European football: Milan held 3-3 by Sassuolo and Napoli drop more points

Milan fought back to secure a thrilling 3-3 draw at Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday thanks to a late equaliser from the substitute Noah Okafor.

Milan hold second place with 69 points, six ahead of Juventus with six matches left. Sassuolo are in 19th – a relegation spot – with 26 points. Inter, who host Cagliari later on Sunday, are the runaway leaders on 82.

Sassuolo stunned Milan with a goal from Andrea Pinamonti off a Kristian Thorstvedt flick after four minutes and doubled their lead six minutes later through Armand Laurienté, whose shot was deflected back into his path for an easy finish. Rafael Leão revived Milan’s chances 20 minutes in with a solo run, slipping past two Sassuolo defenders before slotting the ball into the far corner to narrow the gap.

In the second half, the excitement persisted as Laurienté got another goal, eight minutes after the break, and Milan’s Luka Jovic pulled one back just before the hour mark with a close-range rebound. Six minutes before full time, the newly arrived Okafor received the ball inside the box and secured a point for Milan with a well-placed shot.

Napoli’s aspirations for a top-four finish were dealt a blow when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by relegation-threatened Frosinone. Napoli are now eighth with 49 points, putting them 10 points behind Bologna in the fourth Champions League spot with six rounds left. Frosinone are in 18th with 27 points.

The hosts relentlessly bombarded the Frosinone goal until Matteo Politano’s 16th-minute curler from the edge of the box secured the lead. Minutes later, Victor Osimhen had the chance to double Napoli’s lead as he sprinted free towards the goal, but his shot went just wide.

Frosinone were awarded a penalty at the half-hour mark after Amir Rrahmani tackled Walid Cheddira but Matías Soulé’s attempt was saved. The visitors grew more active under the warm Naples sun, mustering several attempts on goal, but Napoli’s goalkeeper Alex Meret remained in control until the break.

Five minutes into the second half, Frosinone equalised through Cheddira after Meret’s half-hearted clearance bounced off Soulé, setting up an easy finish into the empty net.

Napoli regained the lead in the 63rd minute when a deflected strike from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was tapped in by Osimhen near the goal line, but Cheddira secured his brace with a header in the 73rd minute to grab a share of the spoils.

Mário Rui capped a lacklustre day for Napoli by being sent off deep into stoppage time after receiving his second yellow card for a foul on the counter-attacking Demba Seck.

Francesco Calzona, the Napoli coach, admitted that it would be difficult for his team to get a place in the Champions League next season, even if Serie A secured a fifth spot in the competition. Both Roma and Atalanta are ahead of them in the table, having played fewer games.

“We had to win this game to remain in the race,” Calzona told Dazn. “We are dangerous when we have possession; the problem is in defence, as we are too fragile. We’ve been working on this for two weeks. Evidently, it’s not enough. Frosinone have scored many goals this season, they create a lot.”

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