De Zerbi’s Justice as Sassuolo Shock Milan with Raspadori Brace

Call it the justice of the excluded. If this was a movie, the script would read about Sassuolo winning a prize for being the first Serie A side to punish one of the three rebel clubs that tried to join the elitist Super League. The victims were Milan, who fell 1-2 at the San Siro despite taking the lead with Hakan Calhanoglu.  

Milan – just like Inter and Juventus – were left in pieces after the meteoric rise and fall of the infamous closed-access competition. The damage to their image was as big as the shame they suffered and to say that other Serie A clubs would welcome them back to the mortal world with resentment would be an euphemism.   

Sassuolo’s coach Roberto De Zerbi had been very vocal about his opposition to the Super League. He had gone as far as stating that he would have refused to play Milan if he could. But, given the outcome of the match at the San Siro, he must count himself lucky that he did.

#MilanSassuolo: our line-up ?️

Calabria starts on the right ?@davidecalabria2 rientra ed è subito titolare ?⚫#SempreMilan@EASPORTSFIFA pic.twitter.com/YLIXcUm3PQ

— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 21, 2021

The Neroverdi came from behind and benefited of a Giacomo Raspadori brace to snatch three points out of the Rossoneri‘s hands and consolidate their eight place in the table. Stefano Pioli’s side, on the other  hand, now risk losing the runner-up position to Atalanta, should the Bergamaschi beat Roma tomorrow.

Not exactly the best week for Milan, who went from gaining a permanent spot into the potential future top European competition to risking to lose access to the current one – as their Champions League qualification is now threatened by at least four clubs. 

To complicate Stefano Pioli’s plans even further, the Rossoneri suffered additional injuries before the game that kept Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ismael Bennacer, and Theo Hernandez at bay.

Despite all that, Milan managed to put themselves in the driving seat around the half hour mark as Hakan Calhanoglu drove the ball past Andrea Consigli from an Alexis Saelemaekers cross. It seemed the obvious consequence of the Diavolo dominating the first half, even though Sassuolo did manage to threaten Gianluigi Donnarumma at least twice.

Milan’s goalkeeper pushed back Jeremie Boga’s close-range shot in the first occasion, and was then helped by Diogo Dalot, who blocked Domenico Berardi’s conclusion.

#MilanSassuolo: ecco la formazione ufficiale neroverde ⤵️

(4-2-3-1) Consigli; Muldur, Marlon, Ferrari, Kyriakopoulos; Obiang, Locatelli; Berardi, Djuricic, Boga; Defrel#ForzaSasol ?? pic.twitter.com/YdFICVGq8L

— U.S. Sassuolo (@SassuoloUS) April 21, 2021

In the second period, the match tempo didn’t pick up and there was little to report until Roberto De Zerbi’s decisive substitutions. The coach sent in Hamad Junior Traore,  Jeremy Toljan, and Giacomo Raspadori all together.  

It was the latter two, in particular, to cooperate to draw level for Sassuolo. On 76 minutes, the German right-back crossed the ball into the box, and the 21-year-old youth academy product was quick to pounce on it and fire it home to give the Neroverdi an equalizer.

Raspadori was on fire and, just six minutes later, he received the ball from Berardi, bested his marker Fikayo Tomori and found the right spot past Donnarumma with a sharp diagonal shot that hit the post before rolling into the back of the net.

Milan were dazed and confused and even risked conceding a third one before Stefano Pioli’s desperate triple substitution triggered their final, vain assault. But neither Brahim Diaz, nor Samu Castillejo, nor Pierre Kalulu could change the situation.

Roberto De Zerbi and Sassuolo pulled it off. The football peones beat the aspiring Super Leaguers. Revenge is best served cold, but sometimes warm is good enough.

 

MATCH REPORT

April 21, 2020 – Serie A 2020-21 Round 32
MILAN-SASSUOLO 1-2

SCORERS: 30′ Calhanoglu (M), 76′ Raspadori (S), 83′ Raspadori (S)

REFEREE: Mr. Sacchi from Macerata
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Djuricic (S); Extra Time: 1st Half 1′, 2nd Half 3′