Bologna run riot to crush Cremonese survival hopes
Cremonese seemed content to keep the ball and limit Bologna to any early chances in the opening exchanges. However, the visitors soon edged into the contest and struck three first-half goals, the first of which came from Marko Arnautovic, who opened the visitor’s account with a powerful close-range header past Marco Carnesecchi from Musa Barrow’s whipped cross.
Set pieces then proved problematic once more for a Cremonese side that had conceded 19 goals from corners or free-kicks this season. Their defence failed to clear a loose ball, which eventually fell fortuitously to Lewis Ferguson, who struck low past Carnesecchi. Bologna were well on their way to ending a six-match winless run and Bologna punished Cremonese’s set-piece frailties again before half-time when Stefan Posch stooped to header in from Riccardo Orsolini’s corner.
Cremonese’s chances of making a remarkable comeback all but ended when the hosts were awarded a penalty as Kevin Bonifazi appeared to handle the ball in the area, only for VAR to overturn the decision. Minutes later, Bologna ensured that Cremonese would suffer back-to-back Serie A defeats after a surgical counter-attack ripped through the hosts’ defence, allowing Orsolini to cap off the move by rounding Carnesecchi and tapping into the net.
Bologna were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages after Orsolini was dismissed for a second bookable offence, but the setback didn’t stem the Rossoblu tide as substitute Nicola Sansone made his mark by thumping a low strike into the bottom corner from a tight angle. The Cremonese faithful were given some mild relief in injury time as Daniel Ciofani lashed a first-time volley high into the net past Lukasz Skorupski.
Familiar defensive issues plagued Cremonese once again and it appears the they will pay the ultimate price for their lack of solidity as they remain six points from safety with just two Serie A matches remaining. Meanwhile, Bologna emphatically end their three-match winless run on the road, setting their sights on a potential eighth-place finish in Serie A, which would mark their best top-flight position since 2002.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marko Arnautovic (Bologna)