Bologna fans are celebrating in the city streets after securing their first ever UEFA Champions League qualification and Riccardo Orsolini gave a DAZN reporter a lift.
The Rossoblu had done their bit with a 2-0 victory away to Napoli on Saturday, but were pushed over the line this evening by Atalantaโs 2-1 victory over Roma.
That mathematically guaranteed Bologna will finish in the top five and therefore have a place in the new, expanded Champions League for 2024-25.
Although the club had been in the preliminary round of the old European Cup in 1964, they were eliminated immediately.
They had not entered any UEFA tournament since reaching the Intertoto Cup Final in 2002, losing 5-3 on aggregate to Fulham over two legs.
DAZN had reporter Alessio Di Giuseppe outside the training ground, who was waving to the players and coach Thiago Motta as they drove out, having watched the game together.
What he was not expecting was Orsolini to stop, open the door and give the reporter a lift to the celebrations in the city centre.
Un fantastico @alessiodegiu che prende e sale in macchina di #Orsolini ๐ค๐ pic.twitter.com/9WKhZ5skPz
โ Pietro Balzano Prota (@PBPcalcio) May 12, 2024
They continued transmitting with his phone from inside the car as Orsolini drove them along and gave an impromptu interview.
โWe had the day off today, but we all came together to watch the Atalanta-Roma game with a beer, some good foodโฆ Afterwards we told the coach he had to give us tomorrow off too.โ
Adding another level of strangeness was Orsolini receiving a FaceTime call from Bologna teammate Lorenzo De Silvestri.
Orsolini has thought for Mihajlovic
He confirmed that although Thiago Motta is the coach this season, there is certainly something of Sinisa Mihajlovicโs influence in this Champions League qualification.
โOf course there is. He laid the foundations of this team, he passed on that determination we learned from him. Our thoughts certainly go to him.
โIโll be honest, as soon as Atalanta-Roma finished, my mind went to Sinisa.โ
Mihajlovic was the Bologna coach from January 2018 to September 2022, battling against leukaemia twice during his tenure, succumbing to the illness in December 2022.
Orsolini ๐ซถ Mihajlovic
Questa #ChampionsLeague รจ anche sua โค๏ธโ๐ฅ๐#Orsolini #SNS #DAZN pic.twitter.com/RSxXyzsU05โ DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) May 12, 2024
Orsolini also tried to play the Champions League anthem on his car klaxon.
@alessiodegiu sale in macchina con Orsolini ๐๐
E suona l'inno della Champions League con il clacson ๐๐ถ
Una delle cose piรน belle mai viste ๐#Bologna #SNS #DAZN pic.twitter.com/6pX9ZdT2OFโ DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) May 12, 2024
Piazza Grande portera encore une fois bien son nom cette nuit.
Cโest la fรชte ร Bologne pour la qualification en Ligue des Champions pic.twitter.com/pYKj5DeQJVโ ๐ช๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ (@SonoCedric) May 12, 2024
#Bologna in #Champions, le immagini della festa a Piazza Maggiore pic.twitter.com/FjQHzEQ948
โ TUTTOmercatoWEB (@TuttoMercatoWeb) May 12, 2024
ย
Absolutely sensational television on @DAZN_IT right now after Bologna reach the Champions League: Riccardo Orsolini scoops up journalist Alessio De Giuseppe in his Smart car and drives him to the city centre celebrations, on-air. While Cesc Fabregas watches on a stream from Como
โ Terry, Daley โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ (@T_Daley) May 12, 2024
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ง๐, ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ด๐ต
๐ฅ @Jadegiacalone #sportitalia #bologna #championsleague pic.twitter.com/R1pA2a0W9i
โ Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) May 12, 2024
ย
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ง๐, ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ด๐ต
๐ฅ @Jadegiacalone #sportitalia #bologna #championsleague pic.twitter.com/R1pA2a0W9i
โ Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) May 12, 2024
Kidnaps?
Goodness me. Sure seems to me the player entered the vehicle under his own volition.