After losing their last two matches, Eusebio Di Francesco made three changes, despite an injury-hit squad as Lorenz Ariaudo, Francesco Magnanelli and Simone Zaza made way for Pedro Mendes, Davide Biondini and Nicola Sansone. Rudi Garcia also made three changes to his AS Roma side, with Vassilis Torosidis, Mehdi Benatia and Alessandro Florenzi playing in place of Maicon, Rafael Tolói and Francesco Totti.
Sassuolo vs. Roma, final score 0-2: Roma deepen Sassuolo’s woes
Roma swept to victory away at Sassuolo, moving them closer to a place in next season’s Champions League whilst moving the home side closer to the drop.
Unsurprisingly, given their relative league positions, Roma dominated the early exchanges and threatened to break through Sassuolo's lacklustre defence on a number of occasions in the first ten minutes. Sassuolo did manage to threaten briefly as a clever corner kick routine found its way to Paolo Cannavaro but his side-footed shot was blocked.
It took until the 16th minute for Roma to break the deadlock as they had been threatening to do right from minute one, Radja Nainggolan easily dispossessing Simoni Missiroli in midfield before threading an easy ball through for Mattia Destro, who calmly lifted the ball over an on-rushing Gianluca Pegolo.
Roma continued to control and create chances as the half wore on, but the biggest talking point of the half took place at the other end. Nicola Sansone rushed on to a ball that took a favourable ricochet in midfield and burst into the box, only to stumble over under pressure from Mehdi Benatia. The referee initially didn’t give a penalty but this was then overturned by the assistant behind the goal. Long discussions then ensued, with Sassuolo wanting Benatia to be sent off and Roma wanting the penalty to be taken away. After much confusion, the referee eventually rescinded the penalty and Roma were given the drop-ball, which appeared to be the right decision as replays showed minimal contact, if any, between Benatia and Sansone.
In the second half, Roma were a shadow of themselves in the first and Sassuolo were afforded a number of chances which never quite came off. Nicola Sansone and Domenico Berardo both scooped near-identical efforts over the bar from 18 yards.
Sansone, clearly fired-up after the penalty controversy of the first half, then went on a stunning run, skipping past five Roma shirts before finding his path blocked as he reached the edge of the area. His pass found substitute Simone Zaza but his effort was blocked and gathered easily by De Sanctis.
Despite a lacklustre second half, Roma secured the result with just seconds to spare in a near carbon copy of the first goal. Substitute Rodrigo Taddei dispossessed a sleeping Pedro Mendes in midfield and worked the ball to fellow sub Francesco Totti, who threaded the ball for the third sub Michel Bastos, who kept his cool and stroked the ball past Pegolo for his first goal in Italian football, to put a gloss on the result and to deepen Sassuolo’s trouble.
Sassuolo: Pegolo; Gazzola, Pedro Mendes, Cannavaro, Longhi; Biondini (Zaza 62'), Chibsah, Missiroli; Sansone, Floccari (Masucci 75'), Berardi (Diego Farias 81')
Roma: De Sanctis; Torisidis, Benatia, Leandro Castan, Romagnoli; Pjanić (Taddei 73’), De Rossi, Nainggolan; Gervinho (Michel Bastos 86’), Destro (Totti 79’), Florenzi
Goals: Destro 16’, Michel Bastos 90+6’.
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