Sassuolo demonstrated resilience by twice equalizing from a goal deficit through Andrea Pinamonti and Gian Marco Ferrari. However, Empoli clinched victory with three goals in stoppage time.
Sassuolo’s recent struggles, accumulating only five points in the last 11 rounds, had pushed them into the bottom three of the Serie A table. Several key players, including Mattia Viti, Martin Erlic, Jeremy Toljan, and Domenico Berardi, remained sidelined due to injuries. On the other hand, Empoli, rejuvenated under new coach Nicola, maintained their unbeaten streak with three wins and three draws. Despite missing Szymon Zurkowski, Francesco Caputo, Tyronne Ebuehi, and with Alberto Grassi only fit for the bench, Empoli managed to secure the victory. Additionally, Emmanuel Gyasi was suspended for the match.
The match saw Andrea Consigli saving a Youssef Maleh free kick, followed by Sebastiano Luperto’s header, despite the defender colliding with the goalpost. Maleh had a goal disallowed due to handball, while Armand Lauriente missed two promising chances for Empoli. Andrea Pinamonti equalized for Sassuolo from the penalty spot after VAR intervention confirmed a foul by Ardian Ismajli. Subsequently, M’Baye Niang converted another penalty for Empoli, and Gian Marco Ferrari leveled the score again for Sassuolo with a header from a free kick.
Despite Empoli’s missed chances, Simone Bastoni secured the victory with a header in the 93rd minute from Razvan Marin’s free kick.