Milan had to settle for a 1-1 draw on the road against Sassuolo in Serie A, where Adrien Rabiot’s strong strike was equalised by Cas Odenthal. The match was marred by what appeared to be a severe injury to Matteo Gabbia, who was taken off on a stretcher in tears during his first start of the season.
The Rossoneri had effectively shifted to a four-man defence in their 3-0 win over Lecce before the international break but were missing Alexis Saelemaekers, who needed ankle surgery. Luka Modric was given a rest from the starting line-up, while Diego Moreira and Christian Pulisic operated behind Goncalo Ramos. Sassuolo, for their part, entered the game after a 3-2 win over Juventus before losing to Monza, with several players sidelined by injury.
Sassuolo 1-1 Milan as Gabbia suffers a serious injury
Gabbia’s first start of the campaign ended early when he stretched to challenge as Armand Laurienté sprinted away. The defender seemed to hyperextend his leg and suffered a bad strain to his left thigh, leaving him unable to stand. He was carried off on a stretcher in tears and replaced by Koni De Winter.
The stoppages continued soon after play resumed, as Fedde Leysen limped off with a badly sprained knee. Cas Odenthal came on in his place, later making a key contribution to Sassuolo’s equaliser.
Milan created the first meaningful chances as the half progressed. Rabiot headed a free kick from Moreira over the crossbar before Moreira tested goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from close range. Ramos then saw his header from a Samuel Chukwueze cross pushed over, while Muric also denied Moreira after the attacker turned between two defenders and saved a Strahinja Pavlovic header at the back post.
Adrien Rabiot gives Milan the lead against Sassuolo
Modric entered the game at half-time, replacing the booked Estupinan and allowing Moreira to move to full-back. Sassuolo responded with chances of their own, as Vasilije Adzic combined with Domenico Berardi before forcing a save from Mike Maignan. Josh Doig also volleyed a Berardi cross over the bar.
Milan eventually broke the deadlock when Rabiot ran beyond the offside trap to meet Modric’s through ball. He struck fiercely into the roof of the net at the near top corner, catching Muric by surprise, although the goalkeeper appeared to have a chance of stopping the shot from that angle.
Sassuolo threatened an immediate response, with Maignan making a difficult save to deny Kieron Bowie before smothering Kristian Thorstvedt’s follow-up flick. The hosts continued to push forward and found their equaliser from a corner delivered by Laurienté. After the ball was flicked on, Odenthal poked it into the net from seven yards through a crowd of players.
Sassuolo pushes for a winner as Milan settles for a draw
The equaliser opened up the contest, with both teams looking for a late winner. Muric rushed out to prevent Chukwueze from reaching a through ball by Pulisic, while substitute Alphadjo Cisse forced another save with a curling effort that was pushed away.
Sassuolo thought they had scored again in the 88th minute when Thorstvedt fired in a loose ball from close range. However, the goal was ruled out because the referee had already blown for a push by Bowie on Ramos.
The hosts had the final opportunity of the match, but Maignan collected Thorstvedt’s strike from beneath the crossbar. Milan therefore left with a point after Rabiot’s opener was cancelled out by Odenthal, while Gabbia’s injury remained the most troubling moment of the evening.