Fabio Grosso’s side had no business winning this game. Not on paper. Not on possession. Not on the balance of the season so far.
But football does not care about any of that, and in the space of two chaotic minutes just before half-time, Sassuolo scored twice on the counter-attack and effectively ended Como’s chances of a Champions League place. Cristian Volpato lifted a chip over Jean Butez in the 42nd minute, M’Bala Nzola made it 2-0 on 44, and whatever Cesc Fàbregas tried in the second half — and he tried quite a lot — it was never enough to turn things around.
Final score: Sassuolo 2-1 Como. The home side’s first-ever victory over Como. A result that leaves Fàbregas’ side fifth, five points behind fourth-placed Juventus with five games remaining. The Champions League dream is not quite dead, but Friday night in Reggio Emilia made it look a lot further away.
The Stakes
Como arrived at the Mapei Stadium in a position they would have dreamed of at the start of the season — fifth in Serie A, two points behind Juventus in fourth, with a genuine chance of Champions League football if results went their way. A win here and they would go above Juve at least temporarily. Another setback and the gap would grow.
The problem was timing. They had just conceded a 3-4 home defeat to Inter — their first back-to-back losses since December — and were carrying that disappointment into a ground where the home team, whatever their league position, had cause to play with freedom. Sassuolo, 11th on 42 points and safe, had nothing to lose and everything to prove after their loss at Genoa the previous week.
Berardi was absent — suspended after his tunnel red card at the Ferraris. Doig was banned too after a fifth yellow. Grosso had his squad stretched. None of that seemed to matter.
First Half: Patient Como, Sucker-Punch Sassuolo
The opening 40 minutes were almost entirely Como. Fàbregas’ side had 70% of the ball, probed repeatedly, and had Sassuolo sitting deep and absorbing. It was the kind of performance you would normally associate with a team comfortable with how the game was going.
Sassuolo’s very first real threat came when Laurienté played Nzola into the box and he laid it off to Thorstvedt, whose deflected left-footed effort went just wide of the post. It barely registered as a warning.
Como continued to dominate. Nico Paz — the Argentine midfielder who, according to Opta, is the only player in Europe’s top five leagues to have scored at least five goals both home and away this season — kept finding space. Alvaro Morata held the ball up well in attack. But the cutting edge that had been so devastating in wins over Pisa and Udinese simply was not there, and Sassuolo’s goalkeeper Stefano Turati was largely untroubled.
Then, from a Como corner in the 42nd minute, everything changed. Laurienté won the ball and immediately played forward. Nzola found room in behind the visiting defence, took two touches, and squared for Volpato, who arrived at pace and clipped a first-time effort over the stranded Butez. The chip was perfectly weighted. 1-0 Sassuolo, against the run of play, completely out of nowhere.
Two minutes later, they made it two. Same pattern — Sassuolo counter, Laurienté driving the move, Nzola bursting forward and this time keeping it himself. One-on-one with Butez, he finished confidently. 2-0. Mapei Stadium erupted.
Como barely had time to process it before Nico Paz pulled one back with the last meaningful action of the half. Ivan Smolcic found him with a cross, and the Argentine looped a header into the top left corner. 2-1 at the break. But the damage was done.
Second Half: Como Press, Turati Holds
Fàbregas made changes at half-time, bringing on Douvikas, Perrone and Vojvoda to try to inject energy and find a second goal. The visitors started the second period with more urgency and had the better of the early exchanges.
Paz came agonisingly close to an equaliser around the 72nd minute when a lofted effort from close range went over Turati — but the goalkeeper recovered in time to claw the ball away from the line. It was a crucial moment. On another night, that goes in. Instead, Turati survived it, and with it went Como’s best realistic chance of a leveller.
Butez had to be alert at the other end to deny Volpato’s effort as Sassuolo looked to add a third and kill the contest. The French keeper made his saves when it mattered.
Despite seeing 70% of the ball and having eight corners to Sassuolo’s five, Como never looked like scoring a second. Their usual sharpness in front of goal — responsible for 12 goals in their previous four league games — was absent. The final whistle came with the scoreline unchanged.
The Storylines
There was something quietly poignant about this fixture. Fàbregas sat in the away dugout. Matic played in Sassuolo’s midfield. Two former Chelsea teammates, separated by a touchline and opposing ambitions, facing each other at opposite ends of the table. Fàbregas, building something exciting at Como. Matic, still playing at the highest level, a calming presence in Grosso’s setup.
Nzola was the man of the match — rightly. The Angolan forward’s movement and link play created the platform for both goals, and his finish for the second was exactly what a striker gets paid for. Volpato was brilliant too — two key contributions in two minutes when the game was supposedly going against his side.
As for Sassuolo, this was their fourth win in five home games. A club back in Serie A for the first time in years, they have more than held their own. They climb to ninth — back into the top half of the table.
What It Means
Como stay fifth on 58 points. Juventus are fourth on 63 points. The gap is now five with five games left, and the run-in includes fixtures that will not get any easier. A season that had looked genuinely special a month ago has taken two damaging hits in a week.
Fàbregas will demand a response. This group is talented enough to provide one. But at this stage of the season, with rivals winning and the margin for error shrinking, Friday night at the Mapei Stadium felt like a real turning point.
For live Serie A scores and match coverage, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full standings and fixture updates are available at the official Lega Serie A website.
Match Summary
Sassuolo 2-1 Como Serie A, Matchday 33 | Friday, 17 April 2026 Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia | Referee: Francesco Fourneau (ITA)
Goals: Cristian Volpato 42′ (assist: M’Bala Nzola), M’Bala Nzola 44′ (assist: Aurélien Laurienté), Nico Paz 45’+2′ (assist: Ivan Smolcic)
Sassuolo (4-3-3): Turati; Walukiewicz, Muharemovic, Idzes, Coulibaly; Koné, Matic, Thorstvedt; Volpato, Nzola, Laurienté
Como (4-2-3-1): Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Kempf, Moreno; Caqueret, Da Cunha; Diao (Vojvoda HT), Paz, Baturina (Douvikas HT); Morata (Perrone HT)
Yellow Cards: Koné, Matic, Walukiewicz (Sassuolo) | Smolcic, Caqueret, Ramon (Como)
Stats: Possession: Sassuolo 30% — Como 70% | Shots on Goal: 4-3 | Attempts: 12-12 | Corners: 5-8 | Saves: 2-2 | Half-time: 2-1
