STADIO RENATO DALL’ARA (Bologna): Bologna were their own worst enemies on Thursday night as they threw away the narrowest of leads to draw and drop points against a Salernitana side that really should have been out of sight. But the Rossoblu didn’t make their chances count, and they were made to pay when Boulaye Dia levelled in the 88th minute to see the spoils shared in Serie A Matchday 4.
The equaliser was a tap-in, with Dia being in the right place to tuck a rebounded loose ball into an open goal. In truth, the Salerno-based side were fortunate to escape with an important Serie A point from Emilia-Romagna.
Arnautovic gets his way, but doesn’t make his chances count
Nicola Sansone’s inclusion in the Bologna XI was the topic of conversation at the Dall’Ara ahead of kick off, with Musa Barrow and Riccardo Orsolini seated on the bench to watch on.
The reality is, though, that Arnautovic’s preferred partner up top is Sansone, and the pair were two sides of the same coin on Thursday.
Both Arnautovic and Sansone had chances to first put Bologna ahead, Sansone being particularly guilty of passing up one clear-cut opportunity in the first half after being put through on Luigi Sepe’s goal by a wayward backpass.
Then there were miscommunications and misunderstandings. Sansone did well and drove at goal and although the Austrian was awaiting a pass, he ran towards Sansone who ended up crowded out and shot wayward.
Other half chances came and went without them linking up as they’d have hoped, but it looked like the Rossoblu were going to get through unscathed.
Bologna shot themselves in the foot against Salernitana
It wasn’t to be, though. Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men didn’t put the game to bed and they lived to regret it. Arnautovic saw a header go narrowly wide, and he failed to do more when he broke through from the right having won the ball back himself on the sideline.
The sucker punch came late on. Lukasz Skorupski kept out an effort only to see Dia in the one place he wouldn’t have wanted him to be, and the Senegal international made no mistake in tapping into the open goal.
