Bologna come from behind to beat Lazio as European hopes strengthen

Alex Bowmer

Oussama El Azzouzi of Bologna is celebrating after scoring their first goalAFP

Bologna earned what could prove to be a vital triumph in their pursuit of Champions League football, coming from behind to beat Lazio 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico. The victory moves the Rossoblu level on points with fourth-placed Atalanta and sees them earn four straight wins in Serie A for the first time since 1967 in the process.

Having stunned Bayern Munich in midweek, Lazio suffered an early setback here as Patric sustained a muscle injury and was replaced by Nicolo Casale, but it wasn’t long before the hosts got their noses in front.

Jhon Lucumi’s pass put his skipper Lewis Ferguson under pressure, with Gustav Isaksen nipping in to win possession and feed Ciro Immobile, who played a lovely reverse ball for Isaksen to slot home with aplomb on 18 minutes.

Bologna wouldn’t have been too worried though, having avoided defeat in four of the seven previous league games in which they had gone 1-0 down this season.

And after relying on goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski to keep them in the contest with stops from Immobile and Isaksen, Thiago Motta’s men got back on level terms when Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel played a risky one-two with Luis Alberto and promptly passed straight to Giovanni Fabbian, who supplied Oussama El Azzouzi for a close-range finish.

Matteo Guendouzi subsequently had a chance to put Sarri’s side 2-1 up just before the break, but Lucumi produced a vital headed clearance before Ferguson was perhaps lucky not to concede a penalty after pushing Isaksen.

Buoyed by their leveller, Bologna began the second half strongly and should have at least tested Provedel when Riccardo Orsolini’s inviting corner found Stefan Posch, only for the defender to misdirect his header.

In an attempt to change the complexion of the match, Sarri introduced Pedro and Taty Castellanos on 65 minutes, while Motta made a triple alteration less than 10 minutes later.

But it was one of the starters, Joshua Zirkzee, who scored what proved to be the winner, brilliantly slamming home Victor Kristiansen’s cross for his ninth league goal of the campaign.

Next up for Lazio is a tough trip to Torino on Thursday as the capital club look to keep their first away clean sheet of 2024, while Bologna play the following day at home to relegation-threatened Hellas Verona.