Florian Thauvin nullified Gregoire Defrel’s initial goal, maintaining the competitiveness between Sassuolo and Udinese as they continue to contend with the looming threat of relegation.
Sassuolo found themselves in a precarious position, slipping into second-to-last place in the standings. However, they remained within striking distance of Udinese, trailing by just four points in what has proven to be a tightly contested relegation battle this season. Martin Erlic was sidelined due to suspension for the hosts, while Domenico Berardi’s season-ending Achilles tendon injury further depleted their roster. Meanwhile, Gerard Deulofeu and Enzo Ebosse remained the only long-term absentees for Udinese.
The home team squandered a significant scoring opportunity early on, with Maduka Okoye making a remarkable fingertip save to deny Armand Lauriente’s angled strike, followed by Andrea Pinamonti’s failure to convert the ensuing rebound. Sandi Lovric’s shot went straight to the goalkeeper, and Ruan Tressoldi made a crucial block to thwart Lorenzo Lucca’s attempt in the box.
Tressoldi’s heroics continued as he cleared the ball off the goal line after Lucca managed to flick it past the onrushing Andrea Consigli. Despite Jaka Bijol’s risk of receiving a second yellow card for a shirt-tug on Pinamonti, Sassuolo seized the lead shortly afterward. Matheus Henrique’s precise pass dissected the defense, allowing Gregoire Defrel to calmly beat the goalkeeper and slot the ball into the empty net.
However, Udinese swiftly equalized before halftime when Florian Thauvin’s clever back-heel pass set up Roberto Pereyra for a decisive finish from close range.
In the second half, Lovric missed another opportunity, and Pinamonti nearly caught Okoye off guard with a shot that required a double save to neutralize its threat. Lovric was unlucky not to score as his powerful half-volley struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced out.
Pinamonti then failed to capitalize on a promising cross, sending his glancing header off target from six yards out. Ultimately, neither team could secure a victory, leaving both sides discontent with settling for a single point each.
Sassuolo 1-1 Udinese