It was a nightmare afternoon for AC Milan at the Mapei Stadium, as the Rossoneri saw their Serie A hopes take a major hit in a 2-0 loss to Sassuolo. The match turned on its head inside the first 30 minutes when Fikayo Tomori was sent off, leaving Milan to battle with 10 men for over an hour—and the hosts made them pay.

Milan came into the match with a golden opportunity: a win would have pulled them level with second-placed Napoli and strengthened their grip on a Champions League spot. But the script was flipped early. Domenico Berardi, a longtime thorn in Milan's side, needed just five minutes to add to his legend against them. After Kristian Thorstvedt robbed Ardon Jashari in midfield, the ball was quickly shifted to Berardi, who curled a first-time finish into the far bottom corner with the inside of his left foot. It was his 12th career goal against the Rossoneri—a stat that should send shivers down any Milan fan's spine.

The visitors had chances to respond. Mike Maignan made a sharp one-handed save to deny M'Bala Nzola on the counter, and both teams saw penalty appeals waved away. Berardi had his arm behind his back on one shout, while Armand Laurienté went down too easily under pressure from Matteo Gabbia. At the other end, Christopher Nkunku had a similar claim dismissed. Then came the moment that broke Milan's spirit: Rafael Leao, after a defensive error sent him clean through on goal, blazed wide with only the goalkeeper to beat. It was the kind of miss that leaves you shaking your head.

Things went from bad to worse when Tomori, already on a yellow card, dragged down Laurienté on the counter-attack. The referee had no choice but to show a second yellow, and Milan were down to 10 men with over an hour still to play. From there, it was only a matter of time. Armand Laurienté doubled Sassuolo's lead in the second half, sealing a comprehensive victory for the Neroverdi. For Milan, the collapse was complete—and the race for second place just got a whole lot tighter.