AC Milan comfortably dispatched Serie B side Sassuolo 6-1 at the San Siro on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, with Samuel Chukwueze scoring twice in the first half. Milan will face either AS Roma or Sampdoria in the next round.
The match was effectively decided by the 23rd minute, as Milan raced to a 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Chukwueze (who scored twice), Tijjani Reijnders, and Rafael Leao. Milan then added a fifth goal through Davide Calabria just after the break. Sassuolo managed a consolation goal through Samuele Mulattieri, but Tammy Abraham rounded off the victory for Milan in the 61st minute.
Chukwueze opened the scoring in the 12th minute, pouncing on a rebound after hitting the upright in a one-on-one with the keeper. Reijnders doubled the lead with a powerful shot from outside the box five minutes later. Chukwueze then grabbed his second in the 21st minute with a well-placed curling shot, following a lay-off from Abraham. Leao added a fourth just two minutes later, finishing off a no-look pass from Ruben Loftus-Cheek with a powerful shot into the far corner.
Milan manager Paulo Fonseca made eight changes from the team that defeated Empoli 3-0 over the weekend, and he introduced four substitutes at half-time. One of them, Christian Pulisic, delivered a cross that hit the post, allowing Calabria to react quickest and score Milan’s fifth goal. Sassuolo responded with Mulattieri’s effort slipping under Milan’s goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani, but Abraham sealed the win with a composed finish in the 61st minute.
In other Coppa Italia action, Bologna cruised into the quarter-finals with a 4-0 home win over Monza, thanks to goals from Tommaso Pobega, Riccardo Orsolini, Benjamin Dominguez, and Santiago Castro. Bologna will face the winner of the match between Atalanta and Cesena.
