The sole goal at the Bentegodi stadium came in the second half, while in the first half, a penalty awarded to the home team was controversially overturned by VAR.
All eyes were on Mimmo Berardi, just shy of 150 goals for Sassuolo and a strong contender to dominate the match. However, the Neroverdi forward was sidelined due to injury, forcing manager Grosso to start Volpato. Consequently, Andrea Pinamonti stepped into the limelight: first facing a setback when his central penalty was saved by Montipò, but then redeeming himself by converting the rebound into the decisive goal. In Friday night`s early fixture between Verona and Sassuolo, the visiting Neroverdi emerged victorious, climbing to 9 points and condemning Zanetti`s Gialloblù to a far from peaceful international break.
Intense Opening
The opening of the match clearly reflected both coaches` philosophies: Zanetti`s Verona played with fierce aggression, while Grosso`s Sassuolo attempted to bypass the Gialloblù`s suffocating pressure with build-up play from the back. The first significant chance fell to Sassuolo. Former Verona player Doig exploited Nunez`s lapses on the left flank, setting up Pinamonti for an seemingly easy tap-in, but a phenomenal, anticipatory tackle by Frese denied the potential 0-1. The game was largely contested in midfield, marked by robust duels between the pairings of Matic-Gagliardini and Kone-Serdar (among the best performers in the first half), who dominated their areas. A pivotal moment occurred just before the quarter-hour mark, with Frese again playing a crucial role, this time positively: from a Verona corner, Muric cleared the ball, leading to a clash between the Dane and Volpato, and a handball by the Sassuolo forward. A penalty was awarded. It was a generous call, as Volpato`s handball seemed consistent with his natural body movement and occurred during a tackle. However, referee Fourneau made a clean decision after a VAR review, overturning the penalty due to a foul by Nunez on goalkeeper Muric during his salida. Verona desperately sought a breakthrough but lacked cohesion, resulting in a goalless first half.
Second Half Breakthrough
The opening minutes of the second half were rather dull, but around the hour mark, Grosso`s substitutions injected much-needed dynamism: Fadera quickly proved more impactful than Volpato, and Thorstvedt immediately earned a penalty for a late challenge by Nelsson. Here again, however, VAR intervened to correct Fourneau, ruling the foul occurred outside the box, resulting in a free-kick. This proved to be merely a precursor to a spot-kick awarded just minutes later, as Serdar naively brought down an unstoppable Fadera, and this time the penalty stood. Pinamonti struck centrally, Montipò saved, but the former Genoa player converted the rebound, giving the Neroverdi the lead in the 71st minute. This relegation battle swiftly drew to a close: Zanetti desperately threw on all available attackers, while Grosso countered with strategic adjustments. Verona pushed forward with the same lack of clarity that had characterized their first-half finish. Sassuolo defended resolutely until the 97th minute, securing a vital victory. The much-maligned former coach Grosso propelled Sassuolo to 9 points in the league table, while Zanetti heads into the international break without a win.
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