Milan’s unbeaten run survived another demanding Sunday at the Mapei Stadium, but the draw with Sassuolo again left the feeling of points missed. Adrien Rabiot’s third league goal appeared to have given Ruben Amorim’s side the decisive opening after Luka Modric entered at half-time, only for Cas Odenthal to bring Sassuolo level within five minutes. The home side even thought they had completed the turnaround late on, before a foul in the build-up ruled out Kristian Thorstvedt’s header.
A disrupted first half
- Amorim made the notable decision to begin with Modric among the substitutes, while Gonçalo Ramos led Milan’s attack. The early stages were untidy, interrupted by technical errors and stoppages, with neither side able to establish much rhythm.
- Sassuolo’s first attempts came through inaccurate efforts from Bakola and Armand Laurienté, without seriously testing Mike Maignan.
- Milan suffered an early concern in the 18th minute when Matteo Gabbia was injured after slipping. He required a stretcher and could not continue.
- Sassuolo then lost Leysen, whose injury forced his withdrawal and brought Odenthal into the match during the first half.
- As the interval approached, Milan began to create the clearer chances. Rabiot headed over from Moreira’s free-kick in the 32nd minute.
- Ramos then made Arijanet Muric work with a left-footed effort at the near post, before failing to direct a header down from a cross delivered from the right.
- During seven minutes of added time, Muric denied Moreira after the Milan player turned in the area, then reacted again when Pavlovic met a cross at the far post.
Modric provides the spark
Amorim turned to Modric at the restart and Milan’s possession quickly gained greater direction. Sassuolo still had their own moment in the 59th minute, when Adzic held off Gila and struck from a narrow angle, but Maignan was down sharply to save.
- In the 63rd minute, Modric found Rabiot on the left. The French midfielder drove a powerful shot towards the near corner, beating Muric to give Milan the lead.
- Sassuolo responded immediately after Milan lost the ball while playing out. Maignan stopped Bowie’s first-time effort and then thwarted Thorstvedt’s back-heel in the same move.
- The equaliser arrived in the 68th minute. A corner dropped into the middle of the penalty area and Odenthal reacted quickest, turning to score against the club he had entered the game to help after Leysen’s injury.
- Two minutes from the end, Berardi crossed for Thorstvedt, whose header appeared to send the Mapei Stadium into celebration. Referee Fourneau had, however, already penalised Bowie for an illegal block inside the area, and the goal did not stand.
An unbeaten run with a cost
Milan remain undefeated, yet the result was another halt in their progress rather than the statement win their second-half improvement had promised. Modric’s introduction reshaped the contest and Rabiot supplied the finish, but Sassuolo’s rapid reply ensured that neither side could take full control of the afternoon.
For Amorim, the more immediate concern is Gabbia’s condition after his stretcher exit. Sassuolo, meanwhile, showed enough resilience to recover from the setback of losing Leysen and nearly found a late winner, only for Thorstvedt’s moment to be erased by the foul on Bowie.
