Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi contributed again in the Neroverdi's seventh Serie A fixture of the 2026-27 season, but his effort was not enough to prevent a 4-2 defeat away against Frosinone, where a hat-trick from the hosts' number nine proved the defining force of the evening.
The result tightens the pressure on Alberto Aquilani's side at a delicate moment. Sassuolo sit 11th with eight points from seven matches — two wins, two draws, three defeats — and a goal difference that already tells its own story: 12 scored, 14 conceded. The attack has not been the problem. The backline has.
Berardi's season numbers carry a quiet coherence. Two goals in six Serie A appearances, an average match rating of 7.03, and a single-match peak of 8.20 — that high-water mark came in the opening win against Torino, which we have already documented. The Frosinone match adds another goal to his tally, confirming that the 32-year-old remains a reliable source of output even when the team around him is not functioning. His AI overall of 72 out of 100 reflects a player who is still producing at a level that justifies his place in Aquilani's plans, even if the broader squad context is limiting what that production can achieve.
The goalkeeper — identified in reports as Muric — had a difficult evening, and Aquilani addressed the performance directly after the final whistle, stopping short of writing off his shot-stopper: "I wouldn't draw conclusions yet," the Sassuolo coach said of Muric's display. It is a measured response, but the concession of four goals away from home leaves little room for ambiguity about where the squad's vulnerabilities lie.
Berardi's personal form is not the concern. At 32, he is scoring at a rate that keeps Sassuolo competitive in individual moments. The problem is structural: a team that has now conceded 14 goals in seven matches will not climb the table on the strength of one forward's contributions alone. Aquilani needs the defensive unit to match what Berardi is providing at the other end, or the Neroverdi's mid-table position will begin to feel optimistic rather than transitional.