Serie A | Sassuolo 2-1 Torino: Berardi immediate impact for first success

Sassuolo celebrated their first victory of the campaign, defeating Torino 2-1 with Cristian Volpato and substitute Domenico Berardi’s immediate impact.

Both teams were coming off opening 2-1 defeats, so were eager to get off the board this season. The Neroverdi continued to miss Daniel Boloca, Ismael Kone, Fali Cande and Edoardo Pieragnolo, with Domenico Berardi not fully fit. Toro welcomed Eray Comert back from suspension to make his Serie A debut, but Cesare Casadei joined Tino Anjorin, Franco Israel and Pietro Pellegri on the absentee list. Alieu Njie was on the verge of a move to Fiorentina.

It was a remarkable start for the hosts, as Simone Cinquegrano controlled a Josh Doig cross, let it bounce, and smashed the half-volley onto the frame of the goal from nine yards.

Che Adams was denied by a desperate block, while Cristian Volpato forced a save from Diego Mascardi, but Arijanet Muric got away with a rush off his line that failed to stop Giovanni Simeone, fortunate to scramble back in time to deny Nikola Vlasic.

Sassuolo broke the deadlock with a classic counter-attack, as Vasilje Adzic’s cheeky back-heel flick set up Volpato for a stunning left-foot first-time finish from distance.

Mascardi made the crucial save on Kieron Bowie, and Muric parried the Saul Coco header from the Kian Fitz-Jim assist.

Torino managed to equalise in first half stoppages when Alessio Cacciamani got down the left and stood up a cross that Pietro Comuzzo simply had to steer in with his head from seven yards.

Another Cinquegrano counter-attack and Laurienté effort forced saves from Mascardi, but Sassuolo were able to celebrate when Berardi came off the bench and made an immediate impact.

Within minutes, he was ready to rifle a ferocious finish through the sea of legs into the near bottom corner, after a poor Fedde Leysen clearance on the Laurienté free kick. Torino wanted it disallowed for Cinquegrano’s offside position, but he was not interfering with play.

Laurienté wasted another chance in stoppages, as visibly exhausted he scuffed the finish on the counter-attack.

Sassuolo 2-1 Torino

Volpato 32 (S), Comuzzo 45+2 (T), Berardi 78 (S)

29-08-2026 17:30

MatchDay 2

Sassuolo

Torino

Player statistic

1st half

2nd half

Match statistic

46 Possession % 54

19 Total shots 10

7 Shots on target 4

6 Shots off target 3

6 Blocked shots 3

4 Corners 3

5 Offsides

12 Fouls 9

Sassuolo

Torino

Starting lineups

49 Arijanet Muric Goalkeeper

16 Fedde Leysen Defender

21 Jay Idzes Defender

3 Josh Doig Defender 61'

46 Simone Cinquegrano Defender

7 Cristian Volpato Midfielder 60'

50 Darryl Bakola Midfielder

18 Nemanja Matic Midfielder 90'

17 Vasilije Adžić Midfielder 60'

45 Armand Lauriente Attacker

9 Kieron Bowie Attacker 72'

26 Diego Mascardi Goalkeeper

5 Eray Cömert Defender 67'

15 Pietro Comuzzo Defender

23 Saúl Coco Defender

66 Gvidas Gineitis Midfielder 68'

28 Kian Fitz-Jim Midfielder

29 Niccolò Fortini Midfielder 73'

10 Nikola Vlasic Midfielder

77 Alessio Cacciamani Attacker

19 Ché Adams Attacker 83'

18 Giovanni Simeone Attacker 73'

Substitutes

2 Filippo Missori Defender

Giacomo Satalino Goalkeeper

80 Stefano Turati Goalkeeper

8 Andrea Ghion Defender

44 Edoardo Iannoni Midfielder

77 Nicholas Pierini Attacker

26 Cas Odenthal Defender

14 Gabriel Kulla Attacker

42 Kristian Thorstvedt Midfielder 60'

25 Benja Domínguez Attacker 60'

33 Rafa Obrador Defender 61'

10 Domenico Berardi Attacker 72'

35 Luca Lipani Midfielder 90'

1 Alberto Paleari Goalkeeper

14 Tino Anjorin Midfielder

21 Ali Dembélé Defender

11 Gaetano Oristanio Midfielder

92 Alieu Njie Attacker

76 Lapo Siviero Goalkeeper

25 Mattia Pellini Defender

79 Andrea Luongo Midfielder

44 Ardian Ismajli Defender 67'

6 Emirhan Ilkhan Midfielder 68'

17 Sandro Kulenovic Attacker 73'

7 Zakaria Aboukhlal Midfielder 73'

91 Duván Zapata Attacker 83'