Verdi brace sees Hellas Verona steal win against Bologna

Simone Verdi’s brace allowed Hellas Verona to secure a vital three points in a long and difficult Serie A clash with Thiago Motta’s Bologna, edging out a 2-1 win.

The Gialloblu entered the weekend stuck in the relegation zone at 18^th, piling on the pressure for the final weeks of the season. They’ve started to generate a little momentum, holding Napoli to a draw and beating Sassuolo, and now things have started to look even better for Marco Zaffaroni’s side.

Things have been far more positive for Bologna this season, who’ve found a new lease of life under Thiago Motta, showing the signs of a promising project. The team entered the 31^ST matchday at 8^th in the table, a few steps away from the European spots.

Bologna dominated proceedings in the first half, seeing far more of the ball and looking the more confident of the two sides at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, but they failed to translate this possessional dominance into chances, only producing 0.22 xG in the first half.

Just before the end of the first half, Hellas Verona were awarded a penalty after an apparent foul by goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski. Verdi stepped up to the spot and made no mistake from 12 yards out, confidently burying the penalty in the bottom left corner of the goal.

Bologna continued to dictate the pace of the match in the second half but still failed to find the back of Lorenzo Montipo’s net, allowing the Gialloblu to hold onto their slim advantage.

Hellas Verona gave themselves an important cushion in the 62^nd minute thanks to a powerful header from Verdi, who perfectly met Davide Faraoni’s floated cross to double his team’s lead.

Despite the pressure, Zaffaroni’s side desperately held onto their two-goal lead and managed to see out the win, despite conceding a Nicolas Dominguez consolation goal in the 94th minute, picking up a vital three points in their quest for survival.