi, Maggiore, Laurienté, Pirola, Zanoli, Vignato. Angles: 4-8. Recovery time: 1' time, 8' time.
Salerno – The salvation clash between Salernitana and Sassuolo ends in a draw (2-2). The Granata get back the Emilians at their last breath, making the race for salvation incandescent. The “Ballardini cure” is only half working and, since his arrival on the Emilian bench, he has won 5 points in 5 games. Salernitana's fourth technical change also had some small effect and, with Stefano Colantuono, they at least managed to avoid their 21st defeat of the season. At Arechi, in the first half, the usual seasonal monologue takes place: the 4-4-1-1 deployed by the coach from Campania holds up for a good part of the first half but then crumbles under the blows of Pinamonti & teammates. The only sign from Salerno came in the 17th minute with Ikwuemesi – a surprise starter up front and preferred to Simy and Weissman – attempted a turn on Pierozzi's cross but Consigli was attentive and deflected it. Sassuolo was first careful not to take them but in the last quarter of the first half they took advantage of the mistakes of the Granata defense and found a lethal one-two. In the 30th minute Pinamonti collects Defrel's assist and beats Costil but the VAR, after reviewing the action, cancels it due to the Frenchman's starting position. Joy that is only postponed. In the 37th minute Pinamonti restarts Bajrami on the counterattack, the Swiss targets the area and sees the insertion of Laurienté who cuts the defense in two and beats Costil. It's a lethal blow for Salernitana who goes wild and at the end of the first half they also suffer the second goal: Costil supports for Pirola, Pinamonti intuits, steals the ball and one-on-one with the goalkeeper supports for Bajrami who pushes the 2 to the bottom of the bag -0. Arechi “rises up” and peppers Salernitana's exit from the pitch with boos. In the second half the Granata managed to immediately reopen the match with Candreva converting a penalty won by Tchaouna following a foul by Ferreri. It is an episode that almost gives a moment of hope to the Campania team who also find the 2-2 goal at the end of the match: Zanoli serves Maggiore in the center of the area with the former Spezia player who beats Consigli, grabbing the equaliser. As in the first leg, the match also ends 2-2 at Arechi, a draw which is of little use to both teams but which certainly leaves many regrets for Sassuolo who remains involved in the fight to avoid relegation.