Match report
Varela double lifts Monza past Sassuolo in Serie A
Monza beat Sassuolo 2-1 at home in Serie A's fifth round of matches, ending a run of poor results with a display built on two clinical strikes from Gustavo Varela. The scoreline was goalless at half-time before the hosts took control after the break.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Varela broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, finishing off an assist from Samuele Birindelli, and doubled Monza's advantage from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute to make it 2-0. Sassuolo pulled a goal back late through Vasilije Adžić in the 88th minute, but could not find a leveller as the game closed out at 2-1.
Despite the result, Sassuolo dominated large parts of the play, holding 65 percent of possession and outshooting Monza 20 to 15, with eight shots on target to the hosts' six. Monza were the more direct and physical side, committing 13 fouls to Sassuolo's six and picking up four yellow cards compared to the visitors' one, while still edging the contest where it mattered most.
Gustavo Varela scored both of Monza's goals, including a penalty, and finished with a match-high rating of 8.09.
Sassuolo enjoyed almost twice the possession of Monza, controlling the ball 65 percent of the time to their opponents' 35.
Monza beat Sassuolo 2–1 (half-time 0–0).
Monza met Sassuolo in the Serie A (Regular Season - 5). Kick-off was Friday, 18 September 2026, 18:45 UTC at U-Power Stadium. Referee: Daniele Perenzoni.
Key moments
- 51' Goal: Gustavo Varela (assist: Samuele Birindelli) — 1–0 · Watch Gustavo Varela's goal video (51')
- 63' Goal (penalty): Gustavo Varela — 2–0 · Watch Gustavo Varela's goal video (63')
- 88' Goal: Vasilije Adžić — 2–1 · Watch Vasilije Adžić's goal video (88')
Starting line-ups
Monza (3-4-2-1)
Sassuolo (4-3-3)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Monza 34%, the draw 30%, Sassuolo 36%. It finished Monza 2–1 Sassuolo.
Sassuolo's rating edge outweighs Monza's home ground — Sassuolo are the stronger side on our strength rating, and their control of the ball plus the early-season home fade on top give Sassuolo the lean. The draw at 30% is held down by a high-scoring environment.
Why Sassuolo at 36%?
Sassuolo sit 85 points higher on our strength rating — 1622 to 1707. Sides with a 50–100-point rating edge on the road won 33.0% of 10,646 such games. Sassuolo hold 6 more possession points (51 to 45 in recent games) across a 85-point rating gap. Control now carries a receipt beyond near-equals too: sides with this control edge at a 75–150-point rating gap won 42.6% of 8,690 such games where the class table expected 41.3%. Both sides are inside their first six league games — home wins land softer this early in the season, so this trims Monza's column. Across 11,172 opening-stretch games since 2010, home sides won 42.7% where the rating map expected 44.9%, with draws up 2.0 — negative in every season since 2018. The 300 most similar past games finished 38–27–35.
Why only 36%?
No scored evidence points the other way. 36% is what this rating gap has been worth in games like these; the rest is the draw at 30% and Monza at 34%.
Why the draw at 30%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 28.3%. These teams' recent games average 3.2 goals — a high-scoring environment. Games in that environment drew 22.8% of 17,234. The goals environment takes 2.5 points off the draw. Early-season fixtures add 2.0 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
In our recorded league results, Sassuolo are winless in their last 8 away games: 3 draws and 5 defeats. The run began on 9 March 2026. Last recorded away league win: 15 February 2026 — Udinese 1–2 Sassuolo. Latest recorded away league result: 6 September 2026 — Bologna 2–2 Sassuolo. Across 13,680 historical matches involving visitors with at least six consecutive winless away league games, those visitors won 25.8%, compared with 24.9% expected from team strength. Monza are newly promoted — game 5 of their first ten at this level, where our rating knows them least. Promoted sides ran below their rating in nine of the last ten seasons — 26.5% wins in their first ten games where the rating expected 30.0% (2,793 games since 2012), fading but still visible through game nineteen. The other measured facts on this page scored nothing either.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Monza vs Sassuolo final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Serie A fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Gustavo Varela's goal against Sassuolo (51').
- Watch Gustavo Varela's goal against Sassuolo (63').
- Watch Vasilije Adžić's goal against Monza (88').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Monza 2–1 Sassuolo. Explore more on the Monza and Sassuolo team pages or the Serie A page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Monza vs Sassuolo?
Monza beat Sassuolo 2–1 (half-time 0–0).
›Who scored in Monza vs Sassuolo?
Gustavo Varela (51') for Monza; Gustavo Varela (63') (penalty) for Monza; Vasilije Adžić (88') for Sassuolo.
›Where can I watch Monza vs Sassuolo highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Monza 2–1 Sassuolo are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.
›What is the head-to-head record between Monza and Sassuolo?
Monza and Sassuolo have met 4 times — 3 wins for Monza, 0 wins for Sassuolo and 1 draw.