Bologna clinched a victory on the day with a goal from Riccardo Orsolini, but Atalanta have still secured a place in the Conference League, benefiting from a stronger head-to-head record against Bologna.
This match was effectively a decider for seventh place and a Conference League qualification spot, although the six-point lead Atalanta held made it a near certainty. Atalanta were without the suspended Isak Hien, and the injured Odilon Kossounou and Lorenzo Bernasconi. Bologna, on the other hand, came into the game on the back of a 3-2 away win against Napoli. They were missing the suspended Jhon Lucumi, and Martin Vitik, Nicolò Cambiaghi, and Nicolò Casale were not fully fit.
Berat Djimsiti failed to convert a cross at the back post, and Lukasz Skorupski was quick to clear the ball from danger. Federico Bernardeschi’s shot from outside the penalty area went just wide, and Jonathan Rowe’s strike was comfortably saved by Marco Carnesecchi.
Nicola Zalewski’s curling effort went just over the crossbar, but Carnesecchi made an outstanding save to deny Rowe’s angled drive from reaching the far post. In first-half stoppage time, the Atalanta goalkeeper was once again alert, making a quick save to parry Santiago Castro’s turn and shot from 12 yards.
Carnesecchi was nearly caught out by Rowe following a weak back-pass from Ederson but managed to recover. Kamaldeen Sulemana headed a Zappacosta cross just wide.
Bologna took the lead in the closing stages. Jonathan Rowe delivered a ball to the back post for Riccardo Orsolini, who volleyed it home from a tight angle, having timed his run to beat the offside trap after a quickly taken free kick.
Mitchel Bakker made his return from a long injury layoff and had an immediate chance to equalize within 60 seconds, but his header narrowly missed the target. In stoppage time, Nikola Krstovic broke through the offside trap but was denied one-on-one by Skorupski.
A two-goal deficit would have pushed the Conference League qualification decision to the final round, but with this result, Atalanta’s superior head-to-head record against Bologna ensures they cannot be overtaken in the league standings.
Atalanta 0-1 Bologna
Orsolini 78′ (Bologna)
Key Match Events:
- 52′: Tommaso Pobega (Bologna) – Player listed, no event specified.
- 77′: Mario Pasalic (Atalanta) – Yellow card
- 78′: Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna) – Goal (Assist: Jonathan Rowe)
Match Statistics:
- Possession: Atalanta 45% – Bologna 55%
- Total Shots: Atalanta 9 – Bologna 10
- Shots on Target: Atalanta 0 – Bologna 5
- Shots off Target: Atalanta 9 – Bologna 5
- Blocked Shots: Atalanta 0 – Bologna 0 (Note: Discrepancy with shots off target and total shots – likely refers to shots that were blocked by defenders, not just missed)
- Corners: Atalanta 2 – Bologna 5
- Offsides: Atalanta 4 – Bologna 1
- Fouls: Atalanta 17 – Bologna 6
Starting Lineups:
Atalanta:
- Goalkeeper: Marco Carnesecchi (29)
- Defender: Berat Djimsiti (19)
- Defender: Davide Zappacosta (77)
- Defender: Giorgio Scalvini (42)
- Defender: Honest Ahanor (69)
- Midfielder: Éderson (13)
- Midfielder: Marten de Roon (15)
- Midfielder: Nicola Zalewski (59)
- Attacker: Charles De Ketelaere (17)
- Attacker: Giacomo Raspadori (18)
- Attacker: Nikola Krstovic (90)
Bologna:
- Goalkeeper: Lukasz Skorupski (1)
- Defender: Eivind Helland (5)
- Defender: João Mário (17)
- Defender: Juan Miranda (33)
- Defender: Torbjørn Heggem (14)
- Midfielder: Jonathan Rowe (11)
- Midfielder: Lewis Ferguson (19)
- Midfielder: Remo Freuler (8)
- Midfielder: Tommaso Pobega (4)
- Attacker: Federico Bernardeschi (10)
- Attacker: Santiago Castro (9)
Substitutes:
Atalanta:
- Lazar Samardžić (10)
- Raoul Bellanova (16)
- Francesco Rossi (31)
- Marco Sportiello (57)
- Gianluca Scamacca (9)
- Dominic Vavassori (45)
- Relja Obric (40)
- Mario Pasalic (8) – Replaced Marten de Roon (63′)
- Yunus Musah (6) – Replaced Nicola Zalewski (63′)
- Kamaldeen Sulemana (7) – Replaced Giacomo Raspadori (64′)
- Mitchel Bakker (5) – Replaced Charles De Ketelaere (82′)
- Sead Kolasinac (23) – Replaced Davide Zappacosta (88′)
Bologna:
- Charalampos Lykogiannis (22)
- Lorenzo De Silvestri (29)
- Nadir Zortea (20)
- Simon Sohm (23)
- Federico Ravaglia (13)
- Jens Odgaard (21)
- Massimo Pessina (25)
- Bodin Tomasevic (15)
- Riccardo Orsolini (7) – Replaced Federico Bernardeschi (69′)
- Nikola Moro (6) – Replaced Tommaso Pobega (69′)
- Thijs Dallinga (24) – Replaced Santiago Castro (69′)
- Benja Domínguez (30) – Replaced Jonathan Rowe (88′)
