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·5 April 2024

Serie A | Salernitana 2-2 Sassuolo: Late equaliser breaks Neroverdi hearts

Sassuolo fought hard on the road in a tense relegation duel with strugglers Salernitana but were left heartbroken after a late Granata equaliser, forcing the two sides to share a point apiece.

The Neroverdi have been unable to find their footing across the campaign, a situation that forced out coach Alessio Dionisi, and their form hasn’t improved in recent weeks, with the team securing just one win in their last 11 Serie A matches.

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Salernitana seem destined for relegation to Serie B as the final eight weeks of the season approach, with the Campania outfit failing to find a rhythm over the last eight months. The Granata have secured just one win in the league since late November, their only other success this term.

Sassuolo sweat as Salernitana believe

It didn’t take long for Sassuolo to take control of proceedings at the Stadio Arechi following Salernitana’s kick off, with play quickly swinging in the Neroverdi’s direction. After initial struggles breaking through the final third, things began to change in the build-up to half time.

The Granata thought they were applying pressure and attempted to whip a ball into the box, but the intercepted cross kickstarted a Neroverdi counterattack.

Nedim Bajrami took control of the ball in his half and sprinted all the way down the pitch before laying it off to Armand Lauriente, who made no mistake as he placed the ball into the bottom corner.

In the 44th minute, Salernitana tried to play the ball out from the back but a wayward pass from Benoit Costil failed to find Lorenzo Pirola, allowing Andrea Pinamonti to nick the ball. He passed it across an empty box to Bajrami, who passed it home to double the visitors’ lead.

Salernitana looked a little more spirited after the half time break and were awarded a penalty in the 50th minute after a quick passage of play saw both Niccolo Pierozzi and Loum Tchaouna brought down in the box. Antonio Candreva and comfortably dispatched the spot kick, making it 2-1.

The goal gave a boost in belief given to the hosts and their forward ventures were eventually rewarded in the 91st minute, when a slick ball across the box from Alessandro Zanoli was perfectly met by Giulio Maggiore, who blasted the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-2.

The goal came as a painful blow to Sassuolo, who ultimately lost out on two vital points in their desperate bid to avoid the drop to Serie B. For Sassuolo, it was a resilient response, giving their fans something to smile about after a tough campaign.