Genoa CFC edged US Sassuolo Calcio 2–1 in a tense Serie A encounter on matchday 32, decided by a late goal from substitute Caleb Ekuban after both teams had a player sent off before the interval.
The hosts struck first in the 18th minute. Ruslan Malinovskiy, already on a yellow card from the 5th minute, found the breakthrough with a composed finish, turning in a move created by Tommaso Baldanzi. The goal gave Genoa early control, reflected in the 1–0 scoreline.
The match turned feisty as bookings accumulated. Genoa’s Morten Frendrup went into the referee’s notebook in the 20th minute, before Sassuolo’s Josh Doig and Sebastian Walukiewicz were cautioned on 32 and 40 minutes respectively.
On the stroke of half-time, the contest exploded. Sassuolo talisman Domenico Berardi was shown a red card in the 45th minute, swiftly followed by a red for Genoa’s Mikael Egill Ellertsson, leaving both sides to play the entire second half with ten men.
Sassuolo responded well after the restart. In the 57th minute, Ismael Kone levelled the match at 1–1 with a regular-time strike, pulling the visitors back into contention.
Genoa managerially reshaped the side with a triple substitution on 55 minutes, introducing Aaron Martín, Patrizio Masini and Ekuban. The changes paid off late on. In the 84th minute, Junior Messias, brought on in the 75th minute, provided the assist for Ekuban, who delivered the decisive 2–1 goal for the home team.
A late yellow card for Sassuolo’s Tarik Muharemović in the 90th minute concluded a heated contest. No further goals followed, and Genoa secured a valuable three points in their Serie A campaign.
Detailed data on lineups, possession and other statistics was not available at the time of writing.
For more on Serie A and full match context, visit the Serie A page on Ballaxy or the dedicated Genoa vs Sassuolo match centre.
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