Sassuolo led Milan 1-0 in sassuolo - milan after Domenico Berardi finished the first real opening, a left-footed curling shot after Ardon Jashari lost the ball in midfield. The goal arrived at 15:00 and put Massimiliano Allegri’s side under pressure in a match tied to Milan’s push for Champions League qualification for 2026-27.
Berardi Punishes Jashari
Berardi needed only one clean look. Sassuolo turned Jashari’s mistake into the opening goal, and the winger did the rest with his left foot. He has been a recurring problem for Milan, and this strike arrived before the visitors settled into the game.
Milan still had a route back. Rafael Leao missed a major chance to level after a Sassuolo turnover, and that miss left the score at 1-0 instead of resetting the match. Mike Maignan later kept Milan in range when he saved Nzola’s left-footed finish after a Sassuolo counterattack.
Milan’s Setup At 15:00
Allegri started Milan in a 3-5-2, with Maignan in goal behind Tomori, Gabbia and Pavlovic. Saelemaekers, Fofana, Jashari, Rabiot and Estupinan lined up through midfield, while Pulisic and Nkunku led the attack.
Fabio Grosso answered with a 4-3-3: Turati; Walukiewicz, Muharemovic, Idzes, Garcia; Thorstvedt, Matic, Koné; Berardi, Nzola, Laurienté. Sassuolo also had no suspended players, while Milan had none either, and several names sat on yellow-card warning lists on both benches.
Milan’s Margin for Error
The scoreboard mattered because Allegri had said Milan needed six points from four matches to be safe for Champions League qualification for 2026-27. Sassuolo also had a recent edge in this matchup, after the first league meeting of the season ended 2-2. Milan had already won the 2022 title in Reggio Emilia, but this trip began with Sassuolo in front and Berardi again deciding the first swing.
That left Milan with a simple task inside the match: recover fast, or let a difficult opponent widen the gap on a day when every point carried extra weight. The opening goal had already changed the terms, and the next attacking chance would have to come from a side that had been beaten once by midfield loss and once by a missed equalizer.
