Douvikas double sends Como past struggling Sassuolo
Cesc Fabregas's side followed their Champions League rout of Manchester United with a controlled 2-0 win, Anastasios Douvikas scoring both goals after a halftime reshuffle unlocked the game.
Como beat Sassuolo 2-0 at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Friday, with Anastasios Douvikas scoring twice in the second half to extend the Lariani's impressive run, as reported by Football Italia.
The win came days after Como's 4-1 demolition of Manchester United in the Champions League, and Cesc Fabregas rotated his squad accordingly. Mattia Liberali, Trevoh Chalobah, Assane Diao and Jesus Rodriguez were all absent, Moise Kean started on the bench, and Samuele Ricci was handed his first start, according to Football Italia.
Sassuolo arrived having taken just one point from their previous three matches and were missing Jay Idzes, Fedde Leysen, Daniel Boloca and Ismael Koné. Cristian Volpato, returning from injury, was fit enough only for a late substitute appearance.
Two disallowed goals set the early tone
Both sides had efforts chalked off before the interval. Lucas Da Cunha had the ball in the net for Como after seven minutes but was flagged offside in a wide right position, Football Italia reported. Sassuolo thought they had taken the lead when Kieron Bowie rolled the ball across for Darryl Bakola to convert, only for Bowie to be ruled offside in the build-up.
Those calls aside, Como were the more threatening side throughout the opening 45 minutes. Douvikas twice went close, first squeezing a shot against the near post from an acute angle, then forcing a difficult save from Stefano Turati. Maxence Caqueret's finish from a good position was too tame to trouble the goalkeeper, and Benjamin Dominguez curled narrowly off target for Sassuolo at the other end.
A brief penalty appeal came when Bruno Kaiki's trailing arm blocked a Dominguez pull-back, but referees judged the arm was in a natural position as he fell, and no spot-kick was awarded.
Kaiki's bursts down the left unlocked the game
Fabregas made three substitutions at the break, and the change in personnel paid off almost immediately. Three minutes into the second half, Caqueret won a stretching challenge in midfield, released Kaiki down the left flank, and the defender rolled a pull-back across goal for Douvikas to sweep in from close range.
The pattern repeated for the second goal. In the 60th minute, Kaiki intercepted a Sassuolo pass in midfield, drove forward on the left again, and pulled the ball back from the byline for Douvikas, who slid in from ten yards to complete his brace. Both goals originated from the same transition trigger: a Como midfielder winning the ball high up the pitch and immediately releasing a defender into space down the flank, with Douvikas arriving late into the box to finish cutbacks rather than crosses.
That Kaiki, a defender, was the chief creative outlet on both occasions says something about how Fabregas wants his side to attack once possession is regained in midfield. Rather than building patiently, Como looked to spring players forward into the space Sassuolo left behind their own press, converting turnovers into scoring chances within seconds.
Como continued to create chances after going two goals up. Jayden Addai twisted inside from the right to force another save from Turati, and the follow-up header from Caqueret was deflected wide by Ignace van der Brempt. Luis Milla should have added a third from 12 yards after Sassuolo were caught attempting to play out from the back under pressure, while Jacobo Ramon saw a late effort blocked in stoppage time.
The numbers reflect a one-sided contest
Como finished with 56% possession to Sassuolo's 44%, according to the match statistics reported by Football Italia. The home side had 14 shots to Sassuolo's seven, and six of those were on target compared to none for the visitors. Sassuolo's only route to goal came through the build-up mistake that led to Bakola's disallowed effort, and their attempts to play short out of defence repeatedly broke down under Como's press, most notably in the move that gave Milla his late chance.
The absence of a single shot on target for Sassuolo, set against six for Como, underlines how little the visitors threatened once Douvikas and his teammates settled into the game after the interval. Alberto Aquilani's side managed only 10 fouls to Como's 14, a sign they rarely had the ball long enough in advanced areas to be challenged for it.
Como's victory keeps their momentum intact after the Manchester United result, with Douvikas's double adding further evidence that Fabregas can rotate his squad, as he did with Ricci's debut start and Kean's omission from the XI, without disrupting the team's attacking output.