Giovanni Fabbian delivered a decisive blow for Bologna against Empoli in their Serie A encounter on Friday evening, securing a victory that proved to be a setback for Davide Nicola’s team. Despite showing resilience, Empoli, hosting the match at the Castellani Stadium, was unable to hold off Bologna, who appeared poised for a hard-earned draw against the Champions League contenders.
Bologna entered the fixture occupying the fourth position in the Serie A standings, despite their recent defeat to league leaders Inter. Prior to that loss, manager Thiago Motta had guided the Rossoblu to an impressive six-game winning streak in the league.
In contrast, Empoli arrived at the match having suffered consecutive defeats to Milan and Cagliari in their previous league outings.
Bologna faced the absence of their leading goal scorer, Joshua Zirkzee, who was sidelined due to injury. Jens Odgaard was selected as his replacement in the starting lineup.
Despite dominating possession in the initial stages of the match, Bologna struggled to create clear-cut scoring opportunities. Empoli’s goalkeeper, Elia Caprile, made crucial saves to keep the scores level, denying attempts from Bologna’s Kacper Urbanski and others.
The most significant chance of the first half fell to Empoli’s M’Baye Niang, who failed to capitalize on a promising counterattack opportunity, thwarted by a timely intervention from Bologna’s defender, Sam Beukema.
Bologna’s control of possession was evident throughout the first half, with no added time played before the break. Empoli failed to register a shot on target against Bologna’s goalkeeper, Lukasz Skorupski, by halftime.
Riccardo Orsolini entered the fray in the second half, replacing Dan Ndoye on the wing for Bologna.
Empoli displayed increased urgency and control in possession following halftime, spurred on by Nicola’s halftime instructions. However, both teams struggled to create clear scoring chances, with no shots on target recorded until the 70th minute.
Bologna’s best opportunity to break the deadlock came through Alexis Saelemaekers, whose shot was expertly saved by Caprile.
Despite Empoli’s improved performance in the second half, Bologna seized a late opportunity to secure victory. Substitute Giovanni Fabbian capitalized on a rebound, slotting the ball past Caprile in the 94th minute.
The result leaves Empoli in 17th place with 25 points from 29 matches, while Bologna maintains their position in the Champions League qualification spots, trailing Juventus by just four points in third place.
Empoli 0-1 Bologna