ROME Domenico Berardi scored twice, including his 100th goal in Serie A, and Sassuolo beat Spezia 4-1 on Friday to keep alive their chances of securing a Europa League spot.

Sassuolo moved up to ninth place and just five points from the Europa League spots amid a six-match unbeaten run.

Berardi converted a penalty early on then restored Sassuolo’s advantage after the break with a precise finish through traffic.

All of Berardi’s 100 goals have come with Sassuolo. The striker could have a key role for Italy in next week’s World Cup playoff against North Macedonia.

Kaan Ayhan and Gianluca Scamacca also scored for Sassuolo, while Daniele Verde had a temporary equaliser for Spezia, who remained 15th.

Also, Manolo Portanova scored in the first half for relegation-threatened Genoa in a 1-0 win over Torino. Shortly after Portanova’s goal, Genoa were reduced to 10 men when Leo Ostigard picked up his second yellow.

It was Genoa’s second win of the season. The other was in September.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2022