Serie A: Inter Milan slip at home, defeated by Sassuolo

• Inter hosted Sassuolo in a Serie A midweek clash at the San Siro on Wednesday night
• A win would have pushed Inter three points clear at the top of the table
• The visitors, however, came from behind to earn a much rare 2-1 win at San Siro

Sassuolo delivered a stunning upset by ending the perfect start for Inter Milan in the Serie A season with a 2-1 victory at San Siro. Domenico Berardi’s spectacular strike secured the win for Sassuolo, while Nedim Bajrami had earlier canceled out Denzel Dumfries’ opener for Inter.

Inter, under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi, had enjoyed a flawless record with five consecutive wins at the start of the Serie A season, placing them atop the league table. However, Sassuolo, coming off a remarkable 4-2 victory over Juventus just four days earlier, pulled off another upset.

The match began with Sassuolo showing promise, with both teams sharing possession, but neither side managed to create a clear scoring opportunity in the opening 30 minutes.

Inter eventually came to life when Nicolo Barella set Dumfries free down the right flank. Dumfries delivered an excellent cross, but Marcus Thuram’s header narrowly missed the target.

Thuram had another chance but failed to capitalize on a cross from Dumfries. On the other side, Sassuolo’s Jeremy Toljan produced the best chance of the first half with a powerful angled shot, only to be denied by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

Sassuolo players celebrate after Domenico Berardi scored the winner against Inter Milan in a Serie A clash on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. | PHOTO: Eurosport |

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Sommer remained vigilant and made another save to deny Bajrami’s low shot. However, Inter broke the deadlock just before half-time. Dumfries, cutting inside from the right edge of the penalty area, unleashed a low shot into the bottom corner, securing his second goal of the season.

Sassuolo had a golden opportunity to equalize when Martin Erlic headed wide from Berardi’s excellent cross. However, the visitors managed to draw level in the 54th minute. Berardi turned provider once again, delivering a precise pass on the right side of the area that Bajrami hammered home. Sommer was furious with himself for allowing the ball to beat him at the near post.

Inter’s woes deepened as Berardi was granted space to cut inside from the right and release a brilliant, dipping shot that nestled inside Sommer’s far post.

Inzaghi responded by making substitutions, bringing on Carlos Augusto, Stefan de Vrij, and Davide Frattesi. Frattesi forced Sassuolo’s goalkeeper, Andrea Consigli, into a low save.

Sassuolo handled Inter’s attempts to equalize comfortably, and Armand Lauriente missed a chance to extend the visitors’ lead in the 85th minute. Lauriente then had a better opportunity saved by Sommer, while Francesco Acerbi’s shot was straight at Consigli.

Inter’s Lautaro Martinez narrowly missed a shot in stoppage time, but Sassuolo held on for a memorable victory, securing their second consecutive upset in Serie A.