Hellas Verona can still avoid relegation after this last-gasp comeback victory, as Sassuolo wasted numerous chances before gifting Adolfo Gaich the winning lob.
These were two teams in very different form, as Hellas were in the bottom three after just two points from the last six rounds, while the Neroverdi surged up the standings with four wins and a draw. The hosts had Fabio Depaoli suspended, Darko Lazovic, Diego Coppola, Ajdin Hrustic, Deyovaisio Zeefuik and Thomas Henry injured.
Verona wore special jerseys marking the 120th anniversary of the club’s foundation.
Armand Laurienté fired over from the tightest of angles and Sassuolo took the lead when Domenico Berardi skipped past two defenders down the right to stand a ball up from the by-line, which Abdou Harroui only had to nod in from six yards.
Kevin Lasagna just failed to make the most of a poor Ruan Tressoldi back-pass and Laurienté tested Lorenzo Montipò at the near post, while after the break the Verona goalkeeper flew to palm away an Andrea Pinamonti strike.
Berardi should’ve made it 2-0 on the hour mark when doing everything right except the finish, which he ballooned over the crossbar.
Marco Davide Faraoni’s chest and volley only found the side-netting, while Giangiacomo Magnani flung himself in the way of the Laurienté curler after Isak Hien was beaten.
Montipò kept the scoreline down with another save on Rogerio from Matheus Henrique’s assist and it almost paid off for a Verona equaliser on 78 minutes, but Maxime Lopez made a desperate goal-line clearance on the Milan Djuric glancing header.
The pressure was mounting and paid off on a Cyril Ngonge corner, as Federico Ceccherini got between defenders to nod in at the near post and draw Verona level.
It still wasn’t over, as Montipò got down for a desperate full-length fingertip save on Agustin Alvarez’s daisy-cutter.
That proved incredibly decisive, because moments later Verona turned the game around. Andrea Consigli was so focused on the next push forward, he didn’t realise his pass was weak and too close to Adolfo Gaich, who intercepted and still had a lot to do steering the long lob into an empty net.
Verona 2-1 Sassuolo
Harroui 34 (S), Ceccherini 83 (V), Gaich 95 (V)
Player statistic
| 20' |  |
Armand Lauriente | ||
| 34' |  |
Abdou Harroui (Assist: Domenico Berardi) | ||
| Miguel Veloso | |
43' |
| 48' | |
Ruan Tressoldi | ||
| 57' | |
Andrea Pinamonti | ||
| Federico Ceccherini (Assist: Cyril Ngonge) |
|
84' | ||
| Kevin Lasagna | |
84' | ||
| Giangiacomo Magnani | |
89' | ||
| Adolfo Gaich | |
90+5' | ||
| 90' | |
Maxime Lopez |
Match statistic
