Sassuolo 1-2 Fiorentina: Highlights

Pre-match

Absent Franck Ribery (suspension), Martín Cáceres (hamstring), and Vincenzo Montella (suspension), interim manager Daniele Russo picked an unlikely 3-5-2 with Lorenzo Venuti in the backline and Riccardo Sottil at wingback, with Marco Benassi in midfield and Kevin-Prince Boateng up top; despite the rather makeshift lineup, owner Rocco Commisso and an overpoweringly loud contingent of traveling Viola fans made the visitors feel right at home.

First half

Jeremie Boga opened the scoring with a genuinely lovely curler, beating the defensively-suspect Sottil and leaving Bartłomiej Drągowski helpless.

[ed. note: will update when video become available]

Second half

After a switch to a 4-3-3 moved Venuti to rightback, he took advantage to motor forward and measure a perfect cross to the back post. Gaetano Castrovilli did the rest, rising over Jeremy Toljan and firing a bullet header back across goal, leaving Andrea Consigli with no chance. The midfielder celebrated by holding up 7 fingers, an apparent reference to Ribery.

Castro turned provider next, as Federico Chiesa spread the ball to him on the right wing following a corner. Tano fizzed it low across the face of goal, but no farther than Nikola Milenković, who’d stayed up and calmly tapped it into the back of the net.

[ed. note: will update when video become available]

Full time

Goals: Boga 24’ (ass. Caputo), Castrovilli 63’ (ass. Venuti), Milenković 81’ (ass. Castrovilli)

Cards: Caputo 30’, Đuričić 51’, Berardi 68’, Venuti 13’, Pezzella 42’, Dalbert 71’, Castrovilli 89’