Bologna needed a win yesterday to blow the serie A title race open even wider than it currently is but they failed rather comically as they lost 3-1 at home to a Jamie Vardy inspired Cremonense. The win would have taken them up to 27 points, 1 point behind Milan and Napoli who are on 28 but a Jamie Vardy brace and a goal from Martin Payero drowned out Riccardo Orsolini’s first half stoppage time penalty to give the away side the victory and put them in a respectable 11th position.
Vincenzo Italiano’s men lined up in a 4231. Santiago Castro started up top with Riccardo Orsolini on the right, Benjamin Dominguez on the left and Jens Odgaard in attacking midfield. For Cremonense, it was a 352, Vardy and Federico Bonazzoli were the two up top with Giuseppe Pezzella flanking them by the left and Tommaso Barbieri by the right.
From minute 1, the match between Bologna and Cremonese was a surprisingly eventful affair with Bologna managing 20 shots throughout the match but only finding the net once, particularly in the first half, ultimately ending in a stunning 3-1 victory for the visiting side. Despite the scoreline, Bologna started the match dominating the attacking play and creating numerous chances.
In the 3rd minute, Bologna registered the first major incident when Riccardo Orsolini’s curler bounced off the base of the far post, marking an immediate near miss. The potential rebound was squandered as Benja Domínguez was offside. Bologna kept the pressure on Cremonese goalkeeper Emil Audero. In the 8th minute, Audero was forced to save a right-footed shot from Benjamín Domínguez from outside the box, a chance that had been assisted by Juan Miranda. Just three minutes later, Audero was called upon again, making a save on a left-footed shot from Santiago Castro following a cross from Juan Miranda.
Bologna continued to pepper the goal. In the 18th minute, Riccardo Orsolini hit a wayward shot, with his right-footed attempt going high and wide to the right. The 19th minute saw a frenetic sequence inside the box: Jens Odgaard’s initial shot was blocked, and Tommaso Pobega followed up with two subsequent attempts that were blocked and then saved by Emil Audero from point-blank range after a mad scramble, highlighting the goalkeeper’s resilience.
Cremonese registered their first card in the 25th minute, when Giuseppe Pezzella was shown a yellow card for a bad foul on Riccardo Orsolini. Despite Bologna’s clear dominance in chances, Cremonese struck first, capitalizing on a defensive error. In the 31st minute, Martín Payero scored the opener with an assured finish past Federico Ravaglia after receiving a through ball from Matteo Bianchetti, taking advantage of a mistake by Nicolò Casale. Just four minutes later, Cremonese doubled their lead when Jamie Vardy was sent clean through by Federico Bonazzoli and coolly slotted his finish through goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia’s legs.
Bologna tried to reorganize, but their finishing remained erratic. In the 38th minute, Nicolò Casale’s header from the centre of the box was close but missed to the right. Tommaso Pobega also missed narrowly to the right with a left-footed shot from outside the box in the 42nd minute. Cremonese had a wayward shot of their own when Martín Payero’s header from a Jari Vandeputte corner went too high in the 45th minute.
Crucially, Bologna managed to pull a goal back deep in first-half stoppage time. In the 45th minute plus one, a penalty was awarded to Bologna after Matteo Bianchetti was penalized for a handball in the penalty area, having had the ball flicked onto his arm by Santiago Castro. Riccardo Orsolini converted the penalty with a left-footed shot to the bottom right corner in the third minute of first half stoppage time.
Bologna made a double substitution at the start of the second half, with Nicolò Cambiaghi replacing Benja Domínguez and Torbjørn Heggem replacing Nicolò Casale. However, Cremonese almost immediately restored their two-goal cushion in the 50th minute. Jamie Vardy scored his second goal of the match by nipping ahead of Ravaglia to tap home an inviting cross from Tommaso Barbieri.
Cremonese maintained their attacking threat, with Federico Ravaglia making two saves in quick succession around the 57th-58th minute: first denying Filippo Terracciano’s right-footed shot from the centre of the box in the top centre of the goal, and then saving Martín Payero’s right-footed shot from a difficult angle on the right in the top right corner.
The second half was less dramatic than the first, but the substitutions continued. Filippo Terracciano was booked for tripping in the 59th minute. Alberto Grassi replaced goal-scorer Martín Payero for Cremonese in the 67th minute. Bologna made further changes: Thijs Dallinga replaced Jens Odgaard in the 75th minute, and later Federico Bernardeschi replaced Riccardo Orsolini and Emil Holm replaced Nadir Zortea in the 79th minute.
Despite the substitutions, Bologna struggled to create a decisive opportunity. Tommaso Pobega’s header from a Juan Miranda cross in the 82nd minute went too high, a wayward shot. Santiago Castro had a shot saved by Emil Audero in the 83rd minute.
In stoppage time, Emil Audero was once again instrumental for Cremonese, making a decisive reaction save on Thijs Dalinga from six yards, before parrying another deflected Thijs Dallinga attempt at the near post. Tommaso Pobega then had a final shot saved by Audero from outside the box. The final whistle came in the 100th minute to seal the shock victory for Cremonense
