Serie A. Sassuolo-Spezia 1-0, penalty from Berardi

From our correspondent Giulio Saetta

March 17th
– REGGIO EMILIA

Sassuolo beat Spezia with a penalty from Berardi and continue their fantastic 2023. In a ranking relating only to the last eight days, Dionisi’s team would be first in the league with 19 points, only the Naples of wonders could surpass them if they beat Turin Sunday afternoon. For Spezia instead comes the first defeat of the Semplici era, which until today had obtained two draws and one victory. The Ligurian team held the pitch well for 20′, until Berardi hit the crossbar which woke up Sassuolo like a clean sweep.

Excellent bench

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Slightly surprising on the bench in Sassuolo, Frattesi leaves the position of right midfielder to the Norwegian international Thorstvedt, with Toljan behind him in the back four. Confirmed the trident that punished Roma: Berardi-Pinamonti-Laurienté. Even Semplici wanted to reward the protagonist of the victory over Inter, Daniel Maldini, deployed on the left in the trio of under strikers behind Nzola, flanked by Agudelo and Gyasi. In the median, with the immovable Bourabia there is Ekdal. Zurkowski was sacrificed in La Spezia’s 4-2-3-1 formation, the one seen in the second half against the Nerazzurri, demonstrating the tactical fluidity that is characterizing this new adventure of Semplici in Liguria.

Green-black flames

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Good start for Spezia, who play openly and appear four times in the black and green area in the first quarter of an hour: Ekdal and Maldini’s shots are blocked by the defence, an incursion by Caldara engages Consigli but Ghersini stops for offside. Semplici’s team plays with confidence, a palpable feeling that is felt in the security of the young Maldini, confirming the coach’s great psychological work above all in creating self-esteem in the players. It takes Sassuolo about twenty minutes to settle down and in two minutes, between 34′ and 36′, they knock three times on Dragowski’s side, first with Berardi with his trademark, a movement to concentrate from the right to explode the left which the number ten is printed on the crossbar, on the continuation of the action again with a left foot he touches the long post; two minutes later it was Toljan, again from the right, who lapped the same upright with a nice diagonal. One step away from Sassuolo’s lead in the 45th minute, Thorstvedt jumps on the right for Nikolaou and flicks with his left foot in the center of the area for the insertion of Henrique, who is blocked by Dragowski with a header.

Black-green monologue

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In the second half, Sassuolo picked up where they left off, in the 1st minute Rogerio from the left let go of a right-footed shot that committed Dragowski to the far post. On 13′ the first move from the benches, Dionisi inserts Frattesi for Thorstvedt. But the match is now channeled, with Sassuolo in control and Spezia mysteriously retreating into their defensive thirty meters. And in fact the hosts unlocked it in the 26th minute from a penalty with captain Berardi scoring his sixth goal of the season. Three minutes earlier a shot by Laurienté was muted with the hand by Amian, Ghersini only saw it on the monitor called back by Var Abbattista. The neroverde monologue continues in the 30th minute with a percussion from Frattesi high on the crossbar and a chipped post from Harroui with a right-footed shot from twenty meters away. Spezia tries everything by inserting Shomurodov and Verdi and passing to 4-2-4 but without creating dangers for advice. A bad setback also considering the yellow card received by Nzola which will make him miss the crucial match against Salernitana after the break. There will still be suffering.