With goals from El Azzouzi and Alexis Saelemaekers, Bologna further solidified their position in fourth place and ensured that Daniele De Rossi would suffer his second defeat in Serie A.
There was a head-to-head match for fourth place between Roma and Bologna, with only four points separating them. The Giallorossi had not yet finished playing the game that was halted against Udinese.
During the first few minutes of the match, Leandro Paredes attempted to get Joshua Zirkzee into trouble by grabbing his face. However, the referee issued a booking for both of them, and the Roma midfielder will be sidelined for the match against Napoli.
Bologna took the lead when Riccardo Calafiori’s cross from the left was met by an acrobatic bicycle kick from Oussama El Azzouzi from 11 yards out. After Stephan El Shaarawy ballooned over from a pull-back by Paulo Dybala, Bologna claimed the lead. The friction between him and the home players increased as a result of his celebrations.
In the process of robbing Jhon Lucumi just outside the box, Paredes had the opportunity to equalize the score; however, after sending a defender to the ground, he hammered the ball wide of the far post, and Dybala’s acrobatic attempt from a corner kick went over the crossbar.
In the 41st minute, Alexis Saelemaekers delivered a fierce free kick that smacked against the crossbar. However, this was merely a warning, as Bologna extended their lead after a lengthy stretch of possession.
Although Mile Svilar was able to get one glove on the ball, Zirkzee was able to get down the left side and shoot from a tight angle. However, the ball crossed the line before Angelino could clear it or Dan Ndoye could get a final touch on it.
Following the restart, El Shaarawy had the impression that he had restored the score with a rocket shot from the edge of the box following a corner kick; however, Stefan Posch’s face blocked the shot and prevented it from crossing the line.
Paredes also managed to sting Lukasz Skorupski’s gloves from a distance a few moments later, and Roma did manage to get on target when a corner was taken by Lorenzo Pellegrini. Azmoun had three tries to score, with Skorupski saving both the header and the first rebound from point-blank range.
Bologna, on the other hand, scored an outstanding second goal on the counterattack just as they were making efforts to equalize the score. The first-time pass from Zirkzee was precisely weighted to send Saelemaekers free on goal, and he beat Svilar with an exquisite lob. Dybala made a mistake, and Zirkzee’s assist was perfectly timed.
As they refused to give in, Zirkzee was forced to leave the game due to a muscle ailment, Tommaso Baldanzi had a strike charged down in the area, and Cristante nodded a corner kick wide.
Skorupski was put to the test at the near post by Azmoun’s chest and volley, and Pellegrini wasted the rebound by shining it over the crossbar.
After the player who had assisted Julio Castro had been called offside, the ball was finally able to find its way into the net.
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