Sassuolo 1-1 AC Milan: Rabiot opener cancelled out by Odenthal in frustrating draw
AC Milan would have to make do with a draw on their return to Serie A action, as the game against Sassuolo finished 1-1.
When Adrien Rabiot gave Milan the lead inside the final 30 minutes it looked once again like being a successful second-half show. However, the inability to deal with a corner just minutes later allowed Sassuolo to equalise and ultimately snatch a point.
Given the chances squandered particularly towards the end of the first half, it will feel like a frustrating result for the Rossoneri no doubt. At the same time, the Neroverdi will feel like they also had opportunities to take all three points.
First half: Growing into it
Head coach Ruben Amorim chose to make three changes from the side that beat Lecce before the break. Matteo Gabbia came into the defence, while Yunus Musah and Diego Moreira reclaimed their spots in what looked like a four-man defence on paper.
It was an opening 15 minutes that was not lacking in intensity but was very much lacking in cutting-edge quality. Plenty of duels were contested in the middle third without really leading to a major opportunity for either side, as Bakola’s strike from distance sailed over the bar for the first effort.
Milan pushed forward in the 11th minute and a nice move down the right side saw Gonçalo Ramos cut the ball back into a dangerous area, but it was taken from Diego Moreira just as he was about to let fly from a good position.
On the quarter-hour mark there was a real moment of worry for Milan as Matteo Gabbia was forced off. Not only that, but he left the field on a stretcher having seemingly severely hurt his groin after Lauriente got the better of him in the open field. Koni De Winter took his place.
The same would happen to Sassuolo in the 24th minute. After a collision with Christian Pulisic, Aquilani was forced to bring off Leysen and replace him with Odenthal, as the Belgian was helped off the pitch.
With half an hour on the clock, Milan could and perhaps should have taken the lead from a free-kick positioned not too far from the right corner flag. The teasing delivery was met by Adrien Rabiot at the near post who got a good connection but sent it well over the bar.
In the final few minutes of the first half, Milan finally began to turn the screw as Ramos twice came close. His first attempt was a powerful shot that Muric parried after he cut inside onto his left foot on the right edge of the box. Then, moments later the goalkeeper denied him again, this time from nearly point-blank range after a lovely Samuel Chukwueze cross from the right.
The seven minutes of added time yielded a couple more good chances, both of which had Moreira at the centre. The Belgian fired a low shot towards the near post after a nice spin that Muric saved, then he stood up a cross for Strahinja Pavlovic whose far-post header was turned around by the keeper to keep it at 0-0 going into the break.
Second half: Instantly pegged back
Amorim chose to make a change at the break as Luka Modric came on and Pervis Estupinan came off. From Sassuolo’s kick-off, Milan seemed to resemble a 4-4-2 in their shape.
The start to the second half was much more open, especially in the midfield areas. A nasty challenge from Lauriente on Gila – high on the ankle and with studs showing – got a brief VAR check but was not published.
Ramos should have perhaps worked the goalkeeper just before the hour mark when he was given acres of space to shoot from the edge of the box, yet he curled his attempt well wide of the post.
At the other end, Mike Maignan did well the thwart a cross/shot from a narrow angle from Adzic who had wriggled free on the byline.
In the 63rd minute, Milan finally put one of their chances away and it was Rabiot who scored the opening goal, the man who has so often popped up in times of need. The Frenchman drifted in behind the Sassuolo line and received pass from Modric, turning and lashing a rocket of a shot past Muric at his near post.
It took less than four minutes for Sassuolo to get themselves back on level terms thanks to some dreadful set-piece defending from Milan. A corner was whipped low but now very hard by Lauriente and was dummied by Doig at the near post, allowing the substitute Odenthal to bundle in from close range.
In the 78th minute, Amorim opted to make another change: Alphadjo Cisse came on to replace Pulisic in the attacking midfield role.
Cisse wasn’t too far away from having an almost instant impact on the game. A corner taken short on the left saw a couple of one-twos end with the Italian trying his luck from the corner of the box, and Muric had to stretch to palm it away.
Omari Hutchinson entered the fray with just over five minutes left, replacing Chukwueze. In the end – despite some late pressure at both ends, more notably from Sassuolo – a draw would have to do.
