At Da Luz, Italiano’s men make a stand and find the second point of this Champions League. But to continue, it may not be enough to win the last two games
Yes, okay, San Lukasz (Skorupski) was needed but a draw against “Da Luz” may not give dividends for the playoffs but it is the footballing truth, that of a Bologna that has changed greatly in the Italian’s initial choices but has never been subdued except in those occasions in which Benfica made its superior quality count. And there it was precisely the Polish goalkeeper who neutralized everything and in a miraculous way, from Di Maria to Amdouni up to Pavlidis and so on for them. Benfica, who were hoping to join the VIP area, have to wait while Bologna rises to two points: which will give macrogranules of self-esteem and confidence and positivity to pour into the championship, knowing full well that they have achieved a semi-miracle in the Benfica theatre, in the hell of Da Luz. All while carrying forward evident growth under the guidance of Italiano.
offside
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It was an inside-or-out match, this time for real: Bologna got there with just one point and just one goal; the Benfica of Lage and Di Maria and Otamendi and the whole qualitative band with eight victories in a row presents itself with the desire to attack the passage of the round, be it playoffs or First Eight. Vincenzo Italiano chooses to leave out Lucumi, Freuler and Ndoye (the thought of Fiorentina evidently weighed heavily), puts Holm on Di Maria in the bottom left, puts on both Fabbian, Moro and Urbanski, Ferguson is in the middle, Thjis in front Dallinga to try to unblock that ugly goal issue that saw him rejoice three times but in… offside, three goals disallowed since he was in Bologna. The start – in front of 3000 Bolognese fans including Gianni Morandi who, after having recovered from the fever of the last few days, decided to celebrate his 80th birthday at “Da Luz” as planned – was Benfica’s goal after 2′: Pavlidis’ offside, after an argument between Beukema and Casale which had favored Di Maria’s speed in the assistance phase, cured the distracted start. The first good ball, after a limp shot from Fabbian, goes to Dallinga: a somewhat random reversal in the 9th minute, Dallinga finds himself in front of Trubin who comes out impeccably on the Dutchman.
paratone
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Bologna plays with courage and evident patterns: the formation is, let’s say, revolutionary, but it is clear that certain playing principles have been learned from the Italian players. “Da Luz” supports but not too much, Bologna keeps the ball, presses high but always lives on the edge of error and risk: Otamendi lacks a yellow card for a deliberate kick to Fabbian in the 27th minute, Arousnes is an interior player who is almost more often inside the opponent’s area (or close to it) and who continues to create dangers, so Italiano’s two central defenders need help which also comes from Moro and Ferguson who lower themselves or from Posch who necessarily has to centralize. In short, there is courage in Bologna, but finishing is often lacking, also due to the quality of Otamendi and his teammates. And there is also Skorupski’s save in the 42nd minute: Carreras’ descent to the left, Di Maria’s volley and the Polish goalkeeper increases the decibels of “Da Luz” by saving a terrible blow. The first half goes to the archives: Bologna with an identity, plays high, presses a lot, takes risks, contains but above all shows that it has a very specific plot.
saint lukasz
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Small fear at the start of the second half: Florentino intervenes on Ferguson who stops on the ground touching the knee operated on six months ago; the Scotsman then gets up and the Benfica interior gets the right retroactive yellow after the referee gave Bologna the advantage. Then, in the 5th minute, another opportunity for Dallinga: a decentralized position, Trubin smothers the shot. Now it’s Benfica who push: crosses and corner kicks, with Bologna going into restart mode: in the 20th minute, Skorupski starts performing another half-miracle, coming out on a very poisonous cross from Aursnes and in front of the finished ball on the feet of Pavlidis he builds another saving intervention. At the other end, Urbanski hesitates too long to look for Trubin: Dallinga, on the ground in the middle of the area, intercepts.
very high head
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Benfica makes three changes – including Cabral, who Italiano knows well from his viola days – while Bologna replaces four: Lucumi, Ndoye, Freuler and Pobega come in, the heavyweights come in and in a certain sense the signal is that of wanting try to win the race. Skorupski makes another save on Amdouni with nine minutes left in regulation time. “Da Luz” pushes, Italiano also gets a yellow card and in short Bologna comes out with their heads held high. The final still sees Skorupski stopping crosses and corners, Benfica foaming with anger and Ndoye trying to create something, and in particular a high shot almost at sunset. Da Luz is not happy, Bologna swells their chest: it could have been a defeat and not only it wasn’t but it turned out to be a match in which Bologna’s dignity soared high. Unquestionably.
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