It has been a frantic first half at the Dall’Ara, as Joao Pedro’s well-worked Cagliari opener was cancelled out by a Musa Barrow scorcher, with more chances at both ends too.
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The hosts had a huge injury crisis to deal with, missing Federico Santander, Ibrahima Mbaye, Nicola Sansone, Andrea Poli, Gary Medel, Mitchell Dijks and Andreas Skov Olsen. The Sardinians made the trip without Luca Ceppitelli and Alessandro Tripaldelli, but had won their last two games.
Musa Barrow had an early goal ruled offside and aimed another effort at Alessio Cragno after a nutmeg, but Cagliari seemed more alert in their movement and attacked with more regularity.
The visitors took the lead when Riccardo Orsolini’s pass was intercepted in midfield to spark a rapid passing counter, Joao Pedro completing the give and go with Riccardo Sottil down the left to volley in from seven yards. That takes the on-going Serie A record of games without a Bologna clean sheet to 39.
Orsolini’s ferocious free kick stung Alessio Cragno’s gloves, as did the Mattias Svanberg scorcher, but on the resulting corner, Roberto Soriano’s header at the back post was off target from point-blank range.
Cragno was also at full stretch to fingertip a Rodrigo Palacio curler round the base of the far post. However, even the Cagliari goalkeeper in sparkling form couldn’t get near Barrow’s shot when he cut inside past Charalampos Lykogiannis down the left, curling right-footed into the far top corner.
Bologna 1-1 Cagliari (Half-Time)
Joao Pedro 14 (C), Barrow 45 (B)
Bologna: Skorupski; De Silvestri, Danilo, Tomiyasu, Hickey; Schouten, Svanberg; Orsolini, Soriano, Barrow; Palacio
Cagliari: Cragno; Zappa, Walukiewicz, Godin, Lykogiannis; Marin, Rog; Nandez, Joao Pedro, Sottil; Simeone
Ref: Fabbri
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