Ten-Man Sassuolo Hold Out Against Benevento

In Serie A Round 11, Roberto De Zerbi wanted to get his Sassuolo side back to winning ways against Benevento. The Neroverdi got the early goal through Domenico Berardi, but their task was complicated by Lukas Haraslin’s sending off in the second half.

The numerical advantage spurred Filippo Inzaghi’s men, who had created the bulk of opportunities but had nothing to show for. They were out for blood, but their attacks came to nothing. The Sorcerers were unable to get past Andrea Consigli and remain rooted in the bottom half of Serie A points table.

It was Sassuolo who took charge of the proceedings early. Domenico Berardi got a chance from the free-kick, but his strike did not trouble Lorenzo Montipò in Benevento goal.

The Italy international would soon have more work for the goalkeeper from the spot. Alessandro Tuia handled the ball in the box, at which referee Simone Sozza did not hesitate at pointing to the spot. With the odds in his favour, Berardi targeted the right side of the goal while the keeper guessed the wrong way. The scorers were troubled, and the clock only read eight minutes.

#SassuoloBenevento: ecco la formazione ufficiale neroverde ⬇️

(4-2-3-1) Consigli; Toljan, Marlon, Ferrari, Kyriakopoulos; Bourabia, Locatelli; Berardi, Lopez, Haraslin; Djuricic#ForzaSasol ??? pic.twitter.com/nLdXlCRgKr

— U.S. Sassuolo (@SassuoloUS) December 11, 2020

Benevento had given Juventus a tough time and were unlucky to return home with only a point to show for. Filippo Inzaghi surely would have worked on their attacking output. However, the blueprint from their previous fixtures was repeated.

While Sassuolo were cautious in their approach, Benevento looked more interested in padding up their statistics for the game. They sprayed the Neroverdi goal with shots but nothing concrete to show for. The hosts were content at keeping them out of their area and ending their attacks before they could pose any danger.

In these forays, Gianluca Caprari was their most potent outlet. The forward gave a good account of his abilities but could not manage anything from inside the area. And the one time the Sorcerers tried their luck from inside the area, Gianluca Lapadula did not test the goalkeeper.

At the other of the pitch, De Zerbi’s men waited for their chance to exploit the high line of Inzaghi’s men. Lukas Haraslin tested Montipò, while Giorgos Kyriakopoulos’ effort was wide of the left post.

⚽️ STARTING XI
? #SassuoloBenevento
? #SerieATIM

??‍♀️ #ForzaStrega pic.twitter.com/929eNemkP3

— Benevento Calcio (@bncalcio) December 11, 2020

At half-time, both sides had to get their house in order. Sassuolo were not creating enough while Benevento were taking their shots too early. However, five minutes into the second period, the directives for both sides changed.

Lukas Haraslin headed for early showers for his reckless tackle on Gaetano Letizia. VAR intervened as replays showed Haraslin’s studs on the Benevento man’s ankle. Consequently, the game’s trajectory and flow changed. Sassuolo’s objectives changed while the visitors continued to search for a way to score.

De Zerbi made changes to his men as the Neroverdi looked to see out the remaining 40 minutes. They managed to achieve this thanks to Andrea Consigli’s heroics between the posts. The goalkeeper denied Federico Barba and Gianluca Caprari with diving saves in successive minutes just after the hour mark.

In the dying minutes of the game, Consigli was alert as Sassuolo denied Benevento on three occasions. Gianluca Lapadula’s header was kept out. Lapadula would have a piledrive blocked, while Riccardo Improta’s miskick from inside six-yards was easily gathered. Referee Simone Sozza soon blew for full time, marking Sassuolo’s return to the top-four.  

 

MATCH REPORT

December 12, 2020 – Europa League 2020-21 Group Stage
SASSUOLO-BENEVENTO 1-0

SCORER: 8′ Berardi (pen.)

REFEREE: Mr. Sozza from Seregno
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Berardi, Ayhan (S), Hetemaj, Ionita, Barba, Dabo (B); Red Card: Haraslin (S)