US Sassuolo Calcio in the 2013-14 Season
Serie A Finish: 17th
Match Results: W9-D7-L22
(Featured image: Sassuolo | Source: Zimbio)
Sassuolo had a terribly difficult season in their 2013-14 campaign at the Italian top-flight league. However, the difficulty was inevitable and understandable. It was the club’s first-ever appearance in Serie A, having been promoted from Serie B under the tutelage of Eusebio Di Francesco. To remain in the league after a series of tough challenges against their top-tier rivals was already an accomplishment for the small Emilian club.
Prior to the season opening, Sassuolo participated in the Trofeo TIM Trophy and later won it after losing to Juventus on penalties and then thumping Milan 2-1. This made the club the first-ever team to win the cup outside the usual winners and football betting favorites Milan, Inter, and Juventus.
Neroverdi debuted in the Serie A season with a disheartening defeat from Torino 2-0. In their second match, at home, Simone Zaza scored their first top-flight goal but as with their opener, it ended up tragically in favor of Livorno. The team earned their first point in their fifth fixture with a draw against Napoli. This was followed by another stalemate with Lazio. The unimpressive results easily put the squad at the foot of the league table and only managed to have a brief escape from it when they won over Bologna on 20 October 2013, with goals from Domenico Berardi and Antonio Floro Flores.
Sassuolo won on the road for the first time in the Italian’s top-tier football on 3 November, against Sampdoria, with Berardi producing a breathtaking hat-trick to win 4–3. Berardi’s unbelievable success continued as he became the only player in the season to score four goals in a single match, courtesy of their 4-2 victory against AC Milan on 12 January 2014. After winning 4-2 against Genoa on 11 May 2014, Di Francesco’s squad were guaranteed to remain in Serie A for the 2014–15 season. Berardi was also among the top scorers overall, with 16 goals he netted for Neroverdi.
