AC Milan left Sassuolo with a 1-1 draw on 11 October 2026, but Ruben Amorim’s post-match message was about control, not just the dropped points. Adrien Rabiot had put Milan ahead in the 63rd minute, Cas Odenthal equalised in the 68th, and Amorim said the side stopped managing the game after scoring.

Milan's lost control after the opener

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, translated from Italian, Amorim said: "We cannot be satisfied after losing two points like this. We deserved the lead, but after the goal you have to keep pushing: it is a matter of mentality."

He repeated the same point in his comments to football-italia.net. "We deserved to take the lead, but then after the goal we didn’t control the game, and we need to control the game with the ball, we cannot drop or try to defend."

The scoreline leaves Milan on 11 points from five Serie A matches and fifth in the table. That is not a disaster for an early-season away draw, but it is a reminder that this group still has to be cleaner once it goes in front.

Gabbia's injury adds to the frustration

Amorim also pointed to the corner that led to Sassuolo’s equaliser. "We continued to push, because the momentum was with us, but not in the right way. When we had the ball, we lost it really fast. That can happen, but what cannot happen is to concede that goal on the corner."

The wider frustration came from Matteo Gabbia going off in tears after 20 minutes on his first start of the season. Amorim said he does not yet know the type, severity or recovery time of the injury, and described Gabbia as a fundamental player for the group.

Amorim’s own explanation for the second half was that Luka Modrić gave Milan more possession after the break, but also left them a bit more exposed in transitions. Milan switched to a 4-man defence at half-time, and the coach said the idea was to build better and push the midfield higher, not simply to change personnel.

Even with that shift, the main takeaway from Sassuolo vs AC Milan is straightforward. Milan had the lead, lost control after it, and left with the point and an injured defender to think about.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →