Sampdoria were left with bitter regrets after seeing one of their two penalties saved by Lukasz Skorupski, as Roberto Soriano and Riccardo Orsolini snatched victory for Bologna.
The Blucerchiati were boosted by back-to-back draws, including a 0-0 with Inter, but remained in penultimate place. Medhi Leris returned from his ban, though Koray Gunter, Andrea Conti and Ignacio Pussetto were out. Bologna were still decimated, with Marko Arnautovic suspended, Joshua Zirkzee, Nicola Sansone, Adama Souamoro and Kevin Bonifazi injured.
Manolo Gabbiadini had a couple of early chances, an angled drive smothered and then firing over after he had sprung the offside trap.
However, Bologna took the lead when a corner was cleared to 20 metres from goal, where Roberto Soriano hit a scorcher that flew into the far bottom corner. There was a VAR check for Musa Barrow’s offside position, but he was not on the path of the ball, so considered not to be interfering with play. It was the first goal Soriano has scored in 65 Serie A appearances, since March 2021.
Stefan Posch limped off with a muscular problem, Gabbiadini lost his balance when trying to squirm between three defenders and there was an important block on Riccardo Orsolini following a counter-attack.
Barrow fired straight at the goalkeeper, but the game turned when Jhon Lucumi pulled Gabbiadini down with both arms around his neck and torso, a foul that was not so much violent as too obvious to ignore. Substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri converted the penalty with practically his first kick of the game.
This ended a streak of 731 minutes of Serie A football without a goal on home turf for Sampdoria, stretching back to Milan in September 2022.
Moments later, Alessandro Zanoli burst down the right and tried to pull back from the by-line, intercepted by Jose Sosa’s trailing arm as he went sliding in. It was just inside the penalty area, so another spot-kick, but this time Lukasz Skorupski made the decisive double save on Sabiri’s effort. The Polish goalkeeper has now parried 15 penalties in his career.
Sabiri threatened again, his shot from the edge of the box deflected inches wide, and Bologna pushed for the winner, Nikola Moro’s attempt charged down and Riccardo Orsolini lashing off target.
The pressure paid off, as in the final minute Orsolini sprung the offside trap and out-sprinted Nicola Murru down the right, cut inside and smashed left-footed into the far top corner from a tricky angle. There was an extremely long VAR check of almost four minutes due to a technical problem, but it was finally given the all-clear.
Sampdoria 1-2 Bologna
Soriano 27 (B), Sabiri pen 68 (S), Orsolini 90 (B)
Saved penalty: Sabiri 71 (S)
Player statistic
28' | Roberto Soriano (Assist: Musa Barrow) | |||
Bruno Amione | 43' | |||
Filip Djuricic | 45+2' |
Tomás Rincón | 59' | |||
61' | Jhon Lucumí | |||
Abdelhamid Sabiri | 68' | |||
Abdelhamid Sabiri | 71' | |||
90' | Riccardo Orsolini (Assist: Nikola Moro) |