Monza beat Sassuolo 2-1 in Serie A as G. Varela scored twice after the interval, then held on when V. Adzic replied late. The hosts took the points at U-Power Stadium even though Sassuolo spent most of the night in control of the ball.

Match Summary

Nothing separated the sides before half-time. Sassuolo were the neater team in possession, yet the final pass kept going missing. E. Kouadio was booked in the 30th minute as Monza sat deep and looked to break. The interval arrived with the score still 0-0 and the match still waiting for a first clear statement.

That statement came from G. Varela. He had Monza in front in the 51st minute, S. Birindelli the provider, and converted a penalty in the 63rd minute to make it two. Sassuolo had to chase from there. V. Adzic scored in the 88th minute to cut the deficit, and the last minutes turned frantic, but Monza protected the 2-1 scoreline.

Key Moments

The blank first half mattered because Sassuolo never turned control into a lead. The penalty after the hour then changed the task. The visitors needed two goals instead of one, with time running down. V. Adzic's late strike made the finish uncomfortable and forced Monza to defend a single-goal lead, yet it came too late for an equalizer. Four home yellow cards, several of them late, showed the strain without a red card arriving.

Match Statistics

Sassuolo dominated the raw numbers and still lost. They held 64 percent of possession to Monza's 36 and outshot the hosts 19 to 15, putting eight attempts on target against six. Expected goals were almost level, 1.52 for Sassuolo and 1.45 for Monza. The home side shaded corners 7-5. Yellow cards finished 4-1 to Monza, with no red cards shown.

What the Result Means

Monza are 18th in Serie A with one point from four matches and a goal difference of minus five, a sequence that includes one draw and three losses in their last four. Sassuolo sit ninth on seven points from four games, goal difference plus one, after two wins, one draw and one loss in their last four. Six points separate the two sides.

See also

• Monza vs Sassuolo live score
• AltBets live scores
• AltBets tips
• Match recaps