Bologna battled back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat newly-promoted Cagliari at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara and post their first victory of the 2023/24 Serie A season. Though the home side’s performance flattered to deceive again, they finally got into the win column this term.
After losing to Milan and drawing at Juventus, Bologna headed into this fixture searching for their first league win of the 2023/24 season. Likewise, visiting Cagliari hoped to atone for last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Inter. Claudio Ranieri’s side drew 0-0 at Torino on their Serie A return and felt obliged to get off the mark.
Cagliari didn’t have to wait long for their first Serie A goal since May 2022. Zito Luvumbo broke the deadlock at Dall’Ara in the 22nd minute after getting on the end of a brilliant pass from Mateusz Wieteska. With Bologna struggling to create anything meaningful in attack, the visitors were 1-0 up at halftime.
But Thiago Motta’s lads found their feat after the break and crowned their decent second-half performance with an equalizer right on the hour mark. Joshua Zirkzee picked out the bottom corner with a perfect finish to level the score and send Dall’Ara into ecstasy. Inspired by the Dutchman’s goal, Bologna intensified their pressure.
It nearly paid off in the 75th minute. However, Riccardo Orsolini could only hit the crossbar from the spot. Despite letting a golden opportunity go begging, Bologna never lost hope of turning the game on its head. The reward came in the 90th minute as Giovanni Fabbian scored moments after taking the field to complete the turnaround.
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