Serie A: Bologna boost UEFA Champions League hopes with comfortable victory over Verona

Bologna made it five wins on the bounce with a 2-0 victory over Verona to move up to fourth in the Serie A table.

Goals from Giovanni Fabbian and Remo Freuler either side of half-time earned the hosts a deserved three points at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.

The result continued Bologna’s fine run of form that has seen them pick up wins over Sassuolo, Lecce, Fiorentina and Lazio and ignite their bid for a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the first time, although tougher examinations are to come with games against Atalanta and league leaders Inter next.

As for Verona, the defeat extends their winless run to six games and leaves them in the relegation zone in 18th.

Thiago Motta’s side were fairly comfortable from the outset and broke the deadlock in the 27th minute from a corner.

Swung in deep, Riccardo Orsolini did well to keep the ball in the danger area and fire it back across goal where Fabbian was waiting to bundle it home from close range.

With clear-cut chances few and far between, the game hung in the balance with less than half an hour remaining, but it was the hosts who crucially struck next to double their advantage in the 65th minute.

This time Fabbian was the provider, with his lofted ball into the box perfectly weighted for former Nottingham Forest midfielder Remo Freuler, whose first-time volley beat the scrambling Lorenzo Montipo in the Verona goal.

Although they came up short, the visitors continued to carry a threat until the final whistle, particularly on the break.

Marco Baroni’s side very nearly set up an interesting finale when Thomas Henry looked certain to score in the 89th minute at the end of a slick counter-attack from a Bologna corner.

The ball was fed into the Frenchman with the goal at his mercy from close range, but Lukasz Skorupski produced a brilliant save to cap off a fifth straight win and finish the night with a clean sheet.

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