Sassuolo caused a significant upset by defeating Como 2-1 at the Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on April 17, 2026. The Neroverdi shattered Como's Champions League dream with a quickfire double of counter-attacks from Cristian Volpato and M’Bala Nzola. This Serie A victory has severely impacted the Lariani's ambitions, pushing their chances of reaching Europe's top club competition further away.

Como, fresh off a chaotic 4-3 defeat to Inter that still left them in fifth place, had rotated their squad ahead of Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against the same opponents. Jayden Addai remained the only long-term absentee, but Alvaro Morata was given a rare start. Como manager Fabio Grosso's strategy aimed at managing player fatigue but ultimately proved costly.

On the other side, Sassuolo faced the match with several significant absences. Domenico Berardi and Josh Doig were suspended after their ill-tempered loss to Genoa, while Darryl Bakola, Filippo Romagna, Daniel Boloca, Edoardo Pieragnolo, and Fali Cande were all injured. These defections provided Stefano Turati with a surprise chance in goal, which he seized effectively.

The game began with a huge chance for Sassuolo within 20 seconds, as Kristian Thorstvedt’s finish from the edge of the area was deflected just wide by Jacobo Ramon. Thorstvedt was also brought down just outside the area by Ramon, leading to a yellow card, and Armand Laurienté saw his resulting free kick palmed out from under the bar. Sassuolo continued to press, showing great determination.

Como attempted to respond, with Alberto Moreno just failing to connect with a Nico Paz cross at the back post, and Turati scrambling to fingertip a Nico Paz shot around the base of the upright. However, the Lariani were caught totally unbalanced on their corner kick. It was at this moment that Laurienté sent M’Bala Nzola on the counter-attack, initiating the move that led to the first goal and then the second, sealing the victory for Sassuolo.