Milan lost hope of a victory at the Mapei Stadium, finishing the match against Sassuolo with a 1-1 draw. The match, which took place on May 22, was characterized by moments of uncertainty and a dominant pace in favor of the guests, who managed to break the deadlock only after 64 minutes of play.
There was no goal in the first half, but two players remained out through injury. Matteo Gabbia, Milan defender, fell after a challenge with midfielder Laurienté, suffering a flexor problem. His injury was the first of the match. Shortly afterwards, Sassuolo's Fedde Leysen was hurt in a contact with Pulisic, forcing referee Fourneau to grant seven minutes of injury time. The situation left the AC Milan fans worried, especially since Gabbia was in his first match as a starter.
Milan started the second half with a 4-4-1-1, but the game was slow and not very productive. Only in the final minutes did midfielder Rabiot create some chances for his teammates, including Ramos, Moreira and Pavlovic. Sassuolo, on the other hand, didn't have many chances to score. Amorim's team changed tactics to a 3-4-2-1, but Milan continued to push hard. In the 64th minute, Rabiot produced a fierce left-footed shot that beat Muric to the post, marking the midfielder's third league goal after those against Torino and Lecce.
Milan then introduced Thorstvedt and Bowie, two new arrivals who gave energy to the team. Almost immediately after their arrival, Milan equalized thanks to a goal from Laurienté. The goal came from a corner, with the left defender beating Maignan and finishing with a shot into the box. Sassuolo tried to react, but the match remained a draw. Milan had an excellent chance from Chukwueze, but the shot was wasted. Furthermore, a Sassuolo goal was disallowed due to an earlier foul by Bowie on Rabiot.
With the draw, the top of Serie A remains four points away. Milan, who showed an inadequate performance, will have to reconsider their strategy for the next matches. Sassuolo, on the other hand, has shown that it can compete against the strongest teams, but will still have to improve to obtain more consistent results.