SASSUOLO 1 V JUVENTUS 0 - MAPEI STADIUM - SERIE A - 16th APRIL 2023

Getting there - If you like a good walk, this is your place. The stadium sits a couple of km out of town and the train station. According to google it has its own station (Reggio Stadio)  but trains run very infrequently and bizarrely its seems not in combination with any event at the stadium.  That was a little odd but it was a good place to walk off lunch and a 9 euro litre of local red wine.  Im sure there was a local bus but it seemed most people were walking. Once at the stadium there is very little on offer to wet your whistle with exception of a shopping centre underneath one of the stands. Whilst a little souless, it at least afforded a seat in a plastic restaurant and joining the massive queue for the toilets.

Founded in 1920, Sassuolo have largely been an amatuer team for a significant chunk of that time. In 2006 they reached Serie C , climbed to  Serie A in 2013 and have stayed there. They are owned by Mapei, a company dealing in building products and the stadium takes their name. The town of Sassuolo is 40km away from the location of the Mapei stadium (Reggio Emilia) with a population of 40 odd thousand resulting in what you might expect of pretty low home support. No doubt that has upset a few locals and especially Reggiana (Serie B) fans, the team from Reggio Emilia that the stadium sits within.

Getting in - tickets online from VIVATICKET but for this game it was pretty impossible without an Italian fidelity card seemingly selling to only local fans. I didnt give up though and sent a mail to the Sassuolo FC  ticket email address 5 days before game stating we were 4 English blokes coming for a football  weekend and could they spare 4 tickets. They could. Boom!  After many return emails using google translate and money transfer via IBAN we had 4 tickets for what we thought would be the highlight game of the weekend. It wasn't! 

What its like -  The stinker of Sassuolo!  This was the last game of the weekend and much anticipated. Whether it was Juventus having a Europa league hangover and resting players or Sassuolo looking ahead to the beach from their mid table position, this was a poor one in terms of quality which it lacked largely from minute 1 to 95. Both teams finding it difficult to find a   last pass, or a penultimate one for that matter. Apart from the goal from 2nd half substitute Defrel,  it was largely forgettable. As always the away fans made up for it in large numbers and voice.  Not sure id go again.