Frosinone 4-2 Sassuolo: Raimondo hat-trick report

Antonio Raimondo scored a hat-trick as Frosinone beat Sassuolo 4-2 at the PSC Arena on Friday evening, 16 October 2026, in Serie A matchday 7. Giacomo Calò opened the scoring after nine minutes, Domenico Berardi and Kristian Thorstvedt twice kept Sassuolo in touch in a breathless first half that ended 3-2, and Raimondo completed his treble just before the hour to seal a victory that lifts Massimiliano Alvini's side into the top half of the table. Here is our full match report, with the timeline, the statistics and the tactical story behind a six-goal evening in Lazio.

Frosinone vs Sassuolo match report: five goals before half-time

Both coaches opted for a 4-2-3-1. Alvini picked Palmisani in goal, a back four of Oyono, Cittadini, Monterisi and Bracaglia, the double pivot of Masini and Calò, and Ghedjemis, Schmid and Kvernadze behind the lone striker Raimondo. Sassuolo coach Aquilani went with Murić in goal, Van der Brempt, Odenthal, Ćaleta-Car and Doig in defence, Nemanja Matić and Darryl Bakola in midfield, Berardi, Thorstvedt and Laurienté as the attacking trio and Sebastiano Esposito leading the line.

The game exploded from the start. Calò put Frosinone ahead on nine minutes, only for Berardi to equalise six minutes later from Bakola's assist. Frosinone thought they had regained the lead through Kvernadze on 17 minutes, but VAR ruled the goal out. It barely slowed the hosts: Raimondo struck on 26 and again on 30 minutes to make it 3-1, before Thorstvedt pulled one back for Sassuolo on 37 minutes. Referee Matteo Marchetti blew for half-time with the scoreboard reading 3-2.

Antonio Raimondo hat-trick: key moments timeline

9' – GOAL, Frosinone 1-0: Giacomo Calò.
15' – GOAL, 1-1: Domenico Berardi, assisted by Darryl Bakola.
17' – VAR: Giorgi Kvernadze's goal for Frosinone is cancelled.
26' – GOAL, Frosinone 2-1: Antonio Raimondo.
30' – GOAL, Frosinone 3-1: Raimondo again.
37' – GOAL, 3-2: Kristian Thorstvedt for Sassuolo.
57' – GOAL, Frosinone 4-2: Raimondo completes his hat-trick.
58' – Kieron Bowie replaces Thorstvedt (Sassuolo).
67–68' – Sassuolo triple change: Benjamín Domínguez for Esposito, Luca Lipani for Matić, Rafael Obrador for Doig.
74' – Frosinone: Omar Fayed replaces Monterisi, Alessio Zerbin replaces Kvernadze.
80' – Frosinone: Wisdom Amey on for Oyono, Matteo Cichella on for Calò.
82' – Yellow card: Kieron Bowie (Sassuolo), foul.
83' – Cristian Volpato replaces Laurienté (Sassuolo).
90' – Raimondo is substituted, with Daniel Bîrligea taking his place.

Raimondo's third, arriving 12 minutes into the second half, effectively decided the contest. It restored a two-goal cushion and forced Aquilani into a series of changes that never quite reshaped the game in Sassuolo's favour.

Match statistics: Frosinone more direct and more clinical

Statistic	Frosinone	Sassuolo
Expected goals (xG)	2.12	1.94
Possession	42%	58%
Total shots	21	14
Shots on target	10	6
Shots inside / outside the box	11 / 10	11 / 3
Goalkeeper saves	4	6
Total passes (accurate)	332 (246)	463 (374)
Corners	5	4
Fouls	13	10
Offsides	3	3
Yellow cards	0	1

The figures tell the story of two contrasting approaches. Sassuolo had 58% of the ball and completed 374 passes to Frosinone's 246, but the hosts were far more direct, firing 21 shots, ten of them on target. Frosinone's willingness to shoot from distance stands out: half of their attempts came from outside the area. The xG gap of 2.12 to 1.94 was small, which suggests Sassuolo created enough to score more than twice, but Frosinone were simply more ruthless in front of goal, and Palmisani's four saves held firm when needed.

Tactical analysis: mirror formations, different philosophies

On paper the two 4-2-3-1 systems cancelled each other out. In practice, Alvini's Frosinone played with a vertical, high-tempo mentality: win the ball, move it quickly to Raimondo and the three attacking midfielders, and shoot early. Calò, who scored the opener from the double pivot, was central to that, combining defensive work with forward runs before making way for Cichella on 80 minutes.

Sassuolo's possession-based approach, built around the experience of Matić and the energy of Bakola, produced spells of control and two first-half goals, with Berardi's movement from the right causing Frosinone problems. But their back line struggled with Raimondo's runs in behind. Aquilani's attempts to chase the game, including the introduction of Bowie, Domínguez, Lipani, Obrador and later Volpato, brought fresh legs without changing the overall pattern. Alvini, meanwhile, protected the lead sensibly by strengthening his defence with Egyptian defender Omar Fayed and adding pace through Zerbin and Amey.

Serie A table: Frosinone climb, Sassuolo stall

Frosinone started the round ninth in Serie A with 10 points from six games (three wins, one draw, two defeats, goals 9-7). This victory takes them to 13 points from seven matches a strong start for a club back in the top flight.

Sassuolo were 11th with eight points from six matches and an even goal difference (10-10). They remain on eight points after seven games, and conceding four will be a concern for Aquilani before the next round.

Frosinone vs Sassuolo head-to-head record

Historically this fixture has favoured Sassuolo. In the nine meetings in the data, Sassuolo have won five, Frosinone two, with two draws, and Sassuolo lead 13-11 on goals. Friday's result, however, repeats Frosinone's most memorable home win over the Neroverdi: a 4-2 Serie A victory in September 2023. The sides also met in the Coppa Italia on 2 September 2026, a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo, and split their two Serie B meetings in 2024-25, Sassuolo winning 2-1 in Frosinone and Frosinone winning 1-0 away.

What's next

Frosinone will look to carry Raimondo's form into matchday 8 and keep pace with the clubs above them, while Sassuolo must tighten up defensively after a night on which their possession counted for little. Check the full Serie A schedule on our matches page and follow every goal on live scores.