Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano admitted his astonishment following his team’s 2-0 home defeat to Lazio. Italiano had been convinced they would sustain the positive momentum generated by their recent Europa League success, making the loss particularly surprising.
Just days earlier, the team had celebrated an exhilarating journey to the Europa League quarter-finals, securing a 4-3 victory over Roma in extra time at the Stadio Olimpico.
While some fatigue from that demanding midweek clash was anticipated, Bologna failed to capitalize on an early opportunity when Riccardo Orsolini’s penalty kick was saved by Lazio’s goalkeeper, Edoardo Motta.
Ultimately, two late goals from Kenneth Taylor sealed a 2-0 victory for Lazio at the Stadio Dall’Ara.
Italiano Frustrated by Bologna’s Setback
“It’s disheartening that we can’t maintain a consistent run of results; we had aimed for three significant wins in a row to cap off the week,” Italiano shared with DAZN Italia.
“We performed really well until their opening goal, hitting the post and missing a penalty. We need to learn to stay focused for the entire 90 minutes and beyond, but we conceded after our first error.”
“I was convinced that the victory against Roma would provide the necessary boost, but instead, we succumbed to a team that showed greater belief in securing the win today.”
When questioned about the impact of the 120-minute match against Roma on Thursday evening, Italiano conceded,
“We played effectively for about 70 minutes. When matches are scheduled so closely together, a certain degree of mental fatigue can set in. It’s disappointing, especially as we were in excellent form and wanted to enter the international break feeling positive.”
“Instead, we must immediately return to work and strive to regain lost ground.”
This outcome allows Lazio to overtake Bologna in the Serie A standings, moving into eighth place and further diminishing Bologna’s prospects of European qualification through the league.
Orsolini’s penalty, which was soft and centrally aimed, was easily saved by a goalkeeper making only his third Serie A appearance.
“The team has immense confidence in Orsolini,” Italiano affirmed.
“Bernardeschi had taken our most recent penalties, but we hoped for Orso to make a decisive impact again. It’s a shame, as this could have been a significant confidence boost for him, but both we on the bench and the fans applauded him when he left the field.”
