Bologna defeats Cagliari 2-0

Bologna defeated Cagliari 2-0 thanks to goals from Casale and Bernardeschi. Pisacane’s Rossoblù struggled to create danger and failed to score against a more clinical opponent in the second half.

Cagliari vs. Bologna pits the two lowest-scoring offenses in Serie A against each other—just 6 goals apiece—though with very different implications for the standings. After a very long period of feeling each other out that lasted the first 10 minutes, it was Maldini who tried to break the deadlock in the 11th minute, cutting into the box and reaching the byline before being forced into a corner kick.

In the 18th minute, Caprile came off his line to clear the ball but played it straight to Bernardeschi, who, in an attempt to cross, returned it to him. The play perfectly encapsulated the spectacle offered by both teams up to that point. In the 25th minute, Mendy tried to raise the bar with an overhead kick, but the ball went just wide to the left of Skorupski.

Bologna came close to scoring through Odgaard in the 30th minute. The Viking, a meter from the end line, cuts inside toward Caprile; the Rossoblù goalkeeper deflects it for a corner. The final 10 minutes closely resembled the opening ones: the match was played mainly in midfield, with numerous basic errors on both sides.

The second half also begins with a tentative first quarter-hour, but in the 57th minute, Casale heads home off a corner kick to give Bologna the lead. From that moment on, the Emilian side retreated into defense, and Cagliari continued to send balls into the box, though without success. In the 78th minute, a challenging handball by Cagliari defender Rodriguez awarded Bologna a penalty kick. In the 80th minute, Bernardeschi converted the penalty, putting Bologna up 2-0.

The match was effectively over at that point. The two coaches used the final minutes primarily to give playing time to players who had seen little action so far this season, with no significant impact on the game. Bologna won 2-0 and temporarily climbed to 13th place in the standings.

Article by Daniele Caruso