Sassuolo frustrated Fiorentina with a well-fought 1-1 draw at the Mapei Stadium in their Monday evening Serie A encounter.
Borja Valero gave the visiting side the lead, but Sergio Floccari leveled the score before half-time to deny Fiorentina the chance of going top of Serie A.
The hosts survived too very early penalty claims. First, full-back Sime Vrsaljko escaped a handball claim when he shouldered the ball out of play, then Francesco Acerbi looked to fell Josip Ilicic in the area; referee Davide Massa was unmoved by both decisions. However with five minutes gone, Borja Valero put La Viola in front.
The cross from Ilicic wasn’t controlled by Giuseppe Rossi, but the Spanish midfield maestro was there to lash it past Andrea Consigli. Ilicic had a great chance to make it 2-0, but Consigli had his angles covered and stopped the Slovenian in his tracks.
The complacency that had crept into Fiorentina’s game earlier returned. Sime Vrsaljko picked out Sergio Floccari with a great cross into the box, the striker heading past Ciprian Tatarusanu with surprising ease; the Fiorentina defenders failed in their attempts to deal with the threat.
In the second half the threat from the Neroverdi continued. Floccari was in again when Francesco Magnanelli won an aerial battle, but his effort went straight at Tatarusanu. Manuel Pasqual saw his strike from a tight angle parried by Consigli, then Floccari missed a golden chance to find a winner.
The striker took a touch on the chest when Vrsaljko found him in the box, but really should have shot first time as the attack fizzled out. Substitute striker Nikola Kalinic had a rasping shot parried wide by Consigli, before referee Massa turned down another penalty appeal when substitute Matteo Politano looked to stop a cross with his arm; leaving the visitors frustrated as the final whistle blew.
