Salernitana-Bologna 1-2: Thiago Motta momentarily moves into Champions League zone
The 15th round of Serie A for the 2023/2024 season brought Salernitana and Bologna head to head in an exciting matchup at the Arechi.
The match commenced with momentum flowing on both sides, with a near-goal shot by Ferguson deflected by Salernitana’s Costil in the 4th minute.
The game’s first significant highlight didn’t take long to arrive. Zirkzee broke the deadlock in the 9th minute, capitalising on Costil’s save against Posch’s shot. His goal gave Bologna the lead, a vital statement of intent from the visiting side.
Exploiting an erroneous backpass by Lovato, Zirkzee doubled his tally in the 20th minute, skilfully side-stepping Costil and effortlessly slotting the ball into the net. At this point, the visitors enjoyed a dominant spell of possession.
The half-time closure left Salernitana on the back foot, clamouring to carve out opportunities. The home side’s Ikwuemesi squandered a great chance in the 50th minute, shooting the ball straight at Bologna’s goalkeeper, Skorupski.
A probing phase in the match followed, with Salernitana’s Granata struggling to find spaces. Despite a contact inside the box between Ndoye and Maggiore in the 68th minute, the referee saw nothing irregular and allowed play to continue.
A glimmer of hope appeared for the home side in the 75th minute, when Simy scored, feeding on an assist from Candreva and reopening the competition.
As the match drew to a close, Fazio was sent off from the bench for protesting in the 90’+2 minute. Pirola tried to salvage a point for the home side with a header in the 90’+5 minute, but he narrowly missed the mark. The game ended in the 90’+8 minute, landing an away victory for the Emiliani team.
Zirkzee was declared the player of the match for his efficient striking and commanding presence on the field.
The game saw two goals from Zirkzee in the 9th and 20th minute, while Simy scored for Salernitana in the 75th minute. Salernitana’s lineup comprised of Costil in the goal, with Lovato Gyomberg, Pirola, Mazzocchi, Legowski, Coulibaly, Bradaric, Candreva, Dia, and Ikwuemesi in the field, and managed by Filippo Inzaghi. Bologna’s starting eleven included Skorupski, Posh, Beukema, Calafiori, Kristiansen, Freuler, Moro, Ndoye, Ferguson, Saelemaekers, and Zirkzee, under the guidance of manager Thiago Motta.
The final scoreline read: Salernitana 1, Bologna 2. Despite Salernitana’s fightback in the second half, Bologna’s early dominance helped them pocket three crucial points. Zirkzee’s contribution was especially highlighted, underlining the victory as a testament to the team’s attacking prowess.