💣 Genoa (almost) safe: 2-1 v Sassuolo! Tunnel bust-up, 2 🟥, De Rossi 🥳

💣 Genoa (almost) safe: 2-1 v Sassuolo! Tunnel bust-up, 2 🟥, De Rossi 🥳

Genoa beat Sassuolo 2-1 and have almost certainly secured survival: the Grifone are now +9 above the relegation zone, occupied by Cremonese and Lecce.

Decisive were the golazo fromMalinovskyi****(18') and the tap-in from Ekuban (84') after a brilliant move by Messias and Sabelli, overturning the temporary equaliser from Koné (57'). Both teams went down to 10 men in the 45th minute after a clash between Berardi and Ellertsson that led to a double sending-off.

🤯 Malinovskyi makes it 1-0! Only Messi and Mbappé have scored more from distance

The match was lively from the first half: Berardi had several attempts, while for Genoa Baldanzi, Colombo and especially Vitinha looked dangerous, with the latter going close from a corner routine.

The opener came from Malinovskyi’s 6th goal of the season in the 18th minute, of course from distance: a left-footed shot tucked in near the post. Since 2019/20, the Ukrainian has scored 21 goals from outside the box: level with Harry Kane, and only Messi (23) and Mbappé (24) have done better. That’s according to Opta.

🟥🟥 Clash in the tunnel: RED cards for Berardi and Ellertsson

At the end of the first half, a brawl broke out in the tunnel between Berardi and Ellertsson: the two exchanged blows in full view of the referee, who sent them both off before they returned to the dressing room.

It all stemmed from an uncalled foul on Koné toward the end of the half: Berardi and Sabelli argued, with Vitinha pushing Berardi toward the tunnel wall. On the way in, the argument spread and escalated with Ellertsson.

💥 Equaliser and then Ekuban makes it 2-1! DDR celebrates 💪

The two teams came back out with 10 men each, and Sassuolo began to take control of the game: in the 57th minute, from a corner, Koné made it 1-1 with a tap-in.

The tempo dropped and Genoa built the 2-1 goal with a brilliant move in the 84th minute: Sabelli, with a backheel, completed a one-two with Messias, who crossed into the box, where Ekuban (brought on in the second half) scored from close range.

After the final whistle, De Rossi went to celebrate under the stand for what was, almost certainly, the survival-clinching match.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.