Serie A roundup: Sassuolo shine with five while Monza keep Sampdoria winless
Sassuolo - Salernitana, 5-0
Sassuolo stormed past Salernitana at the Mapei Stadium, adding to a league-high five clean sheets with a 5-0 trouncing of the Campania side.
Having won each of their previous three home games against Salernitana, Sassuolo jumped at the opportunity to extend that record and drew first blood via Armand Lauriente’s superb shot into the bottom right corner following an inch-perfect assist by Kristian Thorstvedt.
The Norwegian playmaker almost turned goalscorer a few minutes later, as he thumped a low drive goalwards, only to be terrifically denied by Luigi Sepe’s reflexes.
Perhaps motivated by Sepe, Neroverdi shot-stopper Andrea Consigli pulled off an equally fantastic save midway through the half after he denied Boulaye Dia from close range.
Eager to avoid a similar fate as in the last-minute victory against Torino, Alessio Dionisi’s outfit pushed on for a second, coming agonizingly close from Lauriente’s remarkable solo run and shot that Sepe once again brilliantly saved. T
hey didn’t have to wait for long though, going 2-0 up minutes before HT after Giulio Maggiore gave away a silly penalty which Andrea Pinamonti masterfully guided past arguably the visitors’ best player on the pitch, Sepe.
The Neroverdi didn’t sit back though, as Thorstvedt made up for his miss earlier in the match by pounding home his side’s third of the afternoon in the 53rd minute, as he picked up Agustin Alvarez’s accurate pass and blasted his shot in the top right corner.
Having put in a decent first-half showing, Salernitana could hardly muster any momentum as they played second fiddle for the majority of the second period, going four goals down ten minutes before FT. Thanks to some great scanning by Lauriente, Abdou Harroui found himself right in line for a pass, which he picked up and banged home to all but settle the match.
Sassuolo made it 5-0 right at the death via Janis Antiste’s rebound shot, as they went on to comfortably register just their third victory this season, jumping into the top half of the Serie A standings level on points with Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, despite a relatively solid start to the season, Salernitana will look to end their five-match winless run next when they welcome Hellas Verona at home.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Armand Lauriente (US Sassuolo Calcio)
Sampdoria - Monza, 0-3
Monza moved away from the Serie A drop zone with a second straight victory, beating basement boys Sampdoria 3-0, and condemning them to their worst top-flight tally after eight games under the post-1994 system of three points per win.
Anything less than a win over top-flight debutants Monza would see Sampdoria make unwanted history, and in the face of opposition still on a high from slaying Juventus a fortnight ago, the Blucerchiati’s worst fears were realised in just the 11th minute.
A turnover of possession allowed Gianluca Caprari to aim for the far post, where Patrick Ciurria headed across goal to Monza native Matteo Pessina, who converted unchallenged from close range.
A first half that saw three on-field bookings already threatened to boil over, and controversy reigned on the stroke of HT, when Armando Izzo seemed to block Tomas Rincon inside the area, leading Giovanni Ayroldi to award Sampdoria a penalty.
However, a VAR monitor review revealed that the Venezuelan had instead been impeded by teammate Gonzalo Villar, leading to a reversed decision and inevitable catcalls from a frustrated home faithful.
There was also minor drama early in the second half, when Dany Mota appeared to be through on goal before being felled on the edge of the box. An offside decision quickly doused any calls for a dismissal, but Monza were soon on the attack again as the hour mark loomed, with Caprari sent in on goal but unable to negotiate a tight angle. He was again involved in a good chance shortly after, playing in Pessina who could only fire straight at Emil Audero.
Not deterred, Caprari finally buried Sampdoria with 25 minutes remaining, with Omar Colley’s failed headed clearance falling from the heavens into his path. The ex-Blucerchiati man boldly volleyed home into the far corner to secure the points – and likely seal former boss Marco Giampaolo’s fate in the Stadio Luigi Ferraris hot seat.
A final thrust of the dagger came deep into stoppage time, as Stefano Sensi struck a low shot from the edge of the box after intricate build-up play around a distraught Sampdoria backline.
With Sampdoria’s top-flight existence now unquestionably hanging by a thread, almost nobody expects Giampaolo to survive this result after such an abysmal start to 2022/23.
Meanwhile, his opposite number Raffaele Palladino is contrastingly loving life since becoming the Monza boss and now stands as the first manager since 2005 to win his opening two Serie A games in charge of a newly-promoted side.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gianluca Caprari (Monza)
Lecce - Cremonese, 1-1
Cremonese were denied their first victory since returning to Serie A having been held to a 1-1 draw by Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare, with both sides scoring from the penalty spot in the first half.
In this battle between the 2021/22 Serie B champions and runners-up, it was the latter that gained the upper hand in the 19th minute from the penalty spot.
Michele Castagnetti played a smart through ball to David Okereke, who was subsequently felled by the onrushing Wladimiro Falcone as he tried to round the goalkeeper, and the resulting spot kick was dispatched into the bottom right corner by Daniel Ciofani. This was a significant moment in the Grigiorossi’s joint-worst start to a SA campaign, marking the first time they have taken the lead in eight matches.
However, there was still a long way to go if the visitors wished to turn that lead into their first victory this season, and that lack of experience in controlling matches was telling as Lecce fought back to level things up before HT.
Just as important as he was in winning his side the earlier penalty, Okereke played a notable role in giving one away as he bundled into the back of Valentin Gendrey as he burst into the penalty area. Gabriel Strefezza stepped up to the mark, with a skip in his run-up sending Ionut Radu the wrong way as he picked out the same spot as Ciofani.
Cremonese emerged as victors in the clubs’ last Serie A meeting in March 1994, and it was bewildering that there wasn’t a repeat of that result following a bombardment of the Lecce goal throughout the second half. They mustered nine attempts, including a gilt-edged one-on-one opportunity for substitute Cyriel Dessers, but he was denied from close range by the strong left hand of Falcone.
Settling for one point each, both sides neither gain nor lose places in the standings, but fail to overcome their bad omens. Lecce have not won consecutive top-flight matches since February 2020, whilst Cremonese’s wait for victory after a 26-year absence from Serie A is further prolonged.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Michele Castagnetti (Cremonese)